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Lucas: Cal State Fullerton? In Omaha? Thank God this isn't baseball

Mike Lucas  —  3/17/2008 7:57 am

The NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee showed an appreciation for irony, if not the Big Ten, by matching a baseball school (Cal State Fullerton, a four-time national champion) against a school that does not play baseball -- the University of Wisconsin dumped the sport in the early '90s -- in a city (Omaha, Neb.) that is widely recognized as the mecca of college baseball.

Omaha has evolved into a home-away-from home for Cal State Fullerton, which has made 15 appearances in the College World Series. Among the Titans' most ardent baseball boosters has been Kevin Costner, an alum, whose movie roles have included Ray Kinsella ("Field of Dreams"), Crash Davis ("Bull Durham") and Billy Chapel ("For the Love of the Game").

Cal State Fullerton basketball coach Bob Burton alluded to the Omaha connection Sunday after learning of his team's destination in the NCAA tournament, only the second such trip in school history. The first was 30 years ago when the Titans upset New Mexico State and San Francisco before losing to Arkansas and the Triplets -- Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph, and Ron Brewer -- in the regional final; one step shy of the Final Four. Greg Bunch, the headliner on that 1978 team, told the Los Angeles Times, "There was no reason for people to believe we could do what we did. The teams that we beat in that tournament, we were not supposed to beat. So if it worked once, then why not again?''

That's about the size of it for the undersized Titans -- that is, believing they can use their running game to overcome big odds against a Big Ten opponent. Cal State Fullerton doesn't start anyone taller than 6-foot-5. Their frontline is 6-5, 6-5, 6-4. Their backcourt is 5-11, 5-11. Their top reserves are 5-6, 5-10, 6-6 and 6-6 (though 5-6 Junior Russell is coming off a team suspension and has not played since early February). Meanwhile, Eddie Lima, a 6-9, 280-pound center, has played only 12 minutes since November.

"We're going to be fine running up and down the court, but can we rebound? Can we guard their guys inside?'' Burton posed to the L.A. Times. "It's going to be really a tough deal for us. Somebody on TV said they are the best defensive team in the country, so that is scary. But the big thing is, 'Can we hang with them on the boards and inside?'"

Whereas the Badgers are allowing just 53.8 points --only two teams have scored more than 80 against them, and they lost both games to Duke (82-58) and Marquette (81-76) -- there's no question that the Titans can score, averaging 82.6 points per game. They have tallied 90 or more points eight times, including a 103-72 win against Furman and a 100-91 win against Montana. Their leading scorer has been 5-11 Josh Akognon, who was originally recruited to Washington State by former UW coach Dick Bennett. Despite leading the team in scoring (10.3) as a sophomore, Akognon was not happy in the structured Bennett offense and transferred. A columnist in Akognon's hometown (Petaluma, Calif.) suggested that plugging Akognon into Bennett's system was "like trying to convince a firearms salesman to believe in gun control.'' Akognon, a 3-point gunner, has been dubbed the "Petaluma Pistol.''

In addition, Akognon is one of 13 transfers on a 13-player Cal State Fullerton roster. Everyone started somewhere else, whether at a four-year school or a junior college. Russell is from West Valley College, along with Kenneth Alexander and Marcus Morgan. Lima is from Arizona Western College. Scott Cutley and Marcus Crenshaw are from Kent State. Frank Robinson is from East Carolina. Ray Reed is from Georgetown. Andrew Green is from College of Sequoias. Adam Thomas is from Penn Valley CC. Marcio Lassiter is from San Francisco CC. And Gerard Anderson is from Saddleback College.

Regarding the older make-up of his team, and all the transfers, Burton told the Los Angeles Times, "They're not kids, they're men. Coaching them is like coaching adults. Really, it's terrific. There's not a lot of problems. I love guys like this because they aren't kids. They're mature.''

The Sporting News tabbed Cal State Fullerton as the preseason favorite in the Big West, even though the Titans had to replace their point guard, Bobby Brown (not Whitney Houston's ex but an explosive scorer who drew comparisons to Speedy Claxton). As it turned out, the Titans shared the regular-season title with UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge. While drawing the No. 3 seed in the league tournament, the Titans continued their late-season roll by earning the NCAA's automatic bid with wins over UC Riverside, Northridge and then UC Irvine in the title game.

In the only meeting this season between teams from the Big Ten and the Big West, Minnesota crushed Riverside 75-38. Moreover, Dan Monson, the former Gophers coach, directed Long Beach State to a stellar 6-25 record. There is another Big West-Big Ten connection that will be explored next football season, when Cal Poly shows up in Madison for a date with the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Cal State Fullerton dropped football at about the time the Badgers dropped baseball, making for strange bedfellows in this NCAA first-round matchup. Referencing the Omaha locals, Burton told the L.A. Times, "Maybe we can get them to think that the baseball team is playing and then they'll all come out and support us.'' For the love of the game, if nothing else.

Mike Lucas  —  3/17/2008 7:57 am