This one is a little tough to comprehend.

In the final Mid-Major Top 25, Holy Cross is ranked No. 15, Bucknell No. 18.

We certainly agree both teams belong in the poll. No argument there.

But it is hard to see how you can rank Holy Cross ahead of Bucknell when the Bison won two out of three from the Crusaders, beat two AP ranked teams during the season and beat the NIT runners-up on their home floor. Holy Cross, on the other hand, lost at Saint Joe's in the second round of the NIT and had no wins over anyone ranked.

In fact, nobody HC beat even got a vote in the final AP Poll, except for Bucknell, which got two votes in the final poll.

If you go by the AP voters, the Bison were No. 7 among the schools included in the Mid-Major poll.

Personally, having also seen Saint Mary's (No. 6 in the M-M) and Northern Iowa (17 in the Mid-Major poll), we'd have ranked both Bucknell and Holy Cross above either of those two.

Still in all, a fine season for the Patriot League in particular, and Mid-Majors in general, who are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Read more!

Bucknell signee Jason Vegotsky was the leading scorer in last night's Suburban One League (SOL) All-Star game outside Philly.

From the Newtown Advance's account of the game:

By halftime, the Blue team, featuring such scoring threats as Pennsbury's Jason Vegotsky and CB West's Jamar Oliphant, had already netted 52 points. The possibility of hitting the century mark was within reach.

Vegotsky, who is heading to Bucknell next fall, ended up as game high scorer, tallying 19 points. Oliphant was close behind, contributing 17 points to the Blue team's cause. The 6'3' forward's all around play earned him Most Valuable Player honors. Both players hit on three baskets from beyond the arc.

Vegotsky's Blue team won the game, 109-94.
Read more!

This just in from Bucknell SID Jon Terry:

For Immediate Release (April 5, 2005)
Contact: Jon Terry


BUCKNELL-KANSAS HOOPS GAME TO BE AN “INSTANT CLASSIC”
Bucknell’s Historic NCAA Tournament Victory to Re-Air on ESPN Classic on Saturday Morning


LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell’s historic NCAA Tournament victory over Kansas has officially achieved “Instant Classic” status. ESPN announced Tuesday that the Bison’s 64-63 win over the Jayhawks will be replayed this Saturday, April 9 at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Bucknell’s first-round victory over third-seeded Kansas was the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, and also the first by any Patriot League team. Chris McNaughton’s now-famous hook shot with 10.5 seconds left in the game propelled the Bison to the one-point victory and helped stamp 2004-05 as arguably the greatest season in the 110-year history of Bucknell Basketball.

The contest was originally aired by CBS, but since CBS does not sell copies of game tapes, Bucknell fans who have not yet seen the Kansas game in its entirety are encouraged to tune in to ESPN Classic on Saturday morning.

The Bucknell-Kansas game is the second of nine consecutive 2005 NCAA Tournament games that will be re-aired on ESPN Classic on Saturday. The 17-hour block includes Monday night’s North Carolina-Illinois national championship game and highlights the best games from an NCAA Tournament season that many consider to be one of the greatest of all time.

“These were timeless games that highlighted the drama, intensity and emotion that sports hold – and that makes them perfect Instant Classics,” said Jodi Markley, senior vice president, international production, ESPN Classic and ESPNEWS.

The 2005 NCAA Tournament Instant Classics lineup on ESPN Classic this Saturday includes:

9 a.m., Vermont vs. Syracuse -- #13 Vermont def. #4 Syracuse 60-57 in OT
10:30 a.m., Bucknell vs. Kansas -- #14 Bucknell def. #3 Kansas 64-63
12 p.m., West Virginia vs. Wake Forest -- #7 WVU def. #2 Wake Forest 111-105 in double-OT
2 p.m., Arizona vs. Oklahoma State -- #3 Arizona def. #2 Oklahoma St. 79-78 on Salim Stoudamire three
4 p.m., (Women’s) Michigan State vs. Tennessee -- #1 Michigan State rallies from 16 down to defeat #1 Tennessee
6 p.m., Louisville vs. West Virginia -- Down 20, #4 Louisville rallies to defeat #7 WVU 93-85 in OT
8 p.m., North Carolina vs. Illinois (championship game) -- #1 UNC withstands furious second-half rally by #1 Illinois to win title
10 p.m., Michigan State vs. Kentucky -- #5 Michigan St. defeats #2 Kentucky 94-88 in double-OT
12 a.m., Illinois vs. Arizona -- #1 Illinois erases 15-point deficit in final 4:00 to defeat #3 Arizona
Read more!

Life is unfair.

Jimmy Carter said that one time.

Peter M. feels that today.

After leading virtually from the opening bell, Peter stumbled to third place in the Hoop Time Whatever We Are Calling It This Week Brackets Challenge when the Fighting Illini came up short against North Carolina last night.

Nobody scored more points in four of the first five rounds than Peter. Nobody had more total correct picks than Peter's 45.

But Patrick O. had the one that mattered most. He picked North Carolina to win it all and the 32 points he picked up for getting the final right moved him ahead of Peter and gave him the title as Hoop Time's top bracketeer.

Patrick finished with 159 points, picking 42 games correctly. Peter finished with 142, actually falling to third behind second-place Andrew L. (157) who also had Carolina in the final.

Kudos to two other entries, Russ N. and Drew W. who each also picked Carolina to win it all. Russ finished fourth with 141 points. Drew was sixth with 131. Tim C., who had Illinois in the final, took fifth with 139 points.

The top three finishers should shoot me an e-mail (hoop_time@hotmail.com)with their mailing address so we can send out their prizes. Be sure to include which Patriot League team you follow.

We will also be sending a special prize to Harry C., our last place finisher. Harry has Oklahoma State, Gonzaga, UConn and Syracuse in his final four. As you might guess, he was done after the Sweet Sixteen, scoring zeros in the last three rounds to finish with 71 points.

Harry will receive a Kansas postseason media guide for his (lack of) effort.

Complete final standings are available here.
Read more!

From Sunday's Columbia Missourian, another story about how Missou fans have taken a shine to Bucknell after the win over Kansas:

Better than a postcard, the final score is on the back of this special BU orange and blue design

Keeping the Bucknell University bookstore busy, Missouri and Kansas State fans have been placing nearly 250 apparel orders daily to show their appreciation of Bucknell’s surprising victory. Hope Greiner, a 25-year employee of the Bucknell bookstore, said she had never filled so many orders for shirts.

Nearly 1000 miles away, Bison fans had little previous knowledge of the intense rivalry that exists between Missouri and Kansas. It wasn’t until bookstore employees began reading the comments included with the orders that they fully understood why their shirt sales were increasing phenomenally.

One commentary read, “Thanks for beating the lowly Jayhawks, everyone in Columbia, Mo., loves you, Go Bison!”

Another customer even paid the bookstore to anonymously send a Bucknell postcard, taunting an unlucky Kansas fan with just the numbers 64-63.

Have a Missou fan friend? Why not do your Christmas shopping early.
Read more!

Bucknell athletics director John Hardt pens aguest column in today's Harrisburg Patriot-News. Says Hardt:

The simple fact that a gutsy group of athletes from Lewisburg can earn the chance to go head-to-head with the top powers in America and compete for a national championship is what makes college athletics so special.

Hardt goes on to point out that this was not just a gutsy group of athletes, but a brainy group of students, too.

Lafayette fans might want to e-mail a copy of Hardt's piece to their school's new president.
Read more!