It’s not about playing with nothing to lose. It’s about playing with everything to lose.
It could’ve been said that American was at its lowest point of the year and stood only to gain when it faced Maryland back on Dec. 22. The Eagles hadn’t beaten the Terrapins in 14 games over 80 years, and despite leading at halftime in 10 of 11 games to that point in the season, they were just 6-5 and coming off yet another second-half collapse the game prior at Dayton.
“I challenged the guys in the locker room after the game, and then when we flew back the next day, to really put it out there, to make themselves vulnerable,” said Eagles head coach Jeff Jones. “Sometimes, if you just compete, and nothing much is expected, and you outdo the expectations but you still fall short, you can be satisfied with that. It’s harder to put yourself out there, allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable and to really go for the big prize, which in that case, was beating Maryland.”
The Eagles put themselves at risk — of failure, pain, and embarrassment — and were rewarded with that historic victory over the Terrapins and the notoriety that came with it.
They could achieve the same kind of result, on and off the court, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 2 Tennessee, a team that for a short time was No. 1 in the nation this season. But they must remind themselves that despite the temptation to enjoy earning their program’s first-ever invitation to the Big Dance — and to listen to the endless predictions they’ll be bounced by the Volunteers — the goal isn’t just to play well. It’s to win.
“The fact is that I’m just a very competitive person,” said Eagles junior guard Garrison Carr. “So is everyone else on the team. That right there is enough to forget about being the underdog, that we’re playing Tennessee and all that because as soon as we go on the court, I’m not going to be afraid of anything.”
“I think that mindset is huge going into this game because Tennessee can be an intimidating team,” said Jones. “They’re extremely confident, and they’re right in your face the entire time.Our guys must understand that for 40 minutes, if we are going to give ourselves a chance, we cannot back down an inch.”
