Kent to meet UNLV; Xavier faces Georgia

The Golden Flashes are 4-4 overall in the NCAA
tournament.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

With the Kent State campus mostly empty because of spring break, the Golden Flashes decided to get together at a downtown tavern to see where they’ll be headed next.

When a television at the Water Street Tavern showed they’d made school history, the Golden Flashes and about 200 fans had reason to hug and whoop.

The Mid-American Conference champions got a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament — the best in their history — and a first-round matchup with UNLV. They’ll play the Running Rebels in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday.

If they win that one, they’ll most likely play Kansas, the top seed in the Midwest Regional. That daunting thought didn’t take the edge off the moment.

“We’ll worry about the next round if we get there,” coach Jim Christian said.

It will be Kent State’s fifth trip to the NCAA tournament, where the Golden Flashes are 4-4 overall. They reached the final eight in 2002 before losing to Indiana. Most recently, they lost to Pittsburgh in the first round in 2006.

The only suspense on Sunday was where the Golden Flashes would go.

“Obviously, we knew we were in, but it’s a great feeling just to hear them say our names,” senior forward Mike Scott said. “That’s when it hits you that you are really in. Now it’s time to get down to work, and I think this team is ready to do some great things.”

The Golden Flashes have never played UNLV. When their bracket was revealed on Sunday evening, they were more wrapped up the accomplishment than the opponent.

“This is something you dream about when you are a little kid,” point guard Jordan Mincy said. “But when it comes true like this, it’s better than you ever thought it would be. I never thought it would feel like this, and now I’ve had the chance to experience this twice.”

Meanwhile in Cincinnati, the No. 10 Xavier Musketeers are right where they thought they’d be.

The Musketeers have a No. 3 seed — matching the best in school history — and are headed to the East Coast.

The only thing they didn’t expect was the opponent.

Who thought Georgia would even make it?

The Musketeers (27-6) will play the surprising Bulldogs in the first round Thursday in Washington, D.C., as part of the West Regional. Georgia (17-16) finished last in the Southeastern Conference, but got on an amazing run over the weekend, knocking off Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas to win the conference tournament.

Without that run, Georgia’s season would have been done.

Some of the Xavier players watched the SEC title game before tuning into the NCAA selection show at coach Sean Miller’s house and found themselves favoring the Bulldogs.

“We were actually rooting for them,” senior guard Stanley Burrell said. “They were the underdog. Now we get to play them. It’s crazy.”

Xavier and Georgia have played only once. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 11 when they beat Xavier 73-70 in Georgia on Dec. 19, 1983.

Perhaps a better reference point is 2006, when the Musketeers got on a roll at the end of an up-and-down season, won four games in four days to clinch the Atlantic 10 tournament and a No. 14 seed, then played No. 3 Gonzaga tough before falling 79-75 in the first round.

“It’s a very healthy perspective for us to have,” Miller said. “Playing our way into the tournament the way we did, winning four games in four days, we were riding that emotional high.”

Now, they’ll be the one trying to turn back an emotional team. If the Musketeers win on Thursday, they’ll play either Purdue or Baylor on Saturday in the second round.