However, the 14th-ranked Crusaders know it will take more than a couple of trends to hoist the American Southwest Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament trophy come Sunday afternoon.
The ASC’s eight best teams will clash in a battle for the conference crown and a guaranteed spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament when the three-day league showcase tips off today at Mayborn Campus Center, where UMHB hasn’t lost since Dec. 5, 2006.
Today’s action features four quarterfinal games, capped by West Division champion UMHB (22-3) against East fourth seed East Texas Baptist (9-16) at 7:30 p.m.
While the Crusaders have home-court advantage and the field’s best record, things rarely come easily in the win-or-go-home format - even in the first round.
“ETBU has talent,” said UMHB coach Ken DeWeese, whose team rolled over the Tigers 83-55 on Jan. 5 in Belton. “They have good athletes. They just haven’t played particularly well in stretches.
“But still, I can’t think of a reason they’re 9-16. When they play well, they’re very good.”
The same can be said of the Crusaders, who went through the regular season unbeaten by every tournament team except West third seed Hardin-Simmons (14-11). On Jan. 17 in Abilene, the Cowboys posted a 76-66 win over the Crusaders, who avenged the loss with an 82-76 victory last week in Belton.
“Some things are a little different once you get in the tournament,” DeWeese said. “As a coach, you have to prepare for the upcoming game with an eye on the next one. We’re spending our team time focusing on ETBU and then as coaches, we’re also looking at who we would face next if we won.”
For UMHB, a victory today would mean a semifinal meeting with the winner between HSU and East second seed Texas-Tyler (14-11), which is in the tournament in its first year of eligibility after serving four years as a Division III provisional.
And no ASC event would be complete without perennial East top seed Mississippi College (19-5), which must get through West fourth seed Howard Payne (13-12) today and the winner between West No. 2 Concordia Texas (17-8) and East No. 3 Texas-Dallas (17-8) in the semifinals to reach the championship game for the 10th consecutive year.
“We’ve been fortunate over the years to have good players and depth, which is a big factor in tournament play,” said MC coach Mike Jones, whose Choctaws won tournament titles in 1999, 2002, ’03, ’06 and ’07.
“And this year’s tournament is really up for grabs. Mary Hardin-Baylor is probably the favorite on their home floor, but this tournament is probably more wide open than it’s ever been.”
The Crusaders are riding a wave of momentum that began with their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament last March and continued with their school record-setting regular season.
They defended their West title despite an influx of new players and midseason injuries to starters Matt Dickey (hand) and Jason Wagner (knee).
“Early on, when we were first starting with a nucleus of returners we knew could play and also a group of newcomers we knew could play, I’m sure we looked really fragmented,” DeWeese said. “But I could see us getting a little better each day.
“I could see flashes of things in practice that would make me think, ‘We just need to keep working because this thing is going to click eventually.’”
As for the injuries, DeWeese said the Crusaders realized what they needed to do - buck up and move on.
“It was a loss when Dickey and Wagner got hurt, and we played like we were hurting right after that,” he said. “After seeing two teammates go down, guys get on the floor and start wondering who’s next and who’s going to make up for their production.
“But our guys were mature enough to realize that they had to go on, and we’ve filled in the gaps.”
Last year, UMHB wore down during the conference tournament in Clinton, Miss., and was a step slow in an NCAA first-round loss to Maryville (Tenn.) a week later back in Mississippi.
The Crusaders believe by avoiding any long bus trips this week, they’ll be more fresh this weekend and hopefully next week as well, if they get that far.
“That 8-hour bus ride to Mississippi is no fun at all,” UMHB senior post Ryan Burgart said following Saturday’s regular-season finale. “It should be a big help to be playing here.”
DeWeese, however, is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“Before the tournament has been played, I have to tell you it’s been pretty good to be able to stay at home,” he said. “Now if we lose in the first round, I’ll say that it (stinks). But one of our goals every other year is to host the conference tournament, so it’s good to accomplish that.
“We like to play at home. It’s a great facility that we enjoy. We have great fans, and we appreciate them and like to play in front of them.”
NOTE: Dickey, who hasn’t played since Feb. 5, and Wagner, who hasn’t played since Feb. 7, are expected to be in uniform today. The extent of their availability, however, is unknown.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
