Yesterday, we took a glance at five mid-majors worth considering for an upset pick or two come bracket-filling out time. Since we try to maintain a Kevin Love-like level of consistency here at Four More Years, here's five more teams to keep in mind this Sunday from your non-powerhouse conferences* ...

Butler Bulldogs (23-9, Horizon League champions)

The Deal: OK, we're not exactly breaking new ground here by telling you that last year's national championship runner-up might be a decent pick for a couple rounds, so we'll treat this as more of just an update on how everyone's favorite Bulldogs did this year. Butler actually had a midseason slump this year -- three straight losses a little over a month ago -- but rebounded from it to the team's current nine-game winning streak.

Your Bracket: Don't go crazy with Butler. Nobody on this year's version has the talent of Gordon Hayward, so Butler will struggle to compete with the big boys. Feel justified in picking them as long as they stay clear of the top two seeds in their bracket.

Cleveland State Viking (26-8, Horizon League regular season co-champions)

The Deal: The Vikings are not a lock to make the tournament field since they would need to do so as an at-large, but Cleveland State is an intriguing squad. They boast an RPI of 41 (as of games completed through Tuesday) which is an impressive ranking for a mid-major and Cleveland State a great singular talent in Norris Cole. The senior guard does a bunch of everything -- 21.6 points per game, six rebounds, 5.3 assists -- and can throw up a crazy stat line with the best of them; in his team's win against Youngstown State, Cole went for 41 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.

Your Bracket: Unlikely to crack the field, but not a terrible major upset pick, especially if you play in a pool where additional points are given based on a team's seeding. If they snag a 14-seed and play against a fading 3-seed, the Vikings are worth a look.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-9, West Coast Conference champions)

The Deal: Much like the other Bulldogs -- for those just skimming, Butler brought us our first collection of Bulldogs; by the way, Bulldogs is the most common moniker for NCAA teams --we're familiar with the Gonzaga program at this point. But this year's batch of left-coast hoopsters has gone, for the most, under the radar because they lost a bunch of games early in their out-of-conference schedule and lack quality wins. But, here are two of the clubs Gonzaga fell to early in the season -- San Diego State (by three) and Notre Dame (by four). Those two teams turned out to be two of the best 10 in the country and Gonzaga played them very close.

Your Bracket: Gonzaga has won nine games in a row and is peaking at the right time; if they get a favorable draw, they're not out of the Elite 8 picture. A favorable draw for them would include playing teams that are not loaded with super-quick guards (think Kentucky, North Carolina or Villanova).

Hofstra Pride (21-11, CAA runner-up)

The Deal: The Pride are on the bubble, but are a team to watch if they do make it into the field. The CAA was fantastic all year, so despite a lack of quality wins outside the conference, Hofstra has been tested. More importantly, the Pride has Charles Jenkins -- the senior guard averaged 22.9 points per game this season 30+ points four different times this season. Love an underdog that has a top gun capable of carrying a team for a night.

Your Bracket: If they get it, likely in the 13- to 14-seed range. If they get a first-round opponent that is more of a size team -- like Pittsburgh -- the Pride are worth a look.

Long Island Blackbirds (27-5, Northeast champions)

The Deal: Essentially, Long Island has played nobody of consequence this season, as the team's best opponent was the MAAC's Iona ... and the Blackbirds took the L in that one. But, the Blackbirds can score (82.5 points per game, sixth in the country) and rebound (41.8 boards a game, third in the country). If you can score and take care of the glass, you can cause headaches in March.

Your Bracket: Possibly a team headed to one of the play-in games for a 16-seed; worth a pick for that round if that is where they end up.

*I left out BYU and San Diego because both teams have been nationally ranked and discussed for most of the year. Obviously, these teams will be expected to win games in the tournament and won't get a chance to spring an upset.

--Michael Kelly

With just three games to go for most Liberty League men’s basketball combatants, the race for the league tournament’s four spots is kicking into full swing. Here’s a quick breakdown for the league's two local teams — RPI and Skidmore; Union is in second-to-last place — with postseason aspirations.

