USF, Saint Mary's Go Dancing; Awarded Berths In NCAA Men's Tournament
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- It was an agonizing wait for the USF Dons and their faithful gathered on the Hilltop in San Francisco Sunday to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show.
The West region was named, the South and then the Midwest. And still no USF.
Finally, as the selection for the final matches in the East region were unveiled, bedlam broke out. There the Dons were seeded 10th and taking on the 30-2 Murray State Racers in the first round in Indianapolis.
"It was definitely nerve-racking for sure," said USF star guard Khalil Shabazz of the wait. "We were all sweating but I won't have it any other way. It makes out story so much better."
The images were similar in Moraga where the Gaels earned a fifth seeding in the East region and will play the winner of the Indiana-Wyoming play-in game. St. Mary's rolled to a 25-7 record this season including a win this month over top-rated Gonzaga so their place in the tourney was expected.
Head coach Randy Bennett was thankful his team's first round game is on the West Coast in Portland.
"I think everyone is excited we are playing in the West," he said. "We were dreading (having to travel to) Pittsburgh or Buffalo."
While St. Mary's has been a tourney regular over the last decade, it's the first time USF basketball has been selected since 1998.
Head coach Todd Golden was in junior high at the time.
"I was 13 at that point," he said after practice on Thursday. "It has been a really long time. And in my 6 years here, it's been something we've worked towards."
The Dons rolled to a 24-10 record this year -- the highest win total since the program was reinstated in the 1980's.
"Growing up you always watch those Cinderella teams and wonder how they're doing it," said USF guard Jamaree Bouyea. "You believe in the March madness magic a little bit."
But Golden doesn't just want his team to make the field of 68.
"Our team has potential to make a deep run when we get into the tournament," he said.
Meanwhile, the Gaels No. 5 seed is the best that any Saint Mary's team has ever achieved. The previous best was a No. 7 seed, which had happened twice in Gaels history, and most recently in 2017.
As a single-digit seed in the tournament, the Gaels are 1-3, with that lone win coming against No. 10 VCU in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
