In their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, the AU men's basketball team lost 72-57 to the Tennessee Volunteers at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center Friday afternoon.
AU was by far the underdog. During warm-ups, the Volunteers threw down thunderous, acrobatic jams and smooth threes. The Volunteer pep band was double the Eagles' size, and when fans began to fill the BJCC, a sea of orange engulfed the stream of blue-wearing Eagle fans.
Could a 15 seed beat a two seed? Rarely does this college basketball miracle occur, but after No. 2 Duke University narrowly escaped the 15th-seeded Belmont University the night before at the buzzer, hopeful Eagle fans could not help but ask this question.
At the opening tip-off, cheers reverberated through every recess of the stadium. Even though Volunteer fans filled the majority of the arena, the noise from the Eagles' fans shook the rafters. Tennessee appeared to overpower the Eagles at first, as they easily scored the first basket of the game. But with the incessant thunderous roars of the crowd, the Eagles penetrated a frightening Tennessee full-court press and answered with a Derrick Mercer lay-up.
AU showed they were not going to be taken lightly. With hard-nosed, tough team defense and Garrison Carr's uncanny ability to smoothly sink three-point shots one after the other, the Eagles held their own against the once nationally ranked first place Tennessee team.
Within the first 10 minutes of the game, AU found itself leading 9-5 after a Carr three that sent Eagle fans into a frenzy. The Eagles' stellar play continued, but the Volunteers slowly began to take the lead away. Even though AU stopped sharp shooting guard Chris Loften, Tennessee had many other options to choose from. Led by guard JaJuan Smith and forwards Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, the Volunteers took control of the game.
Down 29-22 heading into the second half, the Eagles rushed out of the locker room with a vengeance. Carr hit a three within the first 20 seconds of the half, which brought the Eagle deficit within four. Keeping it close, the Eagles then hit back-to-back threes from Mercer and Carr to bring the game score to 33-30, advantage Volunteers. With Carr hitting three after three, the Eagles trailed by only one point with six minutes left to play.
A glimmer of hope appeared for an instant in every arcing shot the Eagles took. Slowly but surely, the Volunteers rallied and gradually pulled AU's Holy Grail farther and farther out of reach. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the brightly shining lights of the scoreboard read Tennessee 72, American 57.
"Congratulations to American University," said Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl during the post-game preference. "They made shots, and Carr was spectacular. The team played great."
"The game just reinforced the belief that a 15 seed beating a two seed is possible," said Brian Gilmore, who finished with 13 points at the final buzzer.
A loss is a loss, but the Eagles have gained something: They are now one of only 65 schools in the entire country that made it to the "Big Dance."
"We are disappointed that we lost the game, but I am more disappointed that the journey has ended," AU head coach Jeff Jones said.
