Never Never Land: Eyeing Guarded Optimism Due to Clarke and McCollum

In the aftermath of eyebrow-raising success in recent NCAA tourneys, Butler and Lehigh are guardedly optimistic next season because of eye-popping backcourters Rotnei Clarke and C.J. McCollum. Butler, the NCAA playoff runner-up in 2010 and 2011, can bounce back next year if long-range bomber Clarke, a transfer who set Arkansas' single-game scoring standard with 51 points against Alcorn State, is unleashed. Lehigh, after posting its first NCAA playoff victory last year, is poised to generate more headlines because McCollum withdrew from the NBA draft and should become the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer well before Christmas.

In fact, Clarke and McCollum could become the first All-American for their respective schools. If so, it might be a banner year for mid-major colleges as Creighton's Doug McDermott and Murray State's Isaiah Canaan are the only returnees among NCAA consensus All-American selections. Another gifted mid-major guard is Matthew Dellavedova, the West Coast Conference MVP who might become Saint Mary's first All-American since Tom Meschery in 1961.

Following is an alphabetical list of long-time major colleges with an eyesore on their resumes because they've never had an All-American cited by AP, Converse, NABC, UPI or USBWA: Air Force, Brown, Bucknell, Butler, The Citadel, Cornell, Harvard, Kent State, Lafayette, Lehigh, Manhattan, Montana, Pepperdine, St. Francis (NY), Saint Peter's, San Jose State and Virginia Military.