Dolphins come in confident
By Jeff Elliott | MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
Jacksonville will be rested and gaining confidence when it arrives at United Spirit Arena today to plays at Texas Tech in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The eighth-seeded Dolphins (20-12) will look for their second upset in five days. JU stunned Arizona State on Tuesday, when senior guard Ben Smith hit a 24-foot bank shot with 1.4 seconds left to give the Dolphins a 67-66 win.
Fifth-seeded Tech (18-15) routed fourth-seeded Seton Hall 87-69 in its first-round game.
Jacksonville's Ayron Hardy, left and Travis Cohn celebrate their 67-66 defeat of Arizona State in a first-round NIT game Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz. They play at Texas Tech today.
Jacksonville's Ben Smith, left, shoots against Arizona State's Ty Abbott during the first half of a first-round NIT college NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
“We’re just excited to still be playing right now,” JU coach Cliff Warren said. “Texas Tech will be a tough opponent. Bobby Knight set the foundation for the program and his son Pat, has picked up where he left off.”
Jacksonville, which shared the Atlantic Sun regular season title but lost in the conference tournament, has won several tough road games (Arizona State, Central Florida, Campbell) this season.
“The buzz around our program is extremely high right now,” Warren said. “The support from the city and our fans has been nothing short than amazing. We want to keep this momentum going and see how far we can go.
“While the win over Arizona State was very nice. We’re not satisfied. We’re still working to get better and try to win this game and advance in the tournament.”
The other two times Jacksonville won its first-round game in the NIT, the Dolphins advanced to the semifinals. But that was a long time ago in 1972 and 1974. JU lost its semifinal game both times.
Smith, who holds the school career records for steals, assists, free throws made, games played and minutes played, will finish as the second-leading scorer in JU history. He’s scored 1,954 points in 124 games and trails only Ralph Tiner by 230 points.
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Tech will have an advantage in playing before an empty house at home. Really.
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With the road conditions out there in your area looks like it may be hard to get there, good luck, Raiders.
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I can’t make it to the game because of the roads….165 miles north is too far on ice. I’ll be with you in SPIRIT Red Raiders!! Play hard and WIN!!!
WRECK ‘EM!!!
TTU’85
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Texas Tech has played and stayed close with some of the most talented teams in the nation. Top to bottom the Big 12 was the toughest conference in the nation, so there is no reason at all that this team (which has so much talent) should not be victorious. I hope that the TTU fans will come out and support this team and inspire them to give great run at the NIT and use those victories as a foundation for next season. I hope that the entire team shows up, stays focused, and plays well. If our guys play the defense that they are capable of each and every game, then they could win the entire thing! GO RAIDERS!
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I agree they can play with anybody when thy stay focused and play defense and dont turn the ball over and dont miss critical freethrows,go all the way, Raiders!!!!
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GUNZ UP GUYS!!! GIV’EM HELL!!!
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please do not storm the field, win, loss, or tie. I guess I hvae had one two many toddies
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