Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Notes: Indiana
3/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UPCOMING GAME: NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL, 1st Round, vs. Indiana University
Friday, March 21, 2003
The FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts
TIP-OFF TIME: Approximately 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT
TICKETS: $50 per UA session
TV: CBS
UA WEEKLY TV: "Crimson Tide This Week" with host David Crane: Check local listings on CSS
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Tom Roberts (color)
105.5 FM in Tuscaloosa & 99.5 in Birmingham (complete list on www.rolltide.com)
WVUA (University of Alabama campus station), 90.7 FM (when classes are in session)
INTERNET: Live audio of CTSN's radio broadcast is available on the internet on www.rolltide.com; UA basketball is also featured on http://www.markgottfried.com/ and http://www.crimsontradition.com/ (subscription site).
Probable Starters (Lineups subject to change)
Alabama Crimson Tide (17-11 Overall, 7-9 Southeastern Conference)
| F-35 | Erwin Dudley | 6-8, 260, SR, Uniontown | 14.7 ppg/9.5 rpg |
| F-03 | Kennedy Winston | 6-7, 200, FR, Mobile | 11.3 ppg/4.6 rpg |
| C-42 | Kenny Walker | 6-9, 220, SR, Jacksonville, FL | 9.3 ppg/5.6 rpg |
| G-50 | Antoine Pettway | 6-0, 170, JR, Alberta | 6.5 ppg/2.5 rpg |
| G-25 | Mo Williams | 6-1, 195, SO, Jackson, MS | 16.0 ppg/4.0 rpg/4.0 apg |
Head Coach: Mark Gottfried (Alabama, 1987)
Indiana University (20-12 Overall, 8-8 Big Ten)
| F-04 | Bracey Wright | 6-3, 185, FR, The Colony, TX | 16.4 ppg/4.9 rpg |
| F-50 | Jeff Newton | 6-9, 210, SR, Atlanta, GA | 15.0 ppg/8.5 rpg |
| F-05 | George Leach | 6-11, 240, JR, Charlotte, NC | 6.3 ppg/5.7 rpg |
| G-22 | Marshall Strickland | 6-2, 185, FR, Winfield, MD | 6.4 ppg/2.5 rpg |
| G-03 | Tom Cloverdale | 6-2, 200, SR, Noblesville, IN | 11.8 ppg/3.6 rpg/4.3 apg |
Head Coach: Mike Davis (played at Alabama 1980-81-82-83; graduated from Thomas Edison College)
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
167-85 (.663%) in 8th season overall, 99-60 (.623%) in 5th season at Alabama; 2002 SEC Coaches & AP SEC "Coach of the Year"; four NCAA tournament appearances, two at Alabama (2002, 2nd round; 2003), 2 (1997 & 1998) at Murray State; 3 NIT appearances (1996 at MSU, 1999 & 2001 at UA); One SEC Championship (2002) at Alabama; three conference championships at Murray State; Four 20-win seasons (out of 7) as a head coach; Assistant for UCLA's 1995 NCAA Champions team; three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances as a UA player 1985-86-87; Academic All-SEC as a player at Alabama...Coached Bama to its 1st No. 1 ranking...Born January 20, 1964 in Crestline, Ohio.
Indiana Head Coach Mike Davis
66-37 (.641%) in 3rd season overall and at Indiana University...2002 NCAA Final Four..2002 Big 10 Champions...Played at Alabama four seasons, 1980-81-82-83...Born September 15, 1960 in Fayette, Alabama.
Key Game Notes
- A media match-up heaven sent as both head coaches in this game played at Alabama, Mark Gottfried for 3-straight NCAA Sweet 16 teams in 1985-86-87 and Indiana University's Mike Davis on Alabama's 1982 Sweet 16 team and 1983 NCAA tournament team.
- IU's staff includes assistant John Treloar, a former Tide graduate assistant and academic counselor from 1980-82 (he has a Master's Degree from Alabama) and certified athletic trainer/Director of Basketball Operations Tim Garl who was a student trainer at Alabama from 1975-79, working with Coach Paul Bryant and the UA football team
- Alabama is making its 16 NCAA tournament appearance (1975-76-82-83-84-85-86-87-89-90-91-92-94-95, 2002)
- It's the third ever meeting between these schools in a series Indiana leads 2-0. Indiana beat Alabama in the 2nd round of the 1976 NCAA tournament in 1976 (and went on to win the national title) and in the Indiana Classic in 1978.
NCAA Places Tide on Its Dance Card
For the 16th time since 1975, the University of Alabama men's basketball team is playing in the NCAA tournament. The Crimson Tide's name was called into the 2003 bracket at approximately 5:32 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 16 in what would turn out to be a match-up made in media heaven.
