1968-
Now 58 elapsed years since BG has been in the NCAA MBB tournament. Here is the company we live with now. There are 8.
Columbia: Last appeared in 1968
Tennessee Tech: Last appeared in 1963
Maine: Division I since 1962
New Hampshire: Division I since 1962
Dartmouth: Last appeared in 1959
Army: Division I since 1948
Citadel: Division I since 1948
William & Mary: Division I since 1948
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6 comments :
The loss hurt for so many reasons. One point with a chance to win, against UT, and maybe most of all, Miami already lost. The field was wide open. BG already beat UMass twice. Beat them and its a win over Akron, and we were competitive with them. BG basketball is cursed.
You know that 68 team was likely one of the two best BG MBB of all time. Pretty close to the Nate Thurmond/Komives group. Walt Piatkowski was a fantastic shooter as a 6'8" horse of a player back in the day when players his size were not going outside for the majority of points. The other starters were solid players as well and they played in a tourney that only had league champs and gave a Marquette team led by a Hall of Fame Coach a run for their money. So I know it's been a long time in which we have had some bad luck in the conference but I will still look back on that 68 team as special.
It was within our grasp this year. Akron keeping Toledo out made it less painful. Blyden said he's coming back there, but that was a) in the heat of the moment right after the game b) the same thing the Akron players said last year before they left.
Hall of Fame Coach on that 1968 team, too. Much different world in the tourney, our game was played at Kent!
I realized when I wrote the comment mentioning HOF coaches that Fitch was one too but of course he was only at BG for that one year while McGuire spent all of his Division I coaching years at Marquette.
On the bright side I don't see anyone else on that list making it any time soon either except maybe Tennessee Tech with new coach Tobin Anderson
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