It was a night that Anderson University men’s basketball coach Tom Slyder will never forget and a morning he will always remember.
For the first time in school history, the Ravens have been selected to play in the 61-team NCAA Div. III national tournament. AU (22-5) will play St. Thomas, Minn. (23-3), in the first round on Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) in Kenosha, Wisc. A live webcast and stats of the game will be available via the Carthage College Web site.
“Elation and excitement,” said Slyder of his reaction to making the field around 10 a.m. on Monday morning as the team was gathered in conference room in the Wellness Center. “I was up at 3:25 a.m. this morning and I didn’t go back to bed. I had to admit I felt it was a longshot and we were the last team announced in the Midwest. I thought there was hope when Wheaton was sent to the South Region.”
Slyder will sleep well tonight, knowing the Ravens will be traveling to Kenosa, Wisc., this weekend. Carthage and Aurora will play in the other first round game with the winners to meet on Saturday at Carthage. The sectionals are on Mar. 12-13 on campus sites with the semifinals and championship on Mar. 19-20 in Salem, Va.
“It’s important to our university and our fans and that was apparent from the turnout at the conference tournament,” said Slyder of making the tournament. “It’s no different than if someone has success in the music or business department. It’s another arm of the university that is having success and I believe our guys have earned that opportunity (to play in the NCAAs).”
Anderson clinched its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship in 28 years and their first outright title since 1960-61. Ironically, that was the last team to advance to the national tournament as the 1960-61 team made the NAIA Sweet 16, losing to Willis Reed and Grambling in the quarterfinals.
“I was excited and glad the season wasn’t over,” said sophomore Andrew Bowman of his reaction to making the tournament. “It was definitely shocking to us, but its a pretty exciting feeling. We’ve worked for this all year so its good to see it pay off. We were disappointed Saturday, but its nice to know the work we put in finally paid off.”
No. 3 St. Thomas is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and will be making their fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance and 14th overall. The Tommies are 123-19 over the last five years – the best record in NCAA Div. III.
“They have a history of being good,” said Slyder. ‘They have been really good and they are in a league that has produced two NBA players in the last 10 years.”