RPI (13-7, 7-3), Second Place

To start this off, RPI picked up a huge win on Friday night when it hosted Skidmore. The Engineers emerged with a 65-63 win paced by a 16-point effort from senior Travis Jones, as RPI just barely escaped — the team had led by 11 points with under two minutes to play.

Remaining on RPI’s schedule are four more games, two of which will be played against teams with records better than .500. The team's next two games, both home affairs are must-win games for the Engineers — the team takes on Union and Vassar, who both reside in the Liberty League's basement.

After that, things get much tougher for the Engineers. RPI will travel on Feb. 18 to take on first-place Hobart and then turn around the next day to play fourth-place Hamilton.

RPI looks like it will need to win three of its four remaining games to make the Liberty League tournament; as long as chalk holds, the Engineers should make the league's postseason without too much of a problem.

Skidmore (13-8, 7-3), Tied for Third Place

Meanwhile, in the wake of the team's loss to RPI, Skidmore has some work to do.

The Good News: Skidmore has three more games, only once of which is on the road; also, Skidmore will not play a team the rest of the season with a winning record.

The Bad News: Skidmore is tied for third with Hamilton, but fifth-place St. Lawrence is just one game back of both.

In all likelihood, Skidmore can clinch a playoff spot if the Thoroughbreds handle St. Lawrence when the two teams meet on Feb. 18 at Skidmore. If the Thoroughbreds beat St. Lawrence and win at least one other game, Skidmore is in to the tournament.

Check back on Sunday for an update on where the women of the Liberty League stand!

--Michael Kelly

While the college basketball spotlight has recently been dominated by Glens Falls' Jimmer Fredette, let's take some time to look at another player from the area lighting it up at the D-1 level.

Through 20 games this season, Penn State's Talor Battle (Bishop Maginn) has scored 20.1 PPG and has led the Nittany Lions (12-8, 5-4) into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten.

While Battle's season-high tally of 31 points (achieved twice) has not garnered a fraction of the attention devoted to Fredette's scoring exploits, Battle has quietly put together another solid season in his senior year

Led by Battle, Penn State has recorded wins over typical college basketball powers such as Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin. In Penn State's Jan. 29 win over (current) No. 19 Wisconsin, Battle scored 22 points and collected five rebounds.

Battle appears headed to earning another nod to a Big Ten all-conference team (he was a first-team member in 2009; second team in 2010). In conference play in the rugged Big Ten, Battle is the conference's third-leading scorer (20.1 PPG) and is 14th in assists (3.7).

Penn State has not played in the NCAA Tournament during Battle's tenure, though the team did win the NIT in 2009; in Joe Lunardi's latest "Bracketology" on ESPN.com, Penn State was not projected to make this year's field but is listed as one of the last four teams to miss the cut.

Penn State next plays on Feb. 1 against No. 21 Illinois; the Nittany Lions and Battle will be on ESPN2 on Feb. 17 when they host No. 18 Minnesota.

While at Bishop Maginn, Battle led the school to the Class AA title game during his senior season while he averaged 26.7 PPG, 5.7 APG and 4.3 SPG for the season. Battle and Fredette played together in AAU basketball during their high school years, both members of the Albany City Rocks.

For those looking for more on Battle ...

Here is a recent piece done by Pete Iorizzo of the Albany Times Union about how the combination of Battle and his half-brother, Taran Buie, has not gone as planned.

Also, in case you are suffering from Jimmer-withdrawal, here is an article done by David Jones on pennlive.com about Battle's reaction to Fredette's star turn.

“The Jimmer” went viral after scoring 43 points to lead No. 9 BYU past No. 4 San Diego State on Wednesday night, 71-58. Fredette did an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter after his game, saw his name trend on Twitter that night and then had his game (and pro potential) analyzed in countless articles on Thursday.

In advance of BYU’s televised game on Saturday (1/29) (at New Mexico, 4 p.m., VERSUS), here’s a recap of the carnage in the aftermath of Fredette’s big night …

The Numbers

Before going into everyone’s reaction, let’s take a look at what caused such a stir …

•  Fredette scored 43 points, or 61 percent of his team’s points; the second highest scorer on BYU was Brandon Davies with 14 points.
• Fredette shot 14-of-24 from the floor, 5-of-8 from deep, and 10-of-11 from the foul line. He was the only BYU player to make a 3-pointer and made more free throws by himself than San Diego State. 
• In a stretch of time from 9:08 left in the first half to 18:45 left in the second half, Fredette was the only Cougar to score. During the stretch, Fredette scored 17 points and made 7-of-9 shots from the floor (2-of-2 from deep; 1-of-2 from the line). His streak ended when Davies made a two-point basket.

