When the icon of the green bearcat appeared alongside the face of a horned blue face on CBS’s “Selection Sunday,” Tiki Mayben clutched David Fine’s shoulder to stop himself from laughing and stomping his feet while the dark Events Center erupted with raucous cheers and whistles. The Bearcats are heading to Greensboro, N.C., to play none other than powerhouse Duke University.
“I went to church this morning, and this is not what I prayed for,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin Broadus. “Well, when you’ve got to play someone, why not the best?”
The Broadus squad is seeded No. 15 in the Eastern Regional by the NCAA selection committee while Duke is seeded second. The Blue Devils are regular contenders in the NCAA Championship, having won three national championships, made 14 Final Four appearances, 23 NCAA tournament berths and 10 No. 1 seeds. Duke has also had 71 players drafted in the NBA draft.
Broadus’ squad, however, is not disheartened by the magnitude of the team and hopes to meet the challenge head on.
“It’s just another opponent,” said junior D.J. Rivera. “I’m excited because we are in the tournament, but [Duke] is a team and like us, they play basketball, so it doesn’t really matter who we play.”
Junior Malik Alvin echoed Rivera’s words.
“We’re just ready for the game,” he said. “Duke has a lot of great players, but I think we can give them a great challenge. It should be a great game.”
Duke came out fresh from winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship on Sunday over Florida State. The Blue Devils are coached by Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski, who has headed the basketball team for the past 29 years and has led the team to an NCAA record of 69 tournament victories.
“To be a champion, you’ve got to play champions,” Broadus said. “To beat the McDonald’s All-American we’ve got to make no mistakes and make all the shots.”
The Bearcats will have the most difficulty defending their basket with Duke’s guards, sophomore Nolan Smith, and juniors Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer. Meanwhile, sophomore Blue Devil forward Kyle Singler is the team’s leading scorer and will provide the offensive fire.
Some of the Bearcats, including Rivera, Alvin and Mayben, have had the opportunity to play alongside Duke’s players in the past.
“They are all great players,” Mayben said. “We’ve had the privilege to play some of them in the past, so we are up for the challenge. I’m just happy I made it into the tournament.”
Rivera had one thing to say to the Blue Devils.
“Please don’t take us lightly,” Rivera said. “We are not going to take them lightly. If you’re asking D.J. Rivera, I say our chances [of winning] are 10 out of 10. I think me and my team proved that this year.”