Alabama, 17-11 overall, is the ten seed in the Midwest. It plays seven seed Indiana University, 20-12, in the first round on Friday, March 21 at Boston's FleetCenter. The winner of that game plays the winner of the Pitt vs. Wagner game in the second round. That round two game will be played in the FleetCenter on Sunday.
Alabama Game is Late-Night Final
Alabama's game is one of four that will take place on Friday at the FleetCenter in Bosten. Game one features Syracuse versus Manhattan at 12:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. CT. Game two finds Oklahoma State playing Pennsylvania. That game begins thirty minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Alabama is in the night session which opens with Pittsburgh playing Wagner at 7:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. CT. Alabama and Indiana follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game.
Tickets
Tickets, sold on a per session basis only and only for the sessions that involve Alabama are available through Alabama's Athletic Ticket Box office. Tickets are $50 and include both the Alabama versus Indiana and Pittsburgh versus Wagner games on Friday. TIDE PRIDE members are given priority and tickets go on sale to them on Tuesday, March 18 beginning at noon. Walkup and telephone orders will be taken. If any tickets remain they will then go on sale to the general public. The number to Alabama's ticket office is (205) 348-BAMA (2262).
It's Alabama's 16th NCAA Postseason Appearance
Alabama is making its 16th NCAA postseason appearance. The Tide advanced to the tournament in 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 2002.
The Tide has an overall NCAA tournament record of 16-15.
Alabama has advanced in the tournament as far as the Sweet 16. That was its final resting place seven times, in 1976, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991.
Most on Tide Team Have Been To Dance
Ten of Alabama's 14 players knew before March 16 what it felt like to be selected to play in the NCAA tournament. They were all on Alabama's 2002 NCAA tournament team which was the two seed in the South and played at Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C.
Alabama defeated Florida Atlantic 86-78 in first round play on March 14 but fell in the second round to Stan Heath's (now at Arkansas) Kent State 71-58 on March 17.
Among this year's players who played in those games were seniors Erwin Dudley, Kenny Walker and Terrance Meade who were all starters in those games as was Mo Williams. Three others came off the bench and played in both games, including juniors Demetrius Smith and Antoine Pettway and sophomore Earnest Shelton. Lucky Williams, then a redshirt, was on the team last year as were junior Reggie Rambo and sophomore Jason Reese (a redshirt then).
Men making their first NCAA tournament voyage include JUCO transfer Emmett Thomas, a junior, and freshmen Kennedy Winston, Evan Brock, and Chuck Davis.
Ten Seed is a First for Alabama
Alabama is seeded 10th in the Midwest, the highest (or lowest depending on vantage point you take) it has ever been. Previously, Alabama had never been seeded beyond ninth. It was a nine seed in 1984 and 1994. Alabama has never been a one seed but it has been the two seed twice, in 1987 (Mark Gottfried's senior year) and 2002.
Alabama's NCAA Seeding History:
- 1975 West Regional
- 1976 Mideast Regional
- 1982 4th Seed, East Regional
- 1983 6th Seed, Midwest Regional
- 1984 9th Seed, Midwest Regional
- 1985 7th Seed, West Regional
- 1986 5th Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1987 2nd Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1989 6th Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1990 7th Seed, West Regional
- 1991 4th Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1992 5th Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1994 9th Seed, Southeast Regional
- 1995 5th Seed, East Regional
- 2002 2nd Seed, South Regional
- 2003 10th Seed, Midwest Regional
Venue Has Hosted NCAA Championships Before
This weekend's events mark the second time the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships have made a stop at Boston's FleetCenter. The facility played host to the 1999 NCAA men's basketball first and second rounds as well. Boston College is the team host.
The venue holds 19,600. It officially opened on September 30, 1995. Home to hundreds of events every year, it is the home of the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Boston Bruins. In addition to hosting those storied teams' games, major sporting events held there have included the 1998 NCAA hockey championships, the 2000 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials and the WWF's 1998 Wrestlemania XIV.
Catch Bama Hoops on Radio or on Internet
All University of Alabama men's basketball games are broadcast on the radio on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart and Tom Roberts calling the action. Fans can listen locally on 105.5 in Tuscaloosa and on 99.5 FM in the Birmingham area. Fans from around the country or around the world may listen to Alabama Basketball radio broadcasts on the internet. There's an audio link on Bama's official website, www.rolltide.com.
Tide & Hoosiers a Match Made in Media Heaven
Friday night's NCAA tournament first round game between Alabama and Indiana is a match made in media heaven. Both head coaches are former Crimson Tide basketball stars.
