Atlantic Sun Coming Out Party

The Atlantic Sun Conference had somewhat of a coming out party a week ago. While this is not three big wins in the NCAA tournament they are all three still very impressive wins. Will too many people really care until the conference posts a NCAA tournament win? Probably not. But in all honesty, this is why college basketball is so great. On any given day one team can topple another; even the winningest program in the history of division 1 college basketball program can fall.

Gardner-Webb started the run of Atlantic Sun victories November 7^th with a win over then ranked number 20 Kentucky Wildcats. Taking down an SEC team is not enough for the A-Sun. It must add a win over a Pac-10 team and then the best conference in college basketball, the super conference known as the Big East.

The Belmont Bruins, the A-Sun representative in the NCAA tournament the past two years, toppled the Cincinnati Bearcats 86-75 in the Bearcats’ season opener. Then the number 18^th ranked USC Trojans fell to the Mercer Bears 91-86.

Out of the 19 games the A-Sun plays against the Big East, Pac-10, and SEC not too many people would have predicted that the Atlantic Sun Conference would win three of those games let alone the first three.

Belmont, Gardner-Webb, and Mercer were not considered pre-season favorites to win the Atlantic Sun when the season started but it certainly will not be easy for the rest of the teams in the conference. The East Tennessee State Buccaneers were tabbed as one of two pre-season favorites and the Jacksonville Dolphins were figured to be the two teams to duke it out for the league title. Now the chase seems a lot more wide open; take those two teams and add the three that made big upsets and toss in a team like the Campbell Fighting Camels and the Lipscomb Bison and it could get very interesting. And don’t leave out a potential threat like the Stetson Hatters (what a great nickname) to make a big splash.

However, the Hatters will have to do it without their 7-1 center that transferred to Alabama State to change in his hat for becoming a Hornet. The 7-1 center with quite possibly the best name in college basketball, Chief Kickingstallionsism, will be playing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). This loss all but crushes the hopes of the Hatters, but I had to find some way to mention the Hatters and someone with the name of Chief Kickingstallionsism!