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Tampa subregional
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 21, 2003
Only four No. 2 seeds have lost in the opening round since the NCAA Tournament field expanded in 1985, but the Demon Deacons are far from a lock to advance. They commit too many turnovers, an average of 15, and they are exceptionally young. Senior Josh Howard is the lone upperclassman accustomed to being in a lead role.
Alongside Howard, the Deacs start three sophomores -- Vytas Danelius, Jamaal Levy, and Taron Downey -- and a freshman -- center Eric Williams. They rely on three freshmen -- guards Justin Gray and Trent Strickland and forward Chris Ellis -- off the bench.
"My experience, and I've been doing this a lot of years," coach Skip Prosser said, "is that often times in games like this, your veteran guy may have to take the lead early until the other kids become grounded. And so I think it would behoove our cause if he (Howard) does get off to a good start. The games we play well, often times again, he leads us early. We'll have a lot of guys who have never been in a primary role in a national tournament game, so he would give them courage by getting off to a good start himself. I'm sure coach (Ed) DeChellis and his staff at East Tennessee State will try mightily not to let that happen."
While the Bucs will try to contain Howard, the Demon Deacons likely will have to begin their defensive game plan by focusing on 5-9 freshman point guard Tim Smith.
Or else. Smith, MVP of the Southern Conference, could be a differencemaker and become part of NCAA Tournament lore.
"We know Tim Smith will have a good game, a very good game," Prosser said. "I just hope he's not a human-highlight film."
The No. 15-seeded Bucs, in the NCAA for the first time since 1992, have a history of being tough to beat. They pushed No. 1 Oklahoma to the brink of elimination in the opening round in 1989, losing 72-71, and upset No. 3 Arizona 87-80 in the first round in 1992.
The Bucs, like every other low-seeded team from an unheralded conference, are fighting to gain national attention and respect.
"No one's giving us a shot and that's our motivation," junior forward Zakee Wadood said. "We want to go out there and play our best and see what happens. If we win, we'll make history. That's what we're trying to do."