The Tweets

Here’s a sampling of some of the best tweets after Fredette’s performance, with any typos unchanged. Fredette trended on Twitter throughout the night after his breakout performance. The tweets came from a wide spectrum and touched on his performance, his unique name, race and NBA draft stock.

Kyle Buetler (theBeutlerdidit) wrote: Jimmer Fredette probably wouldn't be near as popular if it weren't for the fact his name is fun to say. #Jimmer

Joe Peters (J_Peters12) wrote: Come on SDSU!... Its like you forgot that Jimmer Fredette plays on the other team... #whatsthematterwithyou

Jason Smith (howaboutafresca) wrote: Watching Jimmer Fredette play is like watching Michael J Fox when he plays basketball as a werewolf in Teen Wolf. More tonight on ESPN Radio*

Nick Blake (fictionalninja) wrote: "Jimmer Fredette" is a cool name, but it's no "Fredder Jimmette." #betterlucknexttime

Steve Flynn (steveflynnlfc) wrote: I think Jimmer Fredette just scored on me.

Bobby Roberts (sweetbob) wrote: Jimmer Fredette was scheduled to be a 2nd round pick if he went pro last year. This year...He's a lottery pick, right?

Ian O’Connor (Ian_OConnor) wrote: Just watched Jimmer Fredette put on quite a show. But sorry, I still don't think his game will translate in the NBA.**

 Thomas Walker (TWEsq) wrote: Guess no one bothered to tell Jimmer Fredette that Woody Harrelson is not a good role model. #greatwhitehype

Adrian Wojnarowski (WojYahooNBA) wrote: Texted with a couple NBA execs at BYU tonight. Says one of Jimmer: "Normal questions about size and athleticism, but he's a special scorer." Later, Wojnarowski tweeted: Another NBA exec at BYU tonight: "Easier to teach 'D' than to drop 25 foot bombs in people's faces. Steph (Curry) didn't defend at Davidson either."***

Issac Boutte (thinicesports) wrote: I've seen the second coming of Larry Bird...and his name is Jimmer Fredette

*Jason Smith is the host of a show on ESPN Radio, “AllNight.”

**Ian O’Connor is a columnist for ESPNNewYork.com

***Adrian Wojnarowski is an NBA writer for Yahoo! Sports.

The Articles

More than a few articles were written about Fredette in the aftermath of his big night. Here’s a collection of a few of them …

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski's take.

Wojnarowski went over how scouts looked at Fredette after last season, how close the Glens Falls product came to being a New Jersey Net and how he is faring battling the stereotypes that tend to plague American-born, white basketball players.

My Note: For those wondering, Fredette is a virtual first-round lock this season by all accounts, the question is just how high he goes. My bet is somewhere in the 10-24 range; the Utah Jazz own two first-round draft picks this season that both should in that range and it’s tough to imagine them not gobbling up a BYU star. If not them, don’t expect Danny Ainge – the Boston Celtics’ president of operation and BYU alum – to pass on Fredette in the late 20s.

AOL Fanhouse’s Terence Moore's take

This one will really resonate with readers who A) only vaguely know was Twitter is and B) had no clue what it mean to "trend" on Twitter. Moore compared Fredette to a couple of other prolific college scorers from yesteryear in the form of “Pistol” Pete Maravich and Austin Carr.

Rivals.com’s Jeff Eisenberg's take

If you liked reading the tweets above, this article is for you. Eisenberg goes over the national reaction to Fredette’s performance and how it seems the dead-eye shooter has developed a kind of cult-hero status.

Time' s Sean Gregory's take

Very similar to the article above, Gregory makes the argument that Fredette’s star-status is a product of the Twitter-age.

ESPN's Andy Katz's take 

The long-time ESPN college basketball writer makes the Player of the Year case for Fredette.