The Big Dance: Colonials Enjoy the Moment on "Selection Sunday"
By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
March 15, 2009
Meyer On Morris Link
Moon Township, Pa. - March 15, 2009 - When CBS television displayed the empty brackets for NCAA tournament games to be played in Miami in the Midwest Regional, Robert Morris coach Mike Rice turned to his team early Sunday evening and said: "Cross your fingers, guys, cross your fingers.''
No such luck.
How about Minneapolis instead?
That's where 15th seed Robert Morris (24-10) will play No. 2 seed Michigan State (26-6) Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
"Not going to Miami. Son of a gun,'' Rice said, kiddingly. "I got ice fishing instead of sun tanning, but what can you do?''
The Colonials, who last Wednesday night put their names on the NCAA dance card with that thrilling 48-46 win against Mount St. Mary's in the Northeast Conference tournament championship game, will get on a plane Wednesday and head for Minneapolis.
"I'm excited,'' senior guard Jeremy Chappell said. "I've been there once, and the one time I went I loved it. I didn't want to leave. I loved it.''
Must have been during the summer.
"It was,'' Chappell said. "I'm excited about going. I'd be excited about going anywhere because this is the first and last time I'll get to go to the NCAA tournament.''
"This is exciting,'' sophomore guard Gary Wallace said. "This is going to be a new experience, a new state, new city, so I'm excited. I'm excited for something new.''
"I've never been there,'' junior guard Jimmy Langhurst said. "I haven't heard much about it, but I know they have a good mall there - the Mall of America.''
Rice and his Colonials learned of their destination and their opponent by watching the Selection Sunday show on CBS on a 25-foot screen in a meeting room at the Sewall Center on campus. Counting the team, about 110 people joined in the celebration of seeing "Robert Morris'' on an NCAA bracket line for the first time since 1992.
"It makes your heart (pump),'' Wallace said. "You think of all the hard work you did. You think about the fans and the support we've been getting. This is big not just for our program but for the university as a whole. There have been so many people for so many years wishing this team would do well and continuing to support it. Just to see our name on Selection Sunday, that's a big thing.''
"As soon as they called our name, you start cheering and get up and go crazy,'' Langhurst said. "I was just watching everybody else. I never really watched Selection Sunday before. I've seen bits and pieces. I never really watched the whole thing. Why? I'm going to see it the next day when it comes out and fill out a bracket.''
The Colonials figured they'd be a No. 15 seed. And they thought that if Connecticut wound up being a No. 2 seed, they'd go to Philadelphia to play the Huskies. However, Connecticut was one of three top seeds out of the Big East.
That left Robert Morris to go to Minneapolis to play Michigan State, which lost Saturday to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
"It kind of made sense,'' Rice said. "We're closer to the Midwest. All the other second seeds (Duke, Memphis, Oklahoma) are in the East or South, so we had a feeling it was going to be Michigan State (in Minneapolis).''
Two seasons ago, Rice was an assistant coach at Pitt, so he and the rest of the Panther coaches and players watched the Selection Sunday show together that March.
How did this experience compare with that one?
"No question this is more fun,'' Rice said. "This is my ball club. You have more of a fingerprint on this team because it's my team. This was my dream. When you're an assistant coach for all those years and you move all those times, you want to bring your own team to the NCAA tournament.''
At least two Colonials know players on the Michigan State team.
Langhurst played AAU ball with Spartan junior Raymar Morgan for two years.
"He just texted me and said, 'See you all out there,''' Langhurst said.
Chappell played against Spartan senior Travis Walton in AAU ball.
"He's really good,'' Chappell said. "But you know, I beat him in AAU, so I'm going to try to do it again. It will be fun.''
Should be fun for all the Colonial players and coaches.
"I'm just thrilled to be in the tournament,'' Rice said. "You know, there's not a sane person who would say, 'I'm thrilled to be playing Michigan State.' But I'm thrilled to be playing Michigan State in the NCAA tournament. So we'll try to focus the lads and put bravery in their hearts and purpose in their minds and go.''
