“I remember it didn’t end well for the old UAB Blazers,” Kennedy said. “I remember (Marty) was a good player, very good player. His son is tremendous, tremendous. And they’re similar. They’re similar in their look, similar in their style of play.”
Tyler Haws, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, is the third-leading scorer in the country at 21.9 points per game for the Cougars, who rank second in nation in scoring offense at 83.3 ppg.
No. 11 seeds BYU (25-9) and Ole Miss (20-12) will battle at 9:10 p.m. for the right to advance to a second-round game Thursday in Jacksonville against No. 6 Xavier.
Transfer tales: The two teams who will tip off the First Four tonight have players on their roster who began their career in Southwest Ohio.
Manhattan sophomore Jermaine Lawrence played one season at the University of Cincinnati, while Hampton junior guard Reggie Johnson started 22 of the 31 games he played in as a freshman at Miami.
“I just didn’t feel like it was the right place for me to finish my college career,” Johnson said of his decision to transfer. “I have fond feelings. I’m remember playing here when I was at Miami. It will be good to see some of my friends.”
Lawrence, who was one of the top recruits in Bearcats history and ranked as high as No. 19 nationally, left UC after his freshman year when his father Bobby was diagnosed with cancer.
But unlike Johnson, Lawrence will not get a chance to play tonight. He hasn’t appeared in a game for the Jaspers since Feb. 23 due to a violation of team rules, coach Steve Masiello said.
Iconic image: Nearly every montage of NCAA tournament upsets includes a shot of Hampton's only victory, which came as a No. 15 seed in the school's first appearance in 2001.
Shortly after knocking off No. 2 Iowa State 58-57, then coach Steve Merfeld was grabbed from behind by David Johnson and lifted in the air with fists and feet flailing wildly.
“I didn’t even know about it until I got here,” said junior guard Deron Powers, who was 8 years old at the time.
“After seeing that win and knowing about it, it’s like man, we possibly could do it, too,” added junior guard Brian Darden.
About the Author