Selfless play rules the day in Sweet 16
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- Unselfish, ego-free play ruled Friday's Sweet 16 -- and if
the trend continues, next week's Final Four will include fewer traditional
powers than the NCAA Tournament has seen this decade.
Tulsa, Florida, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Purdue are five of the
eight teams that will be playing for the right to go to the Final Four.
|  | | Brian Montonati and Oklahoma State have bought into a selfless style of play. |
Florida was the only team in this fivesome that received plenty of
preseason publicity, but the Gators still lack a demonstrative player to shoulder
the burden. Once thought of as a potential weakness, Florida has turned this quality into a strength.
"The opportunity is there for schools like us, Wisconsin and
Oklahoma State to get the pub they deserve," Tulsa's Eric Coley said. "I'd
love to get to the Final Four and see teams that aren't normally there
instead of the traditional teams. It makes it better for the game."
Tulsa, Florida and Oklahoma State epitomized the team concept -- none of the three rely on a superstar to carry the load. Tulsa might not have a player you'd even identify as a star.
"We've got ego-less guys in here," said Tulsa's David Shelton, the
team's sixth man and leading scorer. "We've got guys in here who
don't care about glory."
Tulsa was four possessions away from an undefeated season, losing three times to Fresno State and once to Oral Roberts by a combined seven points. But the Golden Hurricane
don't rely on a go-to player, nor do they demand that one player spearhead their defense. The Golden Hurricane's stifling team defense kept Miami from getting off any open looks closer than 20-plus feet from the basket.
"Tulsa is a team with six players averaging in double figures. That's a team," said Miami point guard Vernon Jennings. "They reverse the
ball, use screens, run their offense and don't take quick shots. They didn't
allow us to get any stops."
Tulsa, like Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Region and Florida
and Oklahoma State in the East, has taken on the demeanor of its coach. Bill Self demands discipline and selflessness among the team. The players have bought into the concept and created a nearly socialist unity on the squad.
"We don't care who gets the glory," said Tulsa guard Tony Heard.
"We've got guys who were overlooked. But our personality on this team is
that it doesn't matter who scores as long as we win. Most teams who have
been successful here don't have a real all-star to hang their hat on."
Self looks at the 13-scholarship limit and the early exit of players
to the NBA as reasons why unheralded teams like Tulsa and Wisconsin are
playing in the Elite Eight. Miami coach Leonard Hamilton credits summer
recruiting, which allows programs like his and Self's to outwork the
high-major programs and find the gems. That's why he's angry that NCAA
president Cedric Dempsey has proposed to eliminate summer recruiting -- a
move that could work against non-traditional powers making deep runs in the tournament.
"Now that we've caught up, they want to change the rule?" Hamilton
said. "I'm confused by that. It's disrespectful to the coaches and the
players (who voted to keep summer recruiting)."
But what will matter at the end of March is that programs that
aren't nationally known could be in the Final Four, shocking the NCAA and
the nation.
"People can look at this as a mid-major program all they want, but
I've got a high-major job," Self said. "We've had more success in the
tournament with Tubby (Smith), Steve (Robinson) and now us in the last
seven years. This is a high-major program, but it would be a feather in our
cap to win one more."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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