By Woodrow Carroll
True or false? The first team to enter the men’s NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball tournament undefeated ended up losing to Illinois.
True of course! The question would have looked silly if Illinois were not the correct answer.
The first NCAA tournament was in 1939 with University of Oregon the champion. From 1939 through 1950 the tournament was composed of eight teams. In 1951 the tournament was expanded to 16 teams.
In 1951, Ivy League member Columbia University came into the tournament with an unblemished 21-0 record. The Lions quickly made an exit after falling, 79-71, to Illinois.
The Illini finished third place in the NCAA Tournament that year. Illinois head coach was Harry Combes who had guided Champaign High School to the 1946 Illinois State tournament championship. Illinois lost, 76-74, to eventual national champion Kentucky in the semifinals ended the Illini quest for the championship. Illinois qualified for the Final Four in 1949 and in 1952, and in later years in 1989 and in 2005.
The 2020-2021 Illini are on a roll after knocking off Ohio State, 91-88, in overtime, in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament Sunday. Illinois was assured of a high seed going into the Ohio State game.. The victory wrapped up a No. 1 seed for the Illini. See the tournament bracket on the back page.
First for Illinois in the tournament will be the Drexel Dragons, at 12:15 p.m. Friday.
Drexel, 12-7, in Philadelphia, won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament to earn its NCAA berth. The Dragons are coached by Zach Spiker, in his fifth year at the school. Reaching the NCAA Tournament may have helped his employment at Drexel. Spiker’s four previous Drexel teams finished with losing records and his lifetime record at the school is 61-88.
If Illinois wins its first game it could play Loyola University of Chicago in the second round, provided the Ramblers defeat opening-round opponent Georgia Tech. in a 3 p.m. game Friday.
Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota of the Big Ten Conference did not qualify for the tournament.. There are 14 teams in the Big Ten. Because nine teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament, it was easier to list the five from teams that did not qualify. The table is well set for the nine teams.
There are two of the four No. 1 seeds in Illinois and Michigan. There are No. 2 teams in Ohio State and Iowa. Purdue is a No. 4 seed. There is further frosting on the Big Ten cake because the Indiana is the home state to all the games in Bloomington, West Lafayette and locations in Indianapolis.
There is no early pressure on the Big Ten schools because none will have to face each other in the two opening rounds. The idea of a 17-0 start is possible by the Big Ten, with Michigan State playing UCLA in a First Four game Thursday, March 18 prior to the first round. The Spartans would need three victories to get to the Final 16.
Two schools are in the tournament for the first time. The Antelopes of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and the Hartford (Conn.) Hawks.
Grand Canyon was the regular-season champion in the Western Athletic Conference when the ‘Lopes polished off New Mexico State, 74-56, in the Conference tournament championship game. Hartford, seeded No. 4 in the America East Tournament, beat No. 6 Massachusetts-Lowell, 64-50, to earn the right play in Indiana.
A bit of geography: Winthrop. The No. 12 seeded Eagles call Rock Hill, S. C. home. The Eagles are 23-1 with the lone loss to North Carolina-Asheville in the Big South Conference. Friday at 8:57 p.m., Winthrop will play No. 5 seeded Villanova.
Colgate took second-place in the Patriot League. The Raiders call Hamilton, N.Y. home. At 14-1 with the lone defeat administered by Army, the Raiders will play No. 7 seeded Arkansas at 11:55 a.m. Friday.
If teams such as Winthrop and Colgate want to be better known, an upset victory in the NCAA tournament is the royal road to recognition. Don’t bet on it! Still, upsets are fun to contemplate.