March Madness odds: Play-in game

2008 ncca tournament bracket
2008 ncca tournament schedule
NCAA tournament bracket


OK, it's technically called the "opening round" of the NCAA Tournament, but we all know that Tuesday's game between Mount St. Mary's and Coppin State is the play-in game, with the winner to be fodder for No. 1 overall seed North Carolina on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

Actually, Coppin State (16-20) has made history this season, becoming the first NCAA Tournament team with 20 losses. In fact, the Eagles, champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, were 4-19 (losing 17 of 18) at one point this season before finishing 12-1. They will be making their first NCAA Tournament, appearance since 1997, when they made history by upsetting No. 2 South Carolina as a 15 seed.

"A lot of people could have quit in that situation," Coppin coach Fang Mitchell said of his players' early struggles. "These guys didn't quit. I was really proud of them for having that fight in them ... even though it seemed that the season was over for them.

"Now we're striving to be the first 20-loss team to win a tournament game now," Mitchell said, although the Eagles are betting underdogs for Tuesday night's game at WagerWeb.com.

The Eagles entered the MEAC tournament as the No. 7 eed and won four games by a total of just six points. Tywain McKee had 33 points in the upset of Morgan tate in the final, including the game-winning jumper with three seconds left.

That was the same Morgan State team that swept Coppin in the regular season, including a 28-point win at Coppin's gym.

McKee, the point guard, leads the Eagles in scoring (16.1 ppg) and assists, and no one else on the team averages in double figures in scoring. He is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.3 rebounds per contest. He has great range and hits almost 43 percent of his 3-pointers; he also shoots 86 percent from the line.The Eagles have been outscored on the season, but they can steal the ball, as they average 7.4 on the season. They will need good defense, as they only make, on average, 3.8 shots per game from 3-point range, second-to-last in the nation.

Meanwhile, Mount St. Mary's (18-14), won the Northeast Conference Tournament, and is making its first NCAA appearance since 1999. The Mountaineers have never won a game in their two previous trips to the NCAA Tournament (the other in 1995).

They enter the tournament having won five in a row and eight of their last nine.

Senior guard Chris Vann (14.7) and sophomore guard Jeremy Goode (14.3) are the scoring leaders for the Mountaineers.

"We're overwhelmed just with the fact that we are in the NCAA Tournament," Vann said. "It gives us a good chance to make history with the university and the program. (The play-in game) is a game we are capable of winning."

Incidentally, both teams are located in Maryland, yet Tuesday's game is in Dayton, Ohio. And Coppin State will be the fifth team to play in the NCAA Opening Round game at the University of Dayton Arena with a losing record. The first four all won.

Prediction: Hard to bet against Coppin State right now, and they have the best player on the floor in McKee.