March 13, 2005

UWM Tournament Basics

Coach and Player Quotes

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will face Alabama for the first time in school history in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The game will be played Thursday at the Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. A tipoff time will be set later Sunday or early Monday.

The fifth-seeded Crimson Tide (24-7) lost in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. They were ranked in the top 20 of both national polls entering this past week and split their last six games of the season after winning 10-of-11 during a run in January and early February.

The 12th-seeded Panthers are making their second NCAA Tournament in three seasons after earning the automatic berth from the Horizon League. UWM beat Detroit, 59-58, in the championship game of the league tournament Tuesday in front of a record crowd of 10,783 at the U.S. Cellular Arena. UWM, which was also a 12th seed when it went to the NCAA Tournament in 2003, enters the post-season on a roll, having won nine-straight games and 17 of its last 18 outings.

Tickets for the game will be available only through the UWM Ticket Office, as the game is sold out for the general public. Season ticket holders, UWM students and other interested fans can call the ticket office at 414-229-5886 for more information. uWM will receive an allotment of approximately 550 tickets.

All NCAA Tournament games are televised nationally by CBS. UWM's game will be seen locally on WDJT (CBS-58).

Below are quotes from UWM's post-selection media session

UWM Head Coach Bruce Pearl on earning a 12-seed in the tournament

"A 12-seed is a lot of respect for the league and a lot of respect for the schedule we played. It's also respect for the 11 road victories, among the most in the country. I'm very pleased with the seed. But now you get into a situation where you've got Alabama, Boston College and Penn in our pod. They were talking about BC being a one-seed for a while here, so the road to the Final Four is always challenging and certainly it is challenging for us to play against a team like Alabama. But our guys are experienced and they're confident. We'll prepare and go out there and represent."

Pearl on the team's slogan of this year - "Still Not Satisfied"

"Still not satisfied is a reflection of not advancing in the NCAA Tournament two years ago and not winning the Horizon League Tournament last year. We've accomplished a lot of goals already but certainly we'd like to make another step and that's to be able to advance."

Pearl on facing Alabama

"We're going to be wearing that Cinderella slipper. Alabama will certainly be the prohibitive favorite against us, but our kids are prepared and they know how to win basketball games. Alabama is extremely athletic. They're going to be monsters to keep off the boards and I think they have a number of guys that can really shoot the basketball, which will extend our defense."

Pearl on how Alabama will handle UWM's press

"I don't think they have seen pressure like we apply but my guess is they'll probably handle it OK. As I recall, they are a very skilled team. They looked like they had more than one ballhandler. Whenever you play against a team like that, they do a good job against pressure. If pressure doesn't work, we'll have to find other ways to beat them."

Pearl on getting to play relatively close to home in Cleveland

"I'm thrilled about Cleveland for our fans and the fact that our fans can get there. I think that is really, really positive. Once again the committee is really sensitive to teams that aren't perennial guests in the NCAA Tournament. They know it is special and want our student body and alumni to have an opportunity to get there."

Pearl on whether the Panthers could fall into a `happy to be there' syndrome

"I don't think so. We've already heard from Clay Tucker and Ronnie Jones (seniors on UWM's 2003 NCAA Tournament team) and those guys who played against Notre Dame. Some of these guys were on that team even though they did not play. They know we are going into this tournament to win some games, try to survive and advance. We understand the realities of playing a team like Alabama and how challenging that is going to be. But I think the pressure is off. All we did was what we had to do. All we did was what we expected to do. Now we are going to try and do the unexpected. I think when that is the case, you are able to do things you never thought you could do, like beating a team like Alabama. We have to be able to dream that we can beat them in order to make that happen."

Pearl on a possible second-round matchup with alma mater Boston College

"Boston College and Penn are in the other bracket. I noticed that right away when Boston College came up there. It might be an opportunity for my college roommates to come up and kill two birds with one stone."

Junior Joah Tucker on UWM securing a 12-seed

"I think we worked hard for the 12th seed. I wasn't sure if we'd get the 12th seed, but I think we worked hard and we're excited for the chance to go."

Tucker on facing Alabama

"Alabama is a good SEC team, but I don't know too much about the makeup of their team. They're from a huge conference, they're big and athletic, but we'll be ready for them. We knew what type of team we were going to face. They were going to be from a big conference. We're already prepared for that. We've just got to come out and play our game. That's where the strength of our schedule, playing Kansas, playing Wisconsin, that's where all of those games will help us."

Tucker on the possibility of a letdown now that the Panthers have reached the tourney

"No letdown. Like I said, when the team got here two years ago, they were just happy to get there. They could have won the game. In order for us to leave our mark, we will have to take it to another step. We went to the tournament, getting there doesn't mean as much to us (as it did two years ago). We've accepted that. Now we have to advance and go further and further."

Ed McCants on getting a break between the league tournament and the NCAA Tournament

"The time off (since the Horizon League Tournament) is going to be a good thing. We like to play a fast pace. Toward the end of the year our guys were getting kind of tired, worn down and beat up. Little injuries have taken their toll. In the last few weeks, we've had some time off and I think we'll have our legs to run in practice tomorrow."

McCants on playing Alabama

"(We need to) crash the boards and pay attention to the scout. They have some really good players down low. I had a chance to see them against Wisconsin. They have some impressive posts, and they are an experienced ball club in the tourney."

McCants on a possible letdown after the league tourney

"I don't think so. I think we're in, again, the 12th seed versus the five seed. We understand that being the underdog in the NCAA Tournament is not necessarily a bad thing. I think their expectations have changed, and people would like to see us win this game. You know, I don't think there is much pressure on us at all."