Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
No one gave Princeton a chance against UCLA in 1996, but look what happened. And that's just one example.
By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 20, 2003
TAMPA -- Princeton forward Gabe Lewullis never dared roll his eyes or shrug his shoulders during preparation for the 1996 NCAA Tournament opener against UCLA.
But body language notwithstanding, he could see that the defending national champion Bruins had a roster replete with athletically dazzling, sure-fire pro prospects. Princeton, like its Ivy League brethren, had no one on athletic scholarship.
At least David had a rock and a slingshot.
Lewullis feared his team had no shot.
"I was a freshman and rather naive to the whole NCAA experience, but personally, I didn't see us beating them," said Lewullis, now a medical school student. "I know it's something you don't want to say as a competitor, but honestly, I didn't think about us beating them. But as you got on the court, you realize that these guys are just ball players and so are you and you can beat them. Throughout the game, that realization became more apparent."
The Tigers stayed close, rallied to tie the game in the waning minutes and then shocked the world with a 43-41 win when Lewullis scored on the quintessential Pete Carril play -- a backdoor layup -- with 3.9 seconds left.
"Getting ready to play that game, I brought up the story with Georgetown in 1989," said Carril, who had announced his retirement a few days before the game. "They were the No. 1 team in the country. We lost by one point. I told them, 'The task is difficult, but just remember, we have a chance to win.'... You have to believe you can win. That's the key."
But hardly the only one.
A number of factors play into a Cinderella-like story unfolding, something fans might see here with first- and second-round games today and Sunday at the St. Pete Times Forum.
When No. 4 Southern California drew No. 13-seed North Carolina-Wilmington in the opening round of the 2002 South Region and had to play in Sacramento, it could have expected a preponderance of Trojan fans there.
Not so.
"I think every fan who attended was for Wilmington," USC coach Henry Bibby said. "That's kind of the way it is in college basketball. People want to see the underdog succeed."
The Seahawks did just that, winning 93-89 in overtime.
"It was an unbelievable advantage for us," former UNC-Wilmington coach Jerry Wainwright said of the far-from-neutral court. "I think that happens at a lot of sites. The fans that come, unless their team is there, picks up for the little guy."
Officiating crews are equally important. Referees gain a familiarity with a league and its players during the season and that can affect how they call games.
"If we had to go to Florida, that would be tough, especially if they had Southeastern Conference officials," Creighton coach Dana Altman said, referring to last year's NCAA first-round matchup in Chicago. "But put it on a neutral floor and it makes it a pretty even match."
The Bluejays won 83-82 in double overtime.
If the less heralded schools have an advantage, it is that they are more apt to keep their players for four or five years.
No. 15 Hampton brought three fifth-year seniors into its 2001 West opener against No. 2 Iowa State. Two of them -- guard Marseilles Brown and forward LaSean Howard -- had appeared in the NCAA with their previous clubs, Richmond and Syracuse. The third was the MEAC's best player, forward Tarvis Williams.
"They had experience," Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy said. "You see in our league right now, the better teams are the ones with the older guys. So, we were afraid of them."
Brown had 14 points, Howard 10 and Williams 16, including a 4-footer in the lane with 6.9 seconds left, for the stunning 58-57 win.
"It (the experience) brings the parity closer and closer," said former Hampton coach Steve Merfeld, who was carried around the court in a wild celebration that remains one of the lasting images of that -- or any -- NCAA Tournament.
Jim Harrick, UCLA's coach in 1996, said he and his staff began preparing in October for the spectrum of styles they might see in any given game. They would face up-tempo teams and teams that slowed the pace.
Princeton was unique, not only milking the 35-second shot clock, but constantly moving and cutting and looking for backdoor layups or 3-point jumpers.
"It was different," said Cameron Dollar, a junior point guard. "You hadn't played against it all year and hadn't seen it. At that point, I hadn't seen it in college, period."
The Tigers added a twist by going to a 1-2-2 zone defense.
"I didn't think we could handle them man for man," Carril said. "We went to a matchup zone and it was very effective."
UCLA, which entered the game shooting better than 50 percent from the field, managed to hit just 38.5 percent against the Tigers. UCLA also failed to score in the final 6:13.
A gimmicky defense also helped Hampton in 2001. Late in the game, the Pirates went to a triangle-and-two defense. Iowa State did not score in the last 7:01.
"I think a lot of that had to do with the pressure," Merfeld said, referring to the expectation that the big-name school should win. "They started to feel it. You could sense it with every shot they took. The pressure kept getting greater and greater."
Sometimes, one guy can steal the show. It can be a Bo Kimble for Loyola Marymount or David Robinson for Navy or even someone with less notoriety.
Weber State's Harold Arceneaux, a junior forward nicknamed "The Show," scored a game-high 36 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, against North Carolina in the first round of the West Region in 1999. He sealed a 76-74 win with two free throws in the final seconds.
"That was one of his best games," former Weber coach Ron Abegglen said. "He was ready mentally for it, and we tried to do a lot of things to get him the basketball every time down the floor."
The Wildcats constantly ran the same offensive play, one called "The Crunch." Their low post player set a screen, allowing Arceneaux to peel off the baseline and head to the free throw line or the top of the key to receive the ball. With his teammates spread out on the wing, Arceneuax had the space to maneuver and take a shot or go one-on-one.
The Tar Heels tried several defenders, including Ademola Okulaja. They all were unsuccessful. After advancing to at least the second round 18 straight years, the Heels were one-and-done.
"We had no answer for him," former North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge said. "He was unconscious."
Sometimes the difference between a close call and an upset is one play that Hollywood could not have scripted. Consider the 1998 Midwest opener between No. 13 Valparaiso and No. 4 Mississippi, a trendy pick to get to the Final Four.
Down 69-67 with 2.5 seconds left, Valpo had to go the length of the floor to try to force overtime or pull off the improbable win. Seniors Bryce Drew, Jamie Sykes and Bill Jenkins looked at their coach and said, "Pacer." The special play had rarely worked even in practice.
"I just nodded (to them) and said, 'Yes,' " former coach Homer Drew said.
Sykes, who doubled as the baseball team's centerfielder, threw a strike 74 feet to Jenkins at the top of the key. Jenkins jumped between two defenders and tipped the ball to his right to Bryce Drew. The coach's sharpshooting son, who was racing down the sideline, caught it and in one breathtakingly fluid motion hit the game-winning 3-pointer.
"They were destined to win it," former Ole Miss coach Rob Evans said.
"We put a man on the throw-in man. We've got guys back. And I tell my guard not to leave Bryce Drew. We almost get a hand on the inbound pass. We almost intercept the ball. My guy followed the flight of the ball and Drew snuck out on him and the guy ends up making the shot. Everything that had to go right for them, went right."
In Indiana, folks call it simply "The Shot."
Harrick, now at Georgia, has been upset several times in the opening round. He has his own theory to explain not only the Princeton loss, but others in NCAA history.
"I think fate had a magic moment for Pete Carril," he said. "I believe that with all my heart. You may think that's silly, you may think, you're talking to a goof ball, but you can't tell me that (Villanova coach Rollie) Massimino's win (against Georgetown in the 1985 title game) wasn't an unbelievable, fateful thing. You can't tell me that (North Carolina State coach Jim) Valvano's win against Houston (in the improbable 1983 title showdown) wasn't pure magic.
"I was fortunate enough to win a national championship in '95 and everything we did turned to gold. Every decision you made, every guy you put in, it was our year. It was a magical, magical moment. I've been 31 years in this association and I've seen some unbelievable things. That's just the way this tournament is."