Fourteen years ago, Bill Clinton was in his first term as president, millions watched the television debut of “Friends” and “ER,” and Tom Hanks explained how life was like a box of chocolates in “Forrest Gump.”
Boyz II Men and Sheryl Crow dominated the airwaves, and about 95 million people saw O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings flee from police in a white Ford Bronco, leading to a murder trial that captivated a nation.
But here?s something else that happened in 1994: the men?s basketball teams at Loyola and Navy made the NCAA Tournament along with Maryland, marking the last time the state sent three teams to college basketball?s marquee event.
Since March 1994, local basketball fans have had very little for which to cheer outside of College Park. The Terrapins consistently have qualified for the field of 65 ? winning it all in 2002 ? but no other state school has been invited to the “Big Dance” since Mount St. Mary?s in 1999, when the Mountaineers lost to top-seeded Michigan State in the first round.
This spring, however, could be different. Four local teams ? Maryland, Morgan State, Loyola and UMBC ? could rejuvenate Baltimore-area college basketball by making the NCAA Tournament next month:
Maryland
The Terrapins are tied for fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a league record of 4-3 and 14-8 overall after beating Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta. Maryland already defeated then-top-ranked North Carolina, and can improve its standing with victories over conference-leading Duke (19-1, 7-0 ACC), Virginia Tech (14-8, 5-3) and Clemson (16-5, 4-3) ? three of the five teams with winning ACC records.
UMBC
The Retrievers have never qualified for the tournament, but are atop the America East with a mark of 7-2 and 15-7 overall. UMBC is a game ahead of Vermont, which the Retrievers defeated, 75-73, in Burlington, Vt., for the first time on Saturday.
“Someone asked me if Vermont was a big game, but to me all the games are big games,” UMBC Coach Randy Monroe said.
Morgan State
The Bears also have never been to the NCAA Tournament, but Coach Todd Bozeman has revitalized a team that has posted eight straight losing seasons. Morgan State, off to its best start since the 1978-79 season, is in first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, with a mark of 7-1 and 12-8 overall. The Bears extended their winning streak to five games with a 67-52 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday.
“I take each game one at a time and try not to think past that or what even anybody did the year before, just like I don?t want to think about what we did the year before,” Bozeman said. “I want to keep getting better.”
Loyola
It?s been 14 years since the Greyhounds made their only trip to the NCAA Tournament, but there?s optimism at Evergreen this season. The Greyhounds are tied for second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after defeating Canisius, 74-62, yesterday to improve to 13-10 overall, 8-3 in league play.
“It [would bring] lots of attention to the mid-major programs in Baltimore,” Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said. “If one of us makes it, it really helps everybody.”
The Options
Teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament by either winning their conference tournament or by being invited by thetournament?s selection committee, which analyzes the accomplishments of each team across the country and decides which squads are the most deserving.
For Maryland, playing in the ACC ?considered one of the nation?s better conferences ? is huge, as teams from “major conferences,” such as the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Southeastern and Pac-10 often have multiple teams invited since there are many good squads in each league.
But for teams who play in smaller conferences, referred to as “mid-majors,” it can be difficult to earn an invitation since the level of competition in their leagues are often deemed not as high. Proponents of “mid-major” conferences often feel slighted, especially after George Mason of the Colonial Athletic Association advanced to the Final Four two years ago.
Still, the regular season has meaning. Teams that win a regular season title, but not their conference tournament, automatically earn a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, an event composed of 32 teams that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Teams not selected for either tournament are eligible for an even lower event, the 16-team Gazelle Tournament.
For schools such as Maryland, finishing the season in the NIT does not make for a good season, but for the rest of the state?s schools that have had little success in recent years, making the second-tier event would be welcomed.
“It?s tremendous for the school and the school?s alumni and Selection Sunday is one of those crazy shows and is watched by all kinds of people,” Patsos said. “It?s great for the school and the community. Whether it?s the NCAA Tournament or the NIT or the Gazelle Tournament it?s a real honor because we have only been to one.”
