ETSU Faces Pittsburgh In NCAA Tournament

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – It’s the Bucs and the Panthers.

The East Tennessee State University men’s basketball team drew the Pittsburgh Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 16 seed Buccaneers will face the No. 1 seed Panthers in the East Region March 20 at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

The Bucs received word Sunday evening of their first-round matchup while taking part in a Selection Sunday celebration at the Millenium Center, near the ETSU campus. A packed room shouted “It’s great to be a Buccaneer!” as the Bucs walked through the room, while ETSU coach Murry Bartow received a standing ovation.

“We’ve got great, great, great fans,” Bartow said.

Bartow introduced ETSU’s coaches, players and managers before the Buccaneers’ first-round draw was announced. East Tennessee State seniors Kevin Tiggs and Courtney Pigram drew the loudest applause.

ETSU (23-10) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Atlantic Sun conference tournament championship. The Buccaneers knocked off the Jacksonville Dolphins, 85-68, March 7 at Allen Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

The NCAA postseason berth marks the eighth time in the program’s history the Bucs have won a trip to the prestigious tournament. ETSU last appeared in The Dance on March 19, 2004, when the Bucs fell to Cincinnati, 80-77, in first-round action. East Tennessee State’s most-recent NCAA Tournament victory was in 1992, when the Buccaneers knocked off Arizona, 87-80.

Pittsburgh (28-4) is the No. 2-ranked team in the country and the Panthers have won 10 of their last 12 contests.

Note: Check Monday’s Bristol Herald Courier for more on this story.