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Tuesday, January 16, 2001
Glass slippers await ...
By Ron Buck
ESPN.com
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Every Big Dance needs at least one Cinderella. And every Cinderella needs time to get ready for the Big Dance. So, even though the NCAA Tournament remains a few months away, we've started fitting glass slippers on a few teams. In case you're new to the Cinderella Watch, here's how it works:
We pick eight teams a week leading up to the NCAA Tournament. Teams can move off the Watch for two reasons:
1. Promotion: The team moves from being a Cinderella story to a favorite.
2. Demotion: The team plays so poorly its status of making the tourney is in jeopardy. You can't be a Cinderella if you don't go to the dance.
3. The poll: In the spirit of democracy, the lowest vote-getter each week will be removed from the Watch, no questions asked.
We also want your thoughts, compliments or gripes about the Watch. Click here to submit an e-mail. We'll post user responses run every Wednesday.
The RPI rankings are from Jan. 6, while team records are through Sunday, Jan. 7.
A healthy 6-foot-8 senior forward Greg Stempin (18.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has made all the difference for the Rockets, who now have an inside threat to go along with their outside snipers. Toledo was a team on the rise at the end of last season, winning 12 of 13 games when Stempin returned from an elbow injury. With Stempin starting from Day 1, it can now beat teams two ways: inside or out. The Rockets, who dress just nine players, shot 52 percent (12-for-23) from behind the arc in their win at Auburn (Nov. 25) and then beat Cincinnati a month later despite making just 3 of 19 treys (16 percent). Toledo will shoot the long ball, hoisting just under 20 a game and making 39 percent of their bombs. If any team is going to separate itself from the rest in a rugged MAC, keep an eye on the Rockets.
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BOSTON COLLEGE
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 Record
11-0 Overall
2-0 Big East
RPI
No. 16
Marquee Win
UConn, 85-68
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The Eagles were a soft 8-0 until a win over Vanderbilt (No. 40 RPI) and the first week of the Big East play made those "easy eight" wins much more impressive. A Cinderella doesn't often come out of a major conference, but this young group wasn't even on the postseason radar in November. A thorough drubbing of then-No. 10 UConn, which had beaten the Eagles 23 straight times, was the first indication these Eagles had Cinderella potential. Sunday's comeback victory on the road in Miami (Fla.) then kept Al Skinner's kids perfect -- one of only four unbeaten teams left in the country. BC has a proven leader in sophomore scorer Troy Bell, who was averaging 21.4 ppg (15th in the country) heading into Sunday. But the trick here may just be the Eagles are too young to know any better. BC went 3-13 in the Big East a year ago. It should at least double that win total this year. And who knows? A .500 Big East record could be enough to get 'em into the Dance for the first time since 1997.
The Bulldogs fit another type of Cinderella -- the dangerous type. Yes, FSU was in the Dance last year and has won 20-plus games in each of coach Jerry Tarkanian's five seasons in Fresno. This season, however, the Bulldogs were supposed to be rebuilding after losing the nation's leading scorer (Courtney Alexander) and two other starters. But freshman point man Tito Maddox's late arrival -- he's averaging 14.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg through his first seven games -- is just in time for the Bulldogs to make a run for the WAC title. They beat Tulsa on the road last week and get both TCU and SMU at home this week. Give Tark a chance and he's likely to dance on the big boys' toes in March.
Remember Steve Fisher? Well, he's back in the limelight -- albeit under much less wattage. His Aztecs are a season removed from producing just five wins. But that's nothing new. SDSU had won just nine games overall in the previous two seasons before Fisher arrived. The MWC tips off on Big Monday with the Aztecs hosting another team with 10 non-conference wins -- New Mexico (10-3). Maybe one of the better stories out West also involves starting off-guard Al Faux, a junior from Shoreline Community College in Seattle, who turned down scholarship offers from Gonzaga and Oregon State to walk-on with the Aztecs. The 6-foot-2 Faux (pronounced FOX) is averaging 10.3 points and shooting 51 percent from 3-point range. He scored a career-high 28 against Oklahoma State, including 7-of-8 on threes and 11 straight points in one stretch. Now that's a Cinderella story.
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SOUTH FLORIDA
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 Record
9-4; 1-0 C-USA
RPI
No. 38
Marquee Win
Texas, 87-69
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Still a work in progress, the Bulls are on the verge of breaking into postseason conversation. No, they don't have a gaudy non-conference record, and that overtime loss in Wisconsin may haunt the Bulls come March. But C-USA's power ranking is strong enough to get South Florida into the Dance. Going 2-for-3 against Cincinnati, Charlotte (Jan. 10) and DePaul this winter will help. South Florida went to the NIT last season -- its first postseason bid since '95. Keep watching B.B. Waldon (18.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg), he's the type of player who can put a team on his back and run off 8-10 wins in a row.
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UTAH STATE
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 Record
12-2 Overall
2-0 Big West
RPI
No. 63
Marquee Win
Utah, 58-57
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Did you ever believe Utah State would have a better shot at the NCAAs then Utah? And does that mean it can't be a Cinderella? No, at least not in our book. Sure, the Aggies won a school-record 28 games a year ago and are poised to run the table once again in the Big West. But we are talking about the Big West, which doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of NCAA tourney teams. The four Aggie starters who returned off last year's team have produced big time. Tony Brown, Shawn Daniels, Curtis Bobb and Bernard Rock each average double figures, but Utah State is very deep and knows how to defend -- good traits for any Cinderella.
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BAYLOR
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 Record
12-0 Overall
1-0 Big 12
RPI
No. 72
Marquee Win
Colorado, 61-56
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When your only notable victory comes in conference, it says something about the non-conference slate. And Baylor did load up on the pastries -- see: 303rd-ranked strength of schedule. There are only 319 Division I teams. But that doesn't mean the Bears can't wear a glass slipper for a while. Who knows, they could turn into something much more under Dave Bliss, who worked his magic at New Mexico for arriving in Waco last season. Besides, the Bears were picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 -- so any 12-0 start deserves mention. Oh, a question: Which streak will end first? DeMarcus Minor's string of 46 made free throws, or Baylor's win streak? Tune in next week.
Those who follow Cinderella stories should know all about the Cougars. But that doesn't mean a team can't continue to play the same role -- especially if it knows how to play the part well. All five starters return from a team that didn't reach the Big Dance a season ago. The "marquee" wins are heart-stopping, but the Cougars gave the Tar Heels all they wanted in their tourney and performed well enough during a tough non-conference slate to make the committee think twice should they need to about Charleston. But the Cougars should be able to make the decision easy in the Southern Conference. They are off to a solid 3-0 start in conference play and picked to dominate in both the regular season and win the automatic trip via the postseason tournament. Should the Cougars live up to expectations, they'll arrive at the Dance as a dangerous 12, 13 or 14 seed and know all the lines to an upset by heart.
Ron Buck is the college basketball editor at ESPN.com.
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