First Round Recap – Syracuse Region
by Neal Heston
“Where is Bucknell anyway?”
That was the question before the Bison tipped off with heavily-favored Kansas on Friday night. Everyone should know the answer to that now, as Bucknell pulled off what was clearly the largest upset in this tournament. With the defeat, Kansas became the first No. 3 seed to go down in the first round since North Carolina in 1999 – the team nearly everyone expected the Jayhawks to face in the regional final next weekend.
It was the Bison’s first NCAA Tournament victory in the school’s 110-year history, and the first for the Patriot League as well.
Kansas struggled throughout the first half, down by as many as six points early. The Jayhawks finished the half on a 10-0 run to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room and seemed in good position to begin running away with the contest in the second frame. It never happened, as the Bison hung around and put themselves in position for victory in the final minute. Chris McNaughton banked in a shot during the final seconds to give Bucknell the one-point advantage, and Wayne Simien missed a jumper as time expired to send the Jayhawks out in the first round.
McNaughton finished with 14 points, but the Bison were led by 19 points from Kevin Bettencourt. Wayne Simien paced the Jayhawks with 24 points and 10 boards. Bucknell advanced to play Wisconsin on Sunday, while Kansas dropped its sixth contest out of nine to finish 23-7. The media’s preseason favorite to capture the national title couldn’t get past the first weekend.