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried played on three Wimp Sanderson-coached Alabama teams after transferring from Oral Roberts after his freshman season there. An immediate hit, Gottfried was a starting guard all three of those seasons at Alabama, and all three years he was there Alabama advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 (1985, 1986 and 1987).
Indiana head coach Mike Davis is from Fayette, Alabama which is about 45 minutes from Tuscaloosa, home of the Tide and Davis' hometown on two separate occasions in his life. The first was as a four-year player for the Tide from 1980-81-82-83.
It was Davis and crew, in fact, who started Alabama on an NCAA tournament roll. Alabama made the NCAA tournament in 1982, his junior year, the first of six consecutive NCAA appearances. Davis, who wore jersey number 44, and Alabama made the NCAA Sweet 16 his junior and senior seasons, in 1982 and 1983.
Gottfried and Davis never played together at Alabama but they've know each other since their playing days. Davis would come back to Tuscaloosa in the summers to train and work out while he was playing pro ball, and he and Gottfried played many a pickup game then. Davis and current Tide assistant coach Sammy Jackson coached at camps together and once shared a car ride together from Birmingham to a camp in Chicago.
Davis was also a coach at Alabama for two seasons working under David Hobbs during the 1997 and 1996 seasons.
Three Former Tide Assistants Coach NCAA Teams
Three men who are now head coaches at teams that made the 2003 NCAA tournament field were once assistants at Alabama. Bob Marlin of Sam Houston State was an assistant on Dave Hobbs UA staff for three seasons, from 1996-98. And Don Maestri, head coach at Troy State was an assistant on Wimp Sanderson's staffs in 1981 and 1982.
Both Head Coaches 1,000 Points Scorers At UA
Both head coaches in Friday's Alabama versus Indiana game rank among the 36 men who have scored 1,000 or more career points at the University of Alabama. Mark Gottfried scored 1,056 points during his three seasons at Alabama, ranking him No. 35 all-time. Indiana head coach Mike Davis ranks 27th on the list after scoring 1,211 points during his four seasons.
That means that four men involved in this match-up are on that list. Joining the coaches are seniors Erwin Dudley and Terrance Meade. Dudley ranks eighth all-time in scoring at Alabama with 1,757 career points and Meade ranks 33rd all-time with 1,103 career points.
Two More UA Connections on IU Staff
In addition to Mike Davis, two other Indiana staff members have Alabama athletics connections. John Treloar, now an assistant at Indiana, is a former Tide graduate assistant and academic counselor (from 1980-82). He has a Master's Degree from Alabama. And certified athletic trainer/Director of Basketball Operations Tim Garl was a student trainer at Alabama from 1975-79, working with Coach Paul Bryant and the UA football team. (Neither was at Alabama at the same time as Gottfried).
UA & IU Have Met In NCAA Tourney Play Before
Friday night's game between Alabama and Indiana marks only the third time ever these two schools have played one another in men's basketball. And it was 25 years ago when last they met. None of Alabama's players were born in 1978 when Alabama and Indiana last met. The game was played in the Indiana Classic in Bloomington, Indiana. Alabama opened the tournament with a 61-60 win against Princeton but fell 66-57 to host Indiana in the championship game.
Alabama and Indiana met in NCAA tournament play on March 18, 1976 (almost exactly 27 years to the date of this year's meeting) at the Assembly Center (now called Pete Maravich Assembly Center) in Baton Rouge, La., in the 1976 NCAA Mideast Regional semifinals (Sweet 16). Indiana won the game 79-64 against an Alabama team that included the school's all-time scoring leader Reggie King and All-Americans Leon Douglas and T.R. Dunn. Scott May led Indiana's win with 25 points and 16 rebounds.
Indiana went on to win the national championship that year. In fact, twice in its previous 15 NCAA postseason appearances, Alabama has been eliminated by a team that went on the win the national championship. Indiana eliminated Alabama in the 2nd round in 1976. And in Alabama's next trip to the dance, this not until 1982 (Mike Davis was on that UA team) when North Carolina beat Alabama 74-69 in 1982 in the East Regional Semifinals in Raleigh, North Carolina. (North Carolina's team included a guy named Michael Jordan (he had 11 points), Jordan's college roommate Buzz Peterson (now head coach at Tennessee) and Matt Doherty, among others. Alabama's hand included future NBA players Ennis Whatley and Eddie Phillips as well as Indiana head coach Mike Davis.
Terrance Meade Has Connections to Boston & IU
Alabama senior guard Terrance Meade took high school recruiting trips to Indiana University and to Boston College, the host school for the 2003 Midwest Regional.
