By Angelique Smith
Morgan State University's team is no underdog anymore — they are now more of a "Cinderella" story, rising from the bottom ranks to the majestic March Madness top 15. That's right — the Morgan State Bears are the #15 seed in the NCAA tournament.
The #15-seeded Bears will make their first appearance in the tournament when they face Oklahoma Thursday (March 19), tipping off against the #2 seed Oklahoma in Kansas City. While this may look like a lost bet, "If they go out and do everything they're supposed to, anything can happen. That's the reason they call it March Madness," Diamond Avery explained. But in preparation, while many schools are attending their extravagant parties and pep rallies, Avery explains that his team is actually "laying low."
"Well, actually, they are doing everything not to hype themselves up. They looking to just take it as just another game because they don't want to feed into all of the extra-curricular stuff and do everything else that might actually hurt them when it comes time to play," he said.
In Morgan State's New Student Center, students and faculty held a gathering for the players after the bracket's unveiling, and will congregate again at this new facility to watch the tip-off against the Sooners. "The atmosphere is crazy," Avery said of the buzz around campus. "After we won the conference tournament, the news was on campus the next morning. All week has been just news, news, news.
"March Madness is where all teams want to go to, and to see one of your teams make it there just lets you know that no matter what size your school is or how big it is, if you play and you go out there and play hard, anything can happen," he continued.
Just look at the trip to the NCAA: Morgan State has been on a five-game winning streak and has won 13 of the last 14 games. In addition, the team is also coming off their first MEAC Championship in 32 years with their recent win over Norfolk State. Who is to say that this is not a fairytale and that there is no time to celebrate?
"I mean, personally, we were just so grateful going to the tournament," Avery said. "Now [we] are just preparing for Oklahoma and just taking it as another game."
Another game? No pep rallies? No big parties? Nothing. Well, the team does like to get hyped up before games, listening to "everything from Gucci Mane to Lil Wayne. ... And of course they got the typical Morgan song, 'I love Morgan State.' "