Prairie View A&M and Lehigh reached the NCAA Tournament, which begins when the Panthers and Mountain Hawks meet in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday.
Seeded 16th in the South Region, the winner advances from the First Four to face top-seeded Florida on Thursday. But first comes a showdown between two of the biggest longshots in the field.
Prairie View A&M (18-17) was 9-16 after a loss to Southern on Valentine’s Day, but rallied to win nine of its final 10 games. The Panthers captured four victories in five days in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament, capped by a 72-66 triumph against Southern in the league’s title game.
“It’s like a dream come true,” said senior guard Dontae Horne, who leads the team with 20.2 points per game. “I always wanted to play in March. The fact that I was able to make it my last year is wonderful.”
Horne was outstanding in the SWAC quarterfinals and semifinals, but he shot just 6 of 20 from the field for 15 points in the title game. Lance Williams stepped up against Southern with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Cory Wells contributed 16 points.
The win provided a measure of revenge for Williams, a native of Baton Rouge who did not get an offer from Southern.
“When you get counted out or when you’re looked over and you feel like you didn’t get what you deserve, you know it puts a chip on your shoulder,” he said. “I came in with a chip on my shoulder right here.”
Lehigh (18-16) has played with an edge, as well, over the last two months. The team has recovered from a 4-11 start to secure wins in 14 of its last 19 games, highlighted by three straight wins in the Patriot League tournament.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs for us, but all the great teams go through that,” said senior guard Nasir Whitlock, who averages a team-high 21.0 points while shooting 44.5% from 3-point range. “Even the best team in the country. But we just have to have faith in ourselves. Believe in ourselves and trust that we got this.”
In addition to Whitlock, Hank Alvey is a capable scorer (15.0 points), while Joshua Ingram averages 10.6 points on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. The Mountain Hawks are the only team in the NCAA Tournament without a Division I transfer on their roster.
“Continuity builds success and continuity and chemistry,” said Lehigh coach Brett Reed, “and those are things we’ll be looking for in this postseason play.”
The Panthers, who are making their third appearance in the Big Dance, are still seeking their first NCAA Tournament win.
“This will be a comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck analysis of Prairie View,” Reed said of his staff’s preparation for the game. “I’m going to be very diligent to make sure that our team is prepared to the best of their ability.”
The Mountain Hawks are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012, when they upset No. 2 seed Duke behind future NBA standout CJ McCollum.
“They’re a quality ballclub,” noted Prairie View A&M coach Byron Smith. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
–Field Level Media