RALEIGH, N.C. — They are the No. 1 seed in the East Region and winner of the ACC regular-season and tournament championships. They have a shiny 28-6 record. But raise your hand if your bracket has the Virginia Cavaliers winning the national championship.
“It’s not our goal to really be appreciated,” senior forward Akil Mitchell said Thursday. “We kind of just take it as it is. If people give us praise, we can’t think too highly about it. If people don’t, then we can’t think too lowly of ourselves. No offense, but whatever the media says, it doesn’t have anything to do with what happens on the floor.”
It’s the fourth time overall Virginia has been a No. 1 seed and the first since the Ralph Sampson era ended in 1983. The Cavaliers face 16th-seed Coastal Carolina (21-12) Friday at the PNC Arena.
While the rest of the nation delighted in Florida Gulf Coast upsetting Georgetown and San Diego State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen last season, Mercer wasn’t exactly applauding. The Bears were the top-seed in the Atlantic Sun Tournament, but were beaten by FGCU in the championship game and didn’t get an NCAA bid. They got their payback, beating the Eagles 68-60 in the conference tourney last week.
“We were right there, had won the regular season, and then they beat us on our floor,” Mercer coach Bob Hoffman recalled. “For 365 days our guys worked harder than any team in the country individually to get a chance to get back to the same moment.”
Ask Memphis coach Josh Pastner the key to success in the NCAA Tournament and his answer seems almost too simplistic.
“If you can make 3s and you defend the 3, you’re probably going to advance,” he said. “If you don’t make 3s and you don’t defend the 3 well, the plane ride’s going to be going back Saturday morning.”
The Tigers (23-9) face George Washington (24-8) Friday. The Tigers have made 173 3s during the season, the exact number as their opponents.
UMass (24-8) makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998, after making the Final Four in 1996. The Minutemen didn’t know their opponent until Tennessee (22-12) defeated Iowa Tuesday night.
“I’m getting old,” said UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who is 40. “Staying up until 12-something and 1 in the morning watching tape and doing scouting stuff, that’s wearing.”