Some teams sweat out Selection Sunday wondering if they’ll get in, some sweat out their seeding, and some just look forward to seeing where they’re going to play and who, so they can start the ball rolling on scouting their opponents.
American University, or at least head coach Duane Simpkins, fit into that latter category on Sunday night, as he knew his Eagles were in after winning the Patriot League title last week – so it was more anticipation of seeing their name pop up than anything else.
The Eagles ended up as a 16 seed but will have to play in the First Four, facing MAAC champ Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday night – but as Simpkins also told BMitch & Finlay, this isn’t necessarily a slight, because an NCAA Tournament game is still a tourney game no matter who, where, or when…and hey, it’s a more realistic chance to win than if they just drew the No. 1 seed (in their case, Duke).
“People hit me up last night saying it’s BS, we should have been in the tournament outright, but I remember what it felt like my sophomore year, playing that very first game in Wichita,” Simpkins said. “It feels like you're playing almost like in a dream for the first 10 minutes; like, it seems like the ball is hard and you can't dribble it, and everything's just extra fast. To be able to get that game underneath your belt is huge; I don't care if you're a McDonald's All-American or a potential lottery pick, it’s the first time that you're playing the NCAA Tournament, and if you can get that game under your belt, man, and just play solid and get a win, the second game is almost more like normal.”
Listen to Simpkins’ entire visit above!