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Not spurned this time

SW Missouri State excited about garnering NCAA bid

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Posted: Monday March 08, 1999 12:35 AM

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- The terrible feeling that had lingered over Southwest Missouri State since 1997 washed away in minutes Sunday.

Southwest Missouri State is finally back in the NCAA tournament.

"You can't describe the feeling," said junior William Fontleroy, one of the members of the Bears who could not believe it in 1997 when a 24-8 record was not good enough to get in.

"It's like going from one end of the earth to the other," Fontleroy said. "One minute you're down, a minute later it seems you're on top of the world."

The Bears were fretting about their fate this year after they lost in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference.

But they didn't have long to wait. Players and coaches celebrated early in the Forsythe Athletic Center when the pairing with Wisconsin was the third of the 32 shown in the televised NCAA announcement.

"It's a big relief, especially coming up as quickly as it did," senior Ryan Bettenhausen said. "The waiting was hard."

The Bears were made the 12th seed in the East Regional, playing Friday against fifth-seeded Wisconsin in Charlotte, N.C. It's the first appearance for the Bears since 1992.

"For all of this to come full circle, to persevere and get to this point is very rewarding for them," said coach Steve Alford.

Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett was 0-12 against Southwest Missouri when he coached at Wisconsin-Green Bay and the two schools played in the Mid-Continent Conference in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Bennett has taken his philosophy of patience on offense and man-to-man defense to Wisconsin. The Badgers led the Big 10 by giving up just 55.6 points a game.

"You pull to get into the tournament and once you get in, you know you're going to be faced with an uphill battle," Alford said. "Coach Bennett does a tremendous job there. It's a very disciplined program. They don't beat themselves. We'll have to play very well."

 

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