UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Sitting in a packed room, with a laptop plugged into the TV, the John Carroll men’s basketball team waited to hear their name called in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament selection show on Monday afternoon.
“There's always a little bit of adrenaline, right?” said head coach Pete Moran.
As the end of the show neared, finally, the Blue Streaks heard the long-awaited words: “John Carroll.”
The team is going dancing for the second straight season and the 17th time in program history. There’s one big difference between last year and this year, though. The Blue Streaks will host the first and second rounds.
“Last year, we had a bad taste in our mouths, having to travel to New York, and I feel like it’s just an accumulation of a great body of work that we’ve put together throughout the whole regular season. Being able to play here, in front of our fans, is a very big deal to us,” said grad student Jerry Higgins III.
“We've always wanted to have the experience of playing in the March Madness tournament - but playing in it on our home court. We’re very, very excited about it,” said junior David Gentry.
“I think hosting is very important. Our guys get to sleep in their own beds, which is crucial. Obviously, they’re familiar with our court. That's very important this time of year to get that home court advantage. We’re excited,” said Moran.
John Carroll will host SUNY New Paltz in the first round.
“They play in a very competitive conference. They beat a very good Oswego State team the other day in the conference championship. At this time of year, they’re all good basketball teams. You can’t take anyone lightly at this point, so we’re just hopeful that we can continue to play our best basketball down the stretch,” said Moran.
After hosting a packed house for an overtime OAC championship win last weekend, which earned them an automatic bid, the Blue Streaks feel momentum is on their side.
“It’s great for keeping the ball rolling,” said Gentry.
“I think all the guys are already prepared. Our last game was a win, so we wanna keep moving forward and keep propelling and keep the energy high as we go into, hopefully, a long and deep run into the playoffs,” said Higgins.
“They’re locked in, and I think that’s all you can ask for from a coaching perspective,” said Moran.
John Caroll and SUNY New Paltz tip off at 8:20 p.m. on Friday, March 1.
Carly Mascitti is a sports anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @carlymascitti.