Lots Of Tide Opponents In Tournament
Eleven of Alabama's 28 games were against teams that advanced to the 2003 NCAA tournament.
Team Seed UA Result
Oklahoma No. 1 East W 68-62 (neutral)
Kentucky No. 1 Midwest L 63-46 (home)
Florida No. 2 South L 75-56 (away)
Xavier No. 3 East W 65-58 (home)
Mississippi State No. 5 South W OT 68-62 (H)
L 59-55 (away)
LSU No. 8 South W 75-66 (home)
L 66-62 (away)
Utah No. 9 Midwest L 51-49 (away)
Auburn No. 10 East W 84-68 (home)
L 77-68 (road)
Tide's Last Dance was in 2002
Alabama is making its second consecutive trip to the NCAA basketball championships. Alabama, left out in 2001 despite 21 wins, was an NIT Final Four (championship game lost to Buzz Peterson & Tulsa) team. Last year, 2002, Alabama made its first appearance since 1995. Alabama was the two seed in the South Regional and played its first and second round games in the Bi Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Alabama defeated Florida Atlantic 86-78 in round one but fell to a then Stan Heath coached Kent State 71-58 in the round of 32 (2nd round).
Mo Williams, then a mere freshman, showed why the Sporting News chose him as its National Freshman of the Year and why he was the SEC's Freshman of the Year as he scored 33 points in the win against Florida Atlantic. He coupled that performance with 10 rebounds.
Mark Gottfried is a Postseason Kind of Guy
Rare is it when Mark Gottfried's March does not include a postseason tournament on his schedule. In his three seasons as a starting guard at Alabama, the Tide advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 all three seasons (1985-86-87).
When he graduated from Alabama in 1987, he launched his coaching career as a graduate assistant to Jim Harrick at UCLA beginning with the 1988-89 season. (He'd soon be promoted to fulltime assistant). Gottfried coached at UCLA seven seasons. UCLA advanced to the NCAA tournament all seven seasons in a first-coaching job that culminated in a national championship (1995) for Gottfried.
His first head coaching job was at Murray State. There for three seasons before taking the Alabama job in March 1998, Gottfried coached Murray State to the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Championships and the 1996 (his first season there) NIT.
In his first season at Alabama, 1999, the Tide finished 17-15 and went to the NIT. The 2000 season marked the advent of the future when then freshmen Erwin Dudley, Terrance Meade, Kenny Walker and Rod Grizzard came in and gathered playing experience as they re-built the program. With a lineup that included three freshmen and one sophomore starter, Alabama went 13-16, giving Gottfried his only losing season (as a head coach or assistant or even a Tide player). Alabama did not advance to any postseason play but went to the NIT in 2001 and the NCAA tournament in 2002 and 2003.
That means that in the last 18 years of his playing and coaching career, Gottfried has advanced to the postseason 17 of those years. (14 NCAA, 3 NIT).
Pettway Will Have A Cheering Section
Antoine Pettway will be playing more than 1,200 miles away from home when he and the Crimson Tide travel to Boston for the NCAA's first and second round games at the FleetCenter. But he won't be lonely for family. Pettway says he has about a dozen relatives who live in the area who'll turn out en-force to cheer him on.
Massachusetts Has Been Tide Stop Already
Alabama is making its second trip to the State of Massachusetts this season. The team traveled to Springfield for its November 29 win against Ohio State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. It was a fun Thanksgiving weekend trip for the team. On game day Springfield experienced a snowstorm to entertain the snow-starved southerners and the route for the city's annual and colorful hot air balloon parade took it right in front of the team hotel. The players 2nd favorite part of the trip (the 54-48 win against OSU topped the list) was its private tour and play time of the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Fans Will View Two Future Stars
Both Alabama and Indiana feature two marquee freshmen players, Alabama with 6-7, 200 pound forward Kennedy Winston and Indiana with 6-3, 185 pound guard Bracey Wright. Both are starters. Winston, who was ineligible to play in Alabama's first 11 games, has now started in eight games and is averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. His numbers have included 20 against Ole Miss, 22 against South Carolina and a double double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Auburn in Tuscaloosa.
The SEC's coaches voted him Freshman All-SEC.
Bracey has started in 27 of 28 games and is averaging 16.4 points and 4.9 rebounds a game. Bracey was named to the Big 10 All-Freshman team and has scored 20 or more points ten times this season.
