Tonight at 6:40 p.m. ET in Dayton, Ohio, the first round of the NCAA Tournament continues with two little-known programs, Cal Poly and Texas Southern dueling for a No. 16 seed in the Midwest region and a date with No. 1 seed Wichita State. Watch the game on TruTV or live stream it here free.
By taking the Big West conference tournament, Cal Poly earned a spot in the Big Dance despite a sub-.500 record (13-19). Cal Poly head coach Joe Calero isn't unaware of the oddity of a team with such a poor record being in the Tournament. "If we win the national championship, we'll have a winning record," Calero said. "We have to win seven straight."
While it's highly unlikely Cal Poly will reel off a title run, since no No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1, they did manage to pull off three in a row in the Big West tourney.
Texas Southern profiles as more of a Tournament-ready squad, with a 19-14 record and a points per game mark creeping close to 80; they are also led by former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Davis.
Even though the Texas Southern Tigers have a better resume and a flashier coach, the Mustangs will not be backing down. "We knew our season didn't really turn out the way we wanted it to, but we made sure nobody was full of lament about our record because we were going to the tournament," said leading scorer Chris Eversley. "We understand we're the underdog. We've been the underdog since we entered the conference tournament. Nobody expected us to be here."
Tigers forward Aaric Murray is the answer for Eversley; he's a transfer from LaSalle who ran into disciplinary problems that created a more roundabout journey to success. "I started making bad decisions," Murray said.
Davis believes all Murray needed was guidance and structure. "I was going to treat him like my son," Davis said. "I don't think he's ever been treated that way."
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