For the third straight year the U-N-I Panthers are part of the big dance. The Panthers are seeded tenth in the Minneapolis regional and will take on Georgetown in the opening round in Dayton, Ohio. That game will also be on Friday.
Panther coach Greg McDermott says it’s “pretty special” to be able to get back-to-back invitations to the tournament. McDermott says going to Dayton is about as good as it can be in allowing fans to go to the game.
The Panthers had to sweat it out to see if they got into the field even though McDermott was confident about their chances. He says every year there are teams that think they’re in, but don’t get in. McDermott says when Iowa came up as a three seed, L-S-U a four seed and Bucknell a nine seed, he says it would be tough to keep his team out after they beat those three teams.
U-N-I was one of four Missouri Valley Conference teams to get into the field. He says it’s been a great year for the Valley and he hopes they can “make some noise” this weekend.
The program continues to reach new heights and this season was nationally ranked for the first. McDermott says going back to the tournament is they way it should end. McDermott says with everything that’s transpired, he says it’s hard to imagine that it’s all happening. The Panthers are 23-9.