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ETSU draws top-seeded Pittsburgh in first-round matchup in East Region

East Tennessee State has been given another dubious chance to make basketball history.

Two decades after its one-point loss to Oklahoma, the closest a 16 seed has ever come to beating a No. 1 at the NCAA tournament, the Bucs find themselves playing a new role in Mission: Impossible. This time they drew the Pittsburgh Panthers, a beast from the Big East.

The first-round contest will be played Friday in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the East Regional. Gametimes were not available Sunday night.

“It’s a tough matchup,” said ETSU coach Murry Bartow, shaking his head. “Pittsburgh, with all its size and strength, is one of the most physical teams in the country. It’s a tough matchup.”

The pairing on the big television screen at the Millennium Center drew a hearty cheer from an enthusiastic group of fans who had gathered to watch Selection Sunday unfold. The players whooped it up as CBS cameras beamed the scene nationally.

The news was more sobering to Bartow.

He held out hope for a 14 seed, and was fairly convinced his team wouldn’t slip below 15. That would have precluded a matchup like Pittsburgh, the second-rated team overall. At least the Bucs would have had an outside shot.

Now, they’ve got that bleak history staring them in the face.

“You never know,” Bartow said of the rationale for seeding. “Based on our RPI, I thought we’d be a 14 or 15, but I wasn’t in the room.

“I don’t want to make too big a deal of it. That first-round game is going to be a bear whoever we play. We got a big bear.”

The Panthers are 28-4 and have the distinction of beating Connecticut, another No. 1 seed, twice this season. They were upset in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament by West Virginia.

There isn’t a more physical player in the country than DeJuan Blair, the Panthers’ 6-foot-7, 265-pound sophomore forward. And that’s just one of several matchup problems Pitt will pose to the Bucs.

“DeJuan Blair is one of the strongest players in the country,” said Bartow. “Sam Young is one of the best athletes in the country. Levance Fields is one of the best point guards in the country.”

At least the Bucs may draw some support, given Dayton is within a seven-hour drive of the Tri-Cities. An added attraction: Tennessee, seeded ninth, was placed in the same venue and paired against No. 8 Oklahoma State.

One optimist Sunday was heard to quip, “I can’t wait for Bucs-Vols in the second round.”

ETSU’s players understood the challenge ahead of them, after thinking it over for a minute. They seemed relieved to have their assignment more than a week after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.

“We’re excited to be in the thing, first of all,” junior guard Mike Smith said. “I hope we play respectably and compete.”

The Bucs (23-10) will be making their eighth appearance in the NCAA tournament. The last one was five years ago, so no one on the roster knows what it feels like.

Senior forward Kevin Tiggs knows the physics aren’t in ETSU’s favor in its first-ever meeting with the Panthers.

“They have pretty good size on us,” said Tiggs. “We’ll have to play physical and play smart.”

Asked if he was surprised to come in as a 16 seed, Tiggs just flashed his trademark smile.

“I think we’re better than that,” he said, “but you take what they give you.”

The Bucs may at least have some familiarity with the surroundings. They played at University of Dayton Arena, a 13,409-seat facility, to open last season, losing to the Dayton Flyers.

“It doesn’t hurt, the fact that we’ve been in that arena,” said Bartow. “Maybe there will be a comfort level.”

This week the team will gladly take any edge it can find.

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I thought ETSU might get a little higher seed. I didn't think they would be deserving of a 14, but I was hoping for at least a 15 seed. They won't give Pitt a first-round loss, but I think they have the speed to keep up with them and give them a better game than many expect.

Jared Bentley | 3/16/2009 - 9:05 AM - (Suggest Removal )

I love it!

Richard Brown | 3/16/2009 - 2:18 AM - (Suggest Removal )

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