The Raiders (23-11) are seeded 14th and will play third-seeded Virginia (29-5), the ACC’s second-place team, in Philadelphia on Friday at a time to be determined.
If they win, they could get a rematch with Miami. The RedHawks are a 16 seed in the First Four against SMU, and the winner faces sixth-seeded Tennessee in Philly.
Coach Clint Sargent gave a shout-out to the crowd after the draw and thanked the administration for “hiring me, trusting me, allowing me to lead through all this. I’ll never forget it.”
He also gave kudos to his players:
“To these young men here’’ … he had to pause because of sustained applause … “what you guys have done for this program — it’s the first time in school history to win the regular-season title and the conference tournament. And we had pressure. We’ve been counting down the days. We’ve been in first place for over 70 days.
“The kind of husbands and fathers and community leaders these guys are going to be … you guys are going to bless this world far more than what we’re doing right now. And we’re not done yet.
“And last thing, to all our fans, we’re young, and we’re just crazy enough to go win a couple games in Philly.”
The Raiders figured they’d be a 14 seed based on bracket projections, which would have pitted them against Michigan State or Gonzaga in the first two regionals revealed (attendees seemed to want MSU, but not the Zags).
“It just keeps getting better and better,” said star guard TJ Burch, who was the Horizon League tourney MVP and defensive player of the year.
“I’m excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re going to go up there and get a win.”
He said his confidence stems from “how deep we are. We’re a really deep team, and I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”
The Raiders won an NCAA tourney game in 2022 by beating Bryant, a fellow 16 seed, in the First Four.
The last time the league had a winner in the 64-team draw was when Oakland upset Kentucky in 2024. Before that, Butler made consecutive finals trips in 2011 and ’12.
Sargent expressed gratitude for folks sticking with him through the dismal season last year.
He said that year hurt “far more” than people realize. “But I continue to see good fruit from the pain, the struggling, the suffering of it all. It’s produced much. I wouldn’t give that year up for anything.”
He added: “I really do believe this team has not only been looking forward to this (Selection Sunday) moment, but also getting back to practice and taking advantage of the opportunity we have to continue to play.”
About the Author