Bison coach has sunny outlook
If seeding for the NCAA Tournament was based on humor, then North Dakota State would be a solid No. 1.
Saul Phillips has coached the North Dakota State Bison into the "Big Dance" for the first time.
He's a funny man, certainly the funniest who makes a living coaching basketball in Fargo, N.D.
"Usually, when Fargo makes it on TV, it's on The Weather Channel," Phillips said this week.
His Bison (26-6) received a No. 14 seed and will open play today against reigning national champion Kansas (25-7) in Minneapolis.
Phillips, 36, is coaching the Bison for the second year, and his team is the first since 1970 to qualify for the tournament in its first year of Division I eligibility.
The outlook for the Bison might be as bleak as most days in Fargo, but nothing can cast a cloud over Phillips.
Entering this season, a team seeded 14th has beaten a No. 3 seed only 81 times -- 16 percent -- in the tournament's history.
Still, Phillips is happy North Dakota's largest city -- population 100,000 -- is getting recognition "for something other than the wood chipper scene in 'Fargo.' "
"I can't believe how much I've talked, and how many people I've talked to, in the last week," Phillips said. "I mean, I was on the radio with the Fabulous Sports Babe. What's next, the San Diego Chicken dropping by?"
Only while you're in Minneapolis. Birds shy away from Fargo in winter.
• CALL THEM BOB -- Coach Mike Rice has done everything to disrespect his players this week except refer to their university, Robert Morris, as Bob's Drive-Thru College.
The Colonials are seeded 15th in the tournament and will open today against No. 2 seed Michigan State in Minneapolis.
Rice is trying to motivate his players by telling them they're too small and wimpy.
"I'm crushing them in practice," Rice said proudly. "Saying, 'Nobody cares about you. Nobody talks about you. Nobody's thinking about you.' I'm throwing everything I can at them to say they have no chance."
Entering this year, the record for 15th-seeded teams is 4-92 in the tournament.
"Being a 15 is definitely better than being a 16," Colonials guard Jimmy Langhurst said. "At least there are some wins by the 15s. We'll take anything we can get."
Teams seeded 16th in the tournament never have won in 96 games before this year.
"This is a competitive group," Rice said. "They've risen to some challenges before."
It won't be easy for Rice's Colonials, who do not have a player taller than 6 feet 8 inches. Also, their Northeast Conference is 1-25 in NCAA Tournament play since 1983.
The Pennsylvania school is located in Moon Township, a suburb about 16 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Rice said. "Most of the talk is still about Pitt. They deserve it. They got the No. 1 seed (in the East).
"But we certainly are more of a Cinderella story here. It's a crazy thing, winning."
And, according to Rice, Cinderella is fat, ugly and stupid.
COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
