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MSU Denver March Madness First Round 3.20.20, No. 8 Seed 2011-12 vs. No. 9 Seed 2002-03

General by Rob White

First-Round Game: #8 2011-12 vs. #9 2002-03

Winner will play the 1999-2000 national champions

DENVER – Ready for another first-round game? We've got one for you.
 
Our Sweet 16 of the best teams in MSU Denver men's basketball history rolls on today with an intriguing matchup between the No. 8 seed regional champions from 2011-12 and the No. 9 seed regional finalists from 2002-03.
 
Fan voting on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram determines the winner. In yesterday's matchup, the top-seeded 1999-2000 national championship team rolled past the No. 16 seed regional third-place team from 1990-91 with 85.7 percent of the vote and now awaits the winner of today's game in a March 31 quarterfinal.
 
Today's matchup: This figures to be one of the most closely-contested first-round games. The 2011-12 team was 25-7 overall and 17-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, yet didn't win the league title and lost at home (in overtime) in the first round of the RMAC Tournament. Undaunted, the 12th-ranked Roadrunners bounced back to win three straight regional tournament games, knocking off Division II's top-ranked team, league rival Colorado School of Mines, on its home floor 73-64 to advance to the Elite Eight. Nine years earlier, MSU Denver's 2002-03 team suffered a double-overtime loss to host Nebraska-Kearney, 94-87, or it too would have made it to the Elite Eight as regional champions. That team was 28-5 overall, 16-3 in the RMAC, and won the RMAC Tournament championship.
 
Who do you like? Vote for your winner today.
 
Voting will be conducted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and will run from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. You can also vote through Twitter below.  The winner will be announced on social media on Monday. You can also read about it Monday on RoadrunnersAthletics.com, along with the preview of Monday's game between the fourth-seeded national runners-up from 1998-99 and the No. 13 seed, the RMAC regular-season champions and regional No. 2 seeds from 2014-15.
 
TODAY'S PREVIEW
#8 seed 2011-12 (25-7, regional champions) vs. #9 seed 2002-03 (28-5, regional runner-up)
 
THE STARTERS
2011-2012 (25-7)                    Ht.       Yr.       Pts     Reb    Ast
F—Jonathan Morse                6-8      Jr.       13.0     9.3      0.7                 
F—Reggie Evans                   6-4      Sr.       18.6     7.0      2.2
C—Nicholas Kay                    6-8       Fr.        6.5      5.6     1.0
G—Demetrius Miller               6-1      Jr.        11.9     2.0      2.2
G—Brandon Jefferson            5-9      So.      12.8     2.9      2.0
Off the bench: Paul Brotherson (6-6, Sr., 6.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Tyler Cooper (6-3, Jr., 2.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg).
 
 
2002-03 (28-5)                        Ht.       Yr.       Pts      Reb    Ast
F—Jamar Bohannon               6-6       Jr.       6.5       3.5      1.3
F—Patrick Mutombo               6-5       Sr.      19.3      4.8      1.1
C—Lester Strong                    6-7       Jr.        9.1      8.5      0.3                 
G—Luke Kendall                     6-4       Jr.      19.3      3.3      3.0
G—Clayton Smith                   5-8       Sr.        6.0      2.4      8.3
Off the bench: Mark Worthington (6-9, So., 7.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg), David Barlow (6-8, Fr., 2.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg), Ben Ortner (6-9, So., 2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg).
 
 
2011-12: The 2011-12 team won its first 12 games of the season and was 17-1 before losing four of five games from Jan. 27 through Feb. 10. It regrouped to win its final four regular-season games, then was upset by Colorado Mesa 67-63 in overtime in the RMAC Tournament first round. But the Roadrunners rolled through the South Central Regional, capped by the win over then-No. 1 Colorado School of Mines in the final on the Orediggers' home court. MSU Denver then had an eight-point lead with 4:49 left in the national quarterfinal game against No. 22 Montevallo (Ala.) but couldn't hold on and suffered a 67-65 defeat. Reggie Evans led the team in scoring at 18.6 per game, while Jonathan Morse added 13.0 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds. Brandon Jefferson (12.8) and Demetrius Miller (11.9) also scored in double figures for Derrick Clark's second Roadrunners team. Jefferson is MSU Denver's No. 3 all-time leading scorer with 1,935 points, while freshman starter Nicholas Kay finished fifth with 1,766, Evans is seventh with 1,627 and Morse eighth with 1,565. Morse is also the program's all-time leader in rebounds (1,029), while Kay is fourth (863).
 
