 "Photo: courtesy of David Morris")
The UTD men’s basketball team is headed to the Big Dance again. For the third time in school history, the Comets will compete in the NCAA Division-III Men’s Basketball National Tournament.
Although the men ended the regular season with a bitter loss to University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) in the American Southern Conference (ASC) title game on Feb. 28, they remained confident in making the tournament.
“Losing that game was tough because we felt we were the better team,” said guard Scott Rodgers, finance senior. “Coach told us he thought we would make the tournament with nearly 20 in-conference wins on our record, but the loss didn’t help.”
UTD, who went 21-4 in the regular season, won the ASC East Division with an 20-3 record in conference play.
Any lingering disappointment was washed away the next morning, March 1, when the team was given an at-large bid in the national tournament and a first-round bye.
More importantly, the Comets were awarded their first tournament game of the tournament on their home court.
“We were pretty confident in making the tournament and were more relieved when we got the home game. We’ve had good luck here this year,” said point guard Jared Fleming, finance senior. The Comets won 10 of 11 games at the UTD Activity Center this season.
The Comets are making their second consecutive appearance in the tournament and seeking the first National championship in the programs history.
The 2009 team had the school buzzing as they advanced to the Elite Eight round of the tournament, only to suffer the most grueling elimination—an overtime loss.
The experienced Comets are ready to finish what they started.
“We don’t really look at last year as a disappointment as much as it was a building block,” said electrical engineering senior Jordan Eppink.
“We will use our experience from last year to spring us to where we want to be, hopefully the Final Four and eventually a national championship.”
Having received a first-round bye, the Comets played the winner of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) vs. Wheaton on March 6, at the Activity Center. The team was thirsty for a potential rematch with ASC champions Mary Hardin-Baylor, who beat them for the ASC crown.
“They (UMHB) played their best game and we played our worst, so we would welcome another chance to play them,” said injured senior Brandon Greene. Greene, UTD’s second leading scorer the last two years, has been on the sideline since breaking his finger in December.
UMHB is playing in a different bracket though, after losing to Wheaton on March 4 .
The Comets, 2008-2009 ASC champions, opened their conference-championship defense with an 82-65 victory over Sul Ross State in the ASC Tournament quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, the men easily disposed of East Texas Baptist, beating them 86-54. The Comets got out to an 8-0 lead while holding the Tigers without a field goal for the first 7:22 of the game, clinching a spot in their second straight conference championship game.
ASC West division winners Mary Hardin-Baylor awaited them, in a clash of 20 win squads. UMHB, the host school of the 2010 ASC Tournament, reeled off 16 consecutive points before halftime, leaving UTD down 12 at halftime.
The third quarter didn’t prove any easier for the Comets and they found themselves down 64-47 with only 7 minutes to go in the game. Suddenly, UTD reeled off 14 consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 12 with three minutes remaining.
A full comeback proved to be too daunting a task as Comets leading-scorer Jimmy Witten, accounting junior, left the game due to a knee injury.
After the game, doctors informed Witten he had torn his ACL and would miss the tournament.
“It definitely isn’t easy,” Witten said. “But I’m going to do everything I can to keep the guys in line from the bench. Just keep their heads up and motivate them as best I can.”
Head coach Terry Butterfield, in his 10th season at UTD, stressed to his team at practice that they are a 40-minute basketball team and that no matter who they face they must be prepared.
“We’ve got to be ready for Mary Hardin-Baylor just as much as Wheaton. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we must stick together as a team,” Butterfield said. “Losing Jimmy hurts, because he does so much for us out there. But we can definitely win despite the adversity we may face. We will be prepared for anyone.”
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