Poised to Make Some Noise 2

The Madness of March is drawing closer and the Bracket Busters are less than a month away. Poised to Make Some is a series of posts that will look at some of the mid-major teams that could produce some surprises when it comes to tournament time. We mentioned the Wichita St. Shockers and the Long Beach St. 49ers last time. San Diego St. was on our radar for this week's post but they have quietly climbed up to 13th in the rankings. So that's hardly a surprise team. If fact, after checking the Aztecs over a little bit, they might be a team that wont be around very long. This week's teams are the George Mason Patriots and the Harvard Crimson.

The Colonial Athletic Association used to be better known as a FCS football powerhouse, the SEC of the Football Championship Subdivision. The last few years some teams from the CAA have caused quite a stir in the NCAA Tournament, though. VCU and George Mason have played their way into Final Four berths in recent seasons. The Patriots are currently atop the conference, which just like is past years is a log jam with four teams within a game of the lead. George Mason gets the nod because they have a quality big man in senior forward Ryan Pearson. A good big man wins games. Pearson is among the league leaders in scoring and rebounds. The Patriots strength of schedule is low and the only tough opponent we see is their loss at Virginia but they should draw a name opponent for the Bracket Busters showdown.

Harvard has been teetering on the edge of the basketball rankings for most of the season. The Crimson knocked off Florida St early in the season and that win looks even better now as the Noles have surprised Duke and North Carolina. The Ivy League is the only conference that doesn't have a season ending tournament so the regular season champ gets the automatic berth. Currently the Crimson are undefeated in league play but clearly have a target on their back. We should see them in March if they can continue to play like they have all season. The Crimson have a very balanced team that makes few mistakes and just might send some big boys home early come tourney time.

Enjoy all the games today and keep your eyes on those mid-majors that are "Poised to Make Some Noise."