2002-03: Coming off its second national championship in three years, Mike Dunlap's team revolved around the steady scoring of Patrick Mutombo and Luke Kendall (each scored 638 points for the season), the floor generalship of Clayton Smith (8.3 assists per game) and the ferocity of Lester Strong (8.1 rebounds per game). Kendall ranks second in program history with 1,966 career points, while Mutombo is 14th with 1,360. Coming off the bench were three big men who had long professional careers: Mark Worthington (11th in Roadrunners history with 1,413 points), David Barlow and Ben Ortner. Three of the Roadrunners' five losses came to their rivals from Nebraska-Kearney: 80-64 at home on Jan. 23, 65-54 in Kearney on Feb. 26, and the 94-87 double-overtime classic on March 17. MSU Denver led 38-30 at halftime of the regional final, closing the first 20 minutes with a 14-2 run. The Roadrunners fell behind 64-56 with 5:04 left in the second half, but eventually took a 68-67 lead on Kendall's basket with 1:39 to go, and then forced overtime on Kendall's game-tying jumper with 37 seconds left. MSU Denver never trailed in the first overtime, but Nebraska-Kearney tied the game on Nick Svehla's 3-pointer with six seconds left. Trailing by two in the second extra session after a dunk by Worthington with 1:52 to play, the Roadrunners couldn't keep pace as the Lopers scored their final eight points at the free throw line.
 
You've got your scouting report, now pick your winner and vote!
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
 
FIRST ROUND/SWEET 16
Thursday, March 19: #1 1999-2000 vs. #16 1990-91
Friday, March 20: #8 2011-12 vs. #9 2002-03
Monday, March 23: #4 1998-99 vs. #13 2014-15
Tuesday, March 24: #5 2013-14 vs. #12 2008-09
Wednesday, March 25: #2 2001-02 vs. #15 2000-01
Thursday, March 26: #7 2004-05 vs. #10 1989-90
Friday, March 27: #3 2012-13 vs. #14 1997-98
Monday, March 30: #6 2003-04 vs. #11 2006-07
 
QUARTERFINALS/ELITE 8
Tuesday, March 31: #1 1999-2000 vs. March 20 winner
Wednesday, April 1: March 23 winner vs. March 24 winner
Thursday, April 2: March 25 winner vs. March 26 winner
Friday, April 3: March 27 winner vs. March 30 winner
 
SEMIFINALS/FINAL 4
Monday, April 6: March 31 winner vs. April 1 winner
Tuesday, April 7: April 2 winner vs. April 3 winner
 
CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, April 8: April 6 winner vs. April 7 winner
 
 
TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS:
  1. 1999-2000 National Champions (33-4 overall/17-2 RMAC/RMAC regular-season and tourney champs). Coached by Mike Dunlap.
  2. 2001-02 National Champions (29-6 overall/16-3 RMAC). Dunlap.
  3. 2012-13 National Runners-Up (32-3/20-2/RMAC regular-season and tourney champs). Coached by Derrick Clark.
  4. 1998-99 National Runners-Up (28-6/15-4/RMAC division and tourney champs). Dunlap.
  5. 2013-14 National semifinalists (32-2/22-0/RMAC regular season and tourney champs). Clark.
  6. 2003-04 National semifinalists (32-3/19-0/RMAC regular season and tourney champs). Dunlap.
  7. 2004-05 Regional champions (29-4/16-3/RMAC regular season and tourney champs). Dunlap.
  8. 2011-12 Regional champions (25-7/17-5). Clark.
  9. 2002-03 Regional finalists (28-5/16-3/RMAC tourney champs/lost in 2 OT in regional final). Dunlap.
  10. 1989-90 Regional finalists (28-4/8-2 GNAC/GNAC regular season champs). Coached by Bob Hull.
  11. 2006-07 Regional semifinalists (28-4/17-2 RMAC/RMAC regular season and tourney champs). Coached by Brannon Hays.
  12. 2008-09 Regional qualifiers, No. 3 seed (27-4/18-1/RMAC regular season and tourney champs). Hays.
  13. 2014-15 Regional qualifiers, No. 2 seed (26-6/19-3/RMAC regular season champs). Clark.
  14. 1997-98 Regional qualifiers, No. 4 seed (25-5/16-3/RMAC regular season champs). Dunlap.
  15. 2000-01 Regional qualifiers, No. 4 seed (23-7/14-5/RMAC tourney champs). Dunlap.
  16. 1990-91 Regional third place, No. 3 seed (23-8/8-2 CAC/CAC regular season champs). Hull.
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