The University of Delaware men’s basketball team and its most devoted followers reveled in the fanfare Sunday that resulted from the Blue Hens making the NCAA Tournament.
They assembled inside the Carpenter Center for a noisy, colorful gathering in which their achievement was lauded.
That was the fun part. Now comes the hard part.
When the big reveal came during the CBS Selection Show, Delaware appeared in the NCAA Tournament bracket opposite Villanova for a first-round game Friday in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena.
Delaware is 0-15 all-time against Villanova, the last loss 78-70 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in 2019. Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby grew up near and rooted for Villanova as a kid, and it’s where his dad, Tom, starred from 1970-73.
Tipoff times will be announced later Sunday night or Monday morning.
The Blue Hens are seeded 15th, and the Wildcats are second.
Since the NCAA Tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the No. 15 seed has upset the No. 2 nine times in 144 first-round games. That’s a win probability of 6.25 percent. Only two 15th seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen – Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 and Oral Roberts last year.
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Still, Delaware will treasure the attempt and embrace the task.
Naturally, cheers erupted and filled the arena when the matchup was announced. UD players and coaches hugged and high-fived. All watched the telecast on screens from the Carpenter Center four-sided video board above the basketball court, which was lowered closer to the floor.
Speaking to the crowd earlier, Ingelsby had thanked fans for their support.
“When we came here six years ago,” he said, “this is what we talked about doing, to be able to hang a banner, to be able to win a championship, to be able to be in the NCAA Tournament and, we’re not done yet., right? We’re not done yet.”
That drew cheers.
“I wanted nothing more for them [UD players] to experience what’s gonna happen in 16 minutes,” Ingelsby then said of the coming bracket announcement. “This has been a heck of a journey for this basketball team. This is why our seniors came back. We’d talked about this for a long, long time.”
Delaware secured its NCAA ticket by winning the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., with a 59-55 victory over UNC-Wilmington at the Entertainment & Sports Arena. Delaware (22-12) became the first No. 5 seed to be champion in the tournament’s 39-year history and came to life in the postseason after losing three straight to close the regular season.
It was just Delaware’s second CAA title in its 21 years in the league.
The NCAA Tournament appearance is the Blue Hens’ sixth, those others coming as North Atlantic Conference champions in 1992 and 1993, America East winners in 1998 and 1999 and as Colonial titlists in 2014.
COLONIAL RULE: Blue Hens win unlikely CAA title, earn NCAA berth
In the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Hens will try to replicate the tough, defensive-oriented style that characterized their CAA tourney run. Delaware beat No. 4 Drexel 66-56, No. 1 Towson 69-56 and No. 2 UNCW to become the first CAA champ since 2009 to keep three foes under 60 points. No CAA champ had beaten three higher seeds en route to the title since East Carolina in 1993.
Of course, a much stiffer challenge awaits the Blue Hens in the NCAA Tournament, where they’ll try to become the latest underdog to make national headlines by ousting one of the country’s elite teams. It happens most years, but previous Delaware teams haven’t come close to pulling off a major surprise.
In its previous NCAA endeavors, Delaware was seeded 13th when it lost to Cincinnati 85-47 in 1992 in Dayton; 13th when it lost to Louisville 76-70 in 1993 in Indianapolis; 15th when it lost 95-56 to Purdue in 1998 in Chicago; 13th when it lost 62-52 to Tennessee in 1999 in Charlotte; and 13th when it lost to Michigan State 93-78 in 2014 in Spokane, Washington.
Wins by No. 15 seed over No. 2 in CAA
1991: Richmond 73, Syracuse 69
1993: Santa Clara 64, Arizona 61
1997: Coppin State 78, South Carolina 65
2001: Hampton 58, Iowa State 57
2012: Lehigh 75, Duke 70
2012: Norfolk State 86, Missouri 84
2013: Florida Gulf Coast 78, Georgetown 68
2016: Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81
2021: Oral Roberts 75, Ohio State 72
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
