PHILADELPHIA (3/14/04) -- They just keep making history, these Saint Joseph's Hawks.
Capturing magic yet again as their mystical 27-1 season rolls on, the Hawks tonight earned the No. 1 seed in the East Rutherford Region of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. It is the program's first-ever top seeding. Click here for game notes and streaming audio.
The Hawks will play No. 16 Liberty (18-14), the Big South Conference champ, in the first round in Buffalo, N.Y., on Thursday at a time to be determined.
As CBS's Greg Gumbel announced SJU's seeding, the hundreds of fans, friends, and family watching on a big-screen TV in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse exploded in jubilation.
"We will make every effort to maximize this opportunity for the university and our great fans, but most important for the 15 guys who have done this the right way," head coach Phil Martelli told the crowd following the announcement.
Saint Joseph's president Timothy R. Lannon, S.J., thanked Dr. Linda Lelii, vice president for student life and academic development, and Don DiJulia, associate vice president and director of athletics, then paid tribute to the Hawks themselves.
"This university could not be prouder of Phil Martelli and his team," said Fr. Lannon. "Not only great players, but fine, superb men who have represented Saint Joseph's University with excellence."
Three other Atlantic 10 teams received bids to the tournament -- A-10 tourney champ Xavier, Dayton, and Richmond. It was sweet vindication for the Hawks, whose doubters had pointed to the team's supposedly weak conference schedule all season long.
"The Atlantic 10 has the right to stick its chest out," Martelli said. "The Atlantic 10 is so bad we got four bids to the NCAA Tournament."
Saint Joseph's knew it would be in. But after losing to Xavier in the A-10 quarterfinals last Thursday, a No. 1 seeding, so certain during the last few weeks, was no longer assured.
"I asked Jameer [Nelson] before if he was nervous," said junior forward John Bryant. "My heart was beating so fast. You know you're going to get in, and it would be nice to get that No. 1 seed. It was crazy. You really can't describe it. We'll go from here."
In the wake of last week's loss, "we tried not to focus on seeding," said Nelson, the sensational senior point guard, whose decision to return to school precipitated this season's unprecedented success. "We tried to focus on making us better as a team.
"We're just happy we're in the Tournament," he added. "We get to play basketball again. We're going to take advantage of the opportunity and get some wins."
While some might see the naysayers' doubts as motivation, Martelli spoke only of the desperation his team should feel, knowing that its next loss will mark the end of the season.
"The main motivational tool now is to win your next game," he said. "That's the only motivational tool. We know this could be a special three weeks of basketball."
No top seed has ever lost a first-round a game to a No. 16. Should the Hawks topple Liberty, they would face the winner of Thursday's game against Texas Tech and Charlotte on Saturday.
"The talk is done," Martelli said. "The talk is cheap. It's time to start playing. We'll be ready to play Thursday."