Comparing the Stats
Here's how Alabama and Indiana compare in stats:
| UA | Indiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Win/loss Streak | L 2 | L 1 |
| Scoring Avg. | 69.3 | 70.5 |
| Scoring Margin | +4.3 | +3.5 |
| Field Goal Percentage | .420 | .427 |
| 3-point Field Goal Percentage | .320 | .348 |
| 3-Points Per Game | 6.4 | 7.5 |
| Free Throw Percentage | .710 | .713 |
| Rebounds Average | 37.5 | 36.8 |
| Rebound Margin | +4.0 | +0.6 |
| Assists Total/Per Game | 339/12.1 | 442/13.8 |
| Turnovers/Per Game | 372/13.3 | 368/11.5 |
| Assists/Turnover Ratio | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Steals/Per Game | 185/6.6 | 142/4.4 |
| Blocks/Per Game | 106/3.8 | 171/5.3 |
Common Opponents
TEAM UA Result IU Result
Vanderbilt L 70-69 (road) W 73-56 (home)
L 82-69 (neutral)
Kentucky L 63-46 (home) L 70-64 (neutral)
Ohio State W 54-48 (neutral) L 81-69 (road)
W 69-51 (home)
Tide Team Jubilant on Selection Sunday
If there is one word the would not describe this Tide team, it would be "quiet." This is one personable group of young men. But as the players gathered in the team room, a large expanse with oversized crimson leather couches and chairs and a big screen TV to watch the NCAA Selection Show on CBS, there was an unmistakable hush. Eyes darted around the room as they heard other teams' names called and watched the first two brackets, the South and East Regional, spots fill. But the mood turned into pure joy and jubilation as they heard the word "Crimson" and saw "Alabama" pop up on the bracket for the Midwest Regional. Antoine Pettway leapt from his spot on the end of one couch across the room to another couch where his teammates including senior Terrance Meade were sitting. Back across the room came a pileup---picture a baseball team charging the mound after a big win-where among the group of a dozen who flung their bodies into the heap was Alabama's head coach, Mark Gottfried. Literally, there were tears of joy as all hugged one another-bear hugging the senior players Erwin Dudley, Terrance Meade and Kenny Walker. No one in the room had any idea of any other name called on that side of the bracket. Within minutes, Mark Gottfried pointed to Antoine Pettway who called the group together. The television had already been turned off, and the players immediately dropped to their knees and Pettway led them in a prayer of thanks where he thanked God "for giving us a second chance" and for giving them one another.
Four Tide Players Academic All-SEC
Four Alabama basketball players, including all three of its seniors, made the 2003 Academic All-SEC team which requires at 3.0 and better GPA. Erwin Dudley, a criminal justice major, Kenny Walker, a communications major, and Terrance Meade, a management major (School of Business) are the senior trio. All have been starters since their freshman year (Meade has started in 17 of 27 games in 2003). And joining them on the list is sophomore Earnest Shelton who has also started some this season. Meade is a Verizon Academic All-American District IV winner this spring as well. He has a 3.6 GPA.
It's the first honor for Dudley, Walker and Shelton, but Terrance Meade is now a three-time Academic All-SEC honoree.
Meade Makes SEC Good Works Team
The poster child for athletes who've proven they can do it all, Alabama senior guard Terrance Meade has been named for the second straight year to the SEC Good Works Team. The Good Works Team includes one player from each school. These are the players who are the most active in their communities.
Meade, a three-time Academic All-SEC player and a four-year starter at guard, is the president of the University of Alabama's Student Athlete Advisory Board, the first men's basketball player to be elected to that honor which makes him head representative of the Tide's hundreds of student-athletes. Meade is also a constant presence at Tuscaloosa area schools, speaking to kids about the importance of education and positive behavior that can help them become leaders.
Gottfried One Away From 100th UA Win
Alabama's next win with be the 100th for its coach. This is Mark Gottfried's fifth season as the Tide's head coach, and he's coming into the NCAA Tournament with a 99-60 (.623%) record at Alabama. (He coached at Murray State for three seasons in his first head coaching stint and has a career record of 167-85 for .663%).
Dudley and Shaq May Soon Share SEC Stat
Erwin Dudley has led the SEC in rebounding all season, both in the "all games" and "SEC vs. SEC" stats. Already he is the league's rebounding champion in SEC vs. SEC games (9.4). If he continues his stand atop the rebounding stats by season's end, he will make history as only the fourth player in league history to lead the SEC in rebounding for three straight years. His company in that group? How about two of these names: Charles Barkley (the former Auburn player won the titles in 1982, 1983 and 1984) and Shaquille O'Neal. He won it while playing at LSU in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Dudley is currently averaging 9.5 rebounds a game. Next best is LSU Jaime Lloreda at 8.8 a game.
