The Wisconsin Badgers received a number two seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA men's basketball tournament Sunday and will face Texas A&M " Corpus Christi in the first round on Friday, March 16 in Chicago. The question now on the minds of thousands of Badger fans: Texas A and Who-The?
The TAMU-CC Islanders played their way into the tournament by beating Louisiana's Northwestern State, 81-78, in the Southland Conference tournament championship game. Late Sunday afternoon, however, the school's athletics website was featuring a story on the women's softball team.
Islanders basketball is a young program, started from scratch in 1998 by coach Ronnie Arrow. They compiled a 26-6 record this season (14-2 in conference), with only one game against a Big Ten opponent, a 79-61 loss to Purdue. Wisconsin beat Purdue, 69-64, at the Kohl Center in January.
Senior Chris Daniels, a seven-foot center from San Antonio, leads a balanced scoring attack, averaging 15 points per game. The roster also reveals a 6'7" junior forward named Manuel Johnson from Houston who goes by "Scooby."
A tip time has yet to be determined for Friday's game. If the Badgers manage to pull one out against the Islanders, they will face either UNLV or Georgia Tech in Chicago next Sunday. News of the Chicago venue should cheer any Wisconsin fans who were disappointed when the Badgers failed to receive a one seed in the tournament. The third and fourth rounds of the Midwest region will be played in St. Louis. The region also contains top-seed Florida, Oregon, Notre Dame, Purdue and Maryland.
