PHILADELPHIA (03/16/03) - The Hawks will fly south this week and attempt to catch a very large, very physical Tiger by the tail.
Early Sunday evening, the NCAA Selection Committee announced the bracket for this year's tournament. Saint Joseph's is seeded seventh in the East Region and will face No. 10 Auburn in Tampa, Fla., on Friday.
The bruising Tigers (20-11) finished at 8-8 in the typically strong Southeast Conference, good for a second-place tie in the SEC West. They were tied with Kentucky at halftime of their SEC tournament semifinal game before falling, 78-58.
"They were 8-8 in their league, and [head coach] Cliff Ellis has been around the block," said Hawks head man Phil Martelli Sunday night.
In his ninth season at Auburn, Ellis has compiled a 170-110 record and taken the Tigers to two prior NCAA Tournaments. AU's 1999 team made it to the Sweet 16; the following year Ellis guided the Tigers to the second round. This is his 28th year overall; his career record is 518-322.
Ellis told reporters Sunday night that he has encountered Martelli a few times at conventions and once played golf with him. He praised Martelli and the Hawks for their defensive prowess this season.
"He's had a good run. He's a good coach," said Ellis. "He's a heck of a lot better basketball coach than he is a golfer. I've always admired his teams."
Auburn put together a nine-game, month-long winning streak in December and January, but played inconsistently down the stretch, going 5-9.
The Tigers boast a punishing inside game. The team's catalyst, 6-6 senior Marquis Johnson, averages more than 18 points and six rebounds a game, and shoots for more than 50% from the floor. 6-7 sophomore Marco Killingsworth chips in with nearly 14 points and 6.4 boards. Patrolling the low post is 6-10 junior Kyle Davis, who already is the school's all-time shot-blocking leader..
"They start no one under 6-foot-4," said Martelli. "Their defense will try to be very physical with us. That's fine."
Auburn is hardly without flaws. The Tigers are not a very deep team, and despite their size, they are an average rebounding team. They also turn the ball over a lot.
The first-round game will be Saint Joseph's first action since bowing to Dayton in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Playing in front of a hostile crowd at UD Arena, SJU wiped out a 19-point second-half deficit but lost by three. The incandescent Jameer Nelson torched the Flyers for 39 points, the most by a Hawk since 1983.
The Hawks return to the tournament after a year's hiatus in the NIT. In the Big Dance two years ago, Saint Joseph's notched a first-round victory over Georgia Tech in San Diego, then stretched top-seeded Stanford to the final minute before succumbing, 90-83.
Saint Joseph's and Auburn have met just once, in 1956. The Tigers were victorious.
--Tom Durso/Saint Joseph's University Communications
