March 20, 2005

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. - Chris McNaughton scored 23 points but it was not enough as 14th-seeded Bucknell dropped a 71-62 decision versus sixth-seeded Wisconsin at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Badgers move on to the Sweet 16, while Bucknell's season - the most successful in the history of the Patriot League - ends with a 23-10 overall record.

Wisconsin will play 10th-seeded N.C. State on Friday in Syracuse.

McNaughton, a sophomore center from Germany, engaged in a classic battle down low with Wisconsin senior forward Mike Wilkinson, who also posted 23 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds.

If the 18,567 spectators at the Ford Center had their way, it would have been McNaughton's team coming out on top. Fans of the Oklahoma State Cowboys - who defeated Southern Illinois in the day's first game - kept their orange shirts on and turned the contest into a BU home game of sorts.

Bucknell earned the attention of the nation by becoming the Cinderella story of the 2005 NCAA Tournament Friday night. The Bison upset third-seeded Kansas, 64-63 on McNaughton's game-winning jumper in the final 10 seconds. The victory was the first in the men's NCAA Tournament in the 15-year history of Patriot League basketball.

Sunday, BU made a serious bid to become just the third-ever No. 14 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. The Bison climbed into the game midway through the first half with an 11-0 run. They went into the locker room trailing 35-29, largely due to 50.0 percent 3-point shooting from Wisconsin (6-for-12). But BU twice took the lead in the game's final 20 minutes.

The last advantage for Bucknell was 47-46 on a Charles Lee jumper with 9:05 remaining. Wilkinson scored nine points and Alando Tucker 10 as UW outscored the Bison, 25-15 the rest of the way.

"Their size, quickness and their seniors being in this type of ballgame helped them (Wisconsin)," said Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery. "There is nothing negative I can take from this. I was proud of the way our kids battled. It was great to have the support we had out here. I don't think it's going to sink in for a little while. These kids are hurting because we are not going to Syracuse."

BU could not overcome a disparity in free throw shooting on the afternoon. Wisconsin connected on 22-of-29 free throws, compared with 11-of-14 for the Bison. The game was extremely well-played, with just 24 total turnovers. The contest featured two head coaches who are long-time friends and former counterparts at the Division III level - Flannery and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan.

"This game was everything we thought it was going to be," said Ryan. "We've seen a bunch of tapes on Pat's team. He certainly didn't disappoint with how hard they cut and play. I give a lot of credit to Bucknell. They hung in there."

Tucker finished with 17 points and Zach Morley added 15 for the Badgers. McNaughton was the only player in double figures for Bucknell. Rookie John Griffin had nine, while the Wisconsin defense did a tremendous job on Bucknell's leading scorer for the season, Kevin Bettencourt. The junior guard was held to three points on 1-of-9 field goal shooting.

For the Patriot League, a banner postseason is still in the works, despite the PL's difficulties with the Big Ten Conference on Sunday (the Holy Cross women were defeated by Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament). The Holy Cross men are back in action in the second round of the NIT Monday night at 7 p.m. at Saint Joseph's. That game will be shown live on ESPN2.

At Bucknell, the future certainly looks bright for Flannery's squad. The program loses just one senior in forward Chris Niesz, who scored five points against the Badgers.

"Oklahoma City was the perfect place for us," said Griffin. "We had great crowd support and are coming out with an experience to build on. The upsets were proof that the little schools shouldn't be counted out."

The Bison established themselves this season, as well as the Patriot League, after defeating the likes of Kansas, Pittsburgh, Saint Joseph's, Niagara and Holy Cross during the 2004-05 campaign.