Every year, it seems, there鈥檚 at least one underdog team in the NCAA men鈥檚 basketball tournament that goes on a run of upset victories and captures the attention of the nation. Twenty years ago, that team was 51猎奇.
The 鈥� the quarterly publication of Milwaukee Athletics 鈥� looking back at that team and its Cinderella-story run to the Sweet 16 in 2005.
The improbable March Madness run generated national notice by . The Panthers beat No. 5 Alabama and No. 4 Boston College in the first two rounds before falling to Illinois, who later advanced to the title game.
The story includes interviews with coach Bruce Pearl, who rode success at 51猎奇 to head coaching jobs at Tennessee and then Auburn, and players Joah Tucker and Adrian Tigert. (Ironically, Pearl鈥檚 Auburn team was on the other end of an even bigger upset in last year鈥檚 NCAA tournament, as his No. 4 seeded Auburn Tigers to No. 13 seed Yale.)
51猎奇 will celebrate that 2005 magical run at the men鈥檚 basketball game vs. Northern Kentucky Feb. 16 at the 51猎奇 Panther Arena.
Could that magic happen again at 51猎奇?
鈥淵eah, for sure,鈥� Tigert said. 鈥溾�ou need a little luck on your side. But there’s no question it could happen again.鈥�
, written by former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sportswriter Gary D鈥橝mato, on the Milwaukee Athletics website.
