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• Mar 16, 2008 9:40 pm US/Eastern
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  UMBC Receives No. 15 Seed, Will Play Georgetown

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UMBC Receives No. 15 Seed, Will Play Georgetown

The letters UMBC flashed on the television screen under those of Georgetown, and the basketball players on Maryland-Baltimore County hollered and threw their fists in the air.

Coach Randy Monroe remained seated, his hands folded together. He nodded twice and smiled slightly.

UMBC's first America East title, accomplished Saturday with an 82-65 victory over Hartford, earned the Retrievers a No. 15 seed in the Midwest Region and a matchup Friday against the second-seeded Hoyas in Raleigh, N.C.

"This is something you dream about, something you talk to your team about year after year," Monroe told a crowd of around 200 people Sunday evening. "We have a tremendous opportunity."

The Retrievers will be overwhelming underdogs against mighty Georgetown of the Big East. UMBC, however, isn't conceding anything in its first trip to the NCAA tournament as a Division I school.

"We know what we're capable of doing, and we're going to go out there and do it, no matter who our opponent is," forward Cavell Johnson said. "Yes, they have national recognition and a lot of respect across the country. We're going to give them respect, but we're going to play the way we know how."

The celebration featured plenty of free food, including a cake inscribed with the words "Welcome to the Dance" that was shared by the players with students, season ticket holders, faculty members and several former players.

UMBC (24-8) faces long odds, but this was not the time to consider something like that.

"At first I kind of thought we deserved better than a 15 seed," Johnson said, "but we're in the tournament. All we needed to do was get our foot in the door, and we're going to take advantage of it."

Now in his fourth season at UMBC, Monroe has taken the Retrievers to a place they've never been before. Now he's set to bring them along for a trip to North Carolina for a date with Georgetown (27-5).

Monroe and UMBC have a chance to make history, but the coach isn't ready to start thinking about the ramifications of an upset win.

"The most important thing right now is preparation. Getting your team ready to compete," he said. "That other stuff will take care of itself."

The Hoyas are not an unfamiliar foe. The schools are around 50 miles apart, and at least one UMBC player has intimate knowledge of the Georgetown roster.

"I grew up playing against some of their players; two of their freshmen and (7-foot-2 center) Roy Hibbert," guard Brian Hodges said. "I'm comfortable playing a team like that. I grew up rooting for Georgetown."

Now he will be facing them on national television.

"I'm ecstatic. I've been here four years. All my hard work has finally paid off," Hodges said. "To see our name up there on the board there on CBS is amazing. Words can't describe my feeling."

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)