TOLEDO -Robert Tatum has been there before, he knows what it's like -and he's glad to be going back.
It's a feeling you can't even explain
the junior guard said after the OU men's basketball team (22-7) defeated Miami, 74-64, Saturday night in Centennial Hall to to capture the Mid-American Conference tournament title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
This doesn't happen to everybody that plays college basketball. Now we've got to go the NCAA and let things happen for us added Tatum, who was a freshman on the 1982-83 squad that reached the second round of the NCAA.
The 14th-seeded Bobcats will face third-seeded Kansas Thursday night in South Bend, Ind., in the Southeast Regional.
Redskin Coach Jerry Peirson also got his wish. Twelfth-seeded Miami (20-10) will be participating in the same regional, squaring off with Maryland, seeded fifth, Friday night at the University of Dayton Arena.
It means a lot Bobcat senior guard Rick Scarberry said. If we can win the first game
there is no telling what we can do. We're on a roll.
OU, which also won the regular-season title, advanced to the NCAA by defeating Miami for the second time (in three games) this season.
They were keyed up to win the basketball game and got it done
Peirson said. They deserve to be the champions.
Bobcat Coach Danny Nee, the MAC Coach of the Year, said his squad played to its full potential throughout the season.
I felt tonight Ohio University played like champions
the fifth-year coach said. We played good defense and did the things necessary to win. It's just total satisfaction starting back in October
and Ohio University's basketball team this year played to its full potential.
