Play opens Friday in Orlando

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 18, 2004
A pair of Southeastern Conference teams begin play in the NCAA tournament at the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, Fla., but the two teams will not cross paths in the opening-round games.
Mississippi State (25-3) will tip off tournament play against Monmouth (21-11) at 6:10 Friday in an Atlanta Regional game, while Vanderbilt (21-9) takes on Western Michigan (26-4) in a Phoenix Regional contest.
North Carolina State (20-9) and Louisiana-Lafayette (20-8) open play in Orlando at 11:15 a.m. Friday, and Vanderbilt takes on Western Michigan in the second game, 30 minutes after the game between the Wolfpack and the Ragin' Cajuns.
The winners of those two games will play each other at 1:40 p.m. Sunday in the second round for a chance to advance to semifinal play in the Phoenix Regional on March 25.
MSU starts play in the tournament against Monmouth (21-11) at 6:10 p.m. Friday, and Xavier (23-10) takes on Louisville (20-9) 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Bulldogs' game against the Hawks.
The winners of Friday's games will meet at 11:10 a.m. Sunday for a chance to advance to the semifinals in the Atlanta Regional on March 26.
Vanderbilt, a No. 6 seed, is coming off a 2-1 showing at the SEC tournament, as the Commodores get set to take on the 11th-seeded Broncos.
Vanderbilt eliminated two teams from Mississippi in the conference tournament, dispatching Ole Miss 70-50 in the opening round and upsetting MSU 74-70 in overtime in the second round. The Commodores were eliminated 91-69 by Florida in the semifinals.
Western Michigan is making its third appearance in the tournament. It is the team's first time back since 1998.
The Broncos scored a 75-72 upset victory over Clemson in the opening round of the 1998 tournament, before bowing out to Stanford 83-65 in the second round.
Western Michigan set a single-season win record with a 77-66 victory over Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Tournament last Saturday. It was also the first time the Broncos won their conference tournament title.
Western Michigan has won its last five games.
N.C. State, a No. 3 seed, is making its third straight appearance in the tournament, and 14th seeded UL-Lafayette is making its eighth NCAA appearance and first since 2000.
The Wolfpack ended the year in second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but they have lost three of their last five games.
The Ragin' Cajuns, who won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to receive an automatic bid, have won 14 of their last 17 games.
MSU will be trying to erase the memory of last season's first-round exit at the hands Butler this year, when the No. 2-seed Bulldogs, who finished the season ranked eighth, tip off against the 15th seeded Hawks.
Xavier and Louisville will meet for the 42nd time in the two programs' histories on Friday. The Cardinals, who are seeded 10th, hold a 25-16 advantage over the No. 7-seeded Musketeers.
But Xavier is entering the tournament hot, winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament by rattling off four straight victories. The Musketeers eliminated then-No. 1 and undefeated St. Joseph's in the opening round of the tournament, and they defeated Dayton 58-49 to win the tourney.
Xavier also won the last meeting against Louisville 81-79 in the 1999 Great Alaska Shoot-out in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Cardinals closed the season losing five of their last seven games, and they were eliminated form the Conference USA tournament by Cincinnati in the second round. The program is making its 31st appearance in the tournament.
Louisville, which finished the season unranked after being as high a fourth in the country, has not fared well in Orlando in to previous trips to the Sunshine State.
The Cardinals fell 68-63 to Temple in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in 1994, and Creighton defeated Louisville 62-58 in the 1999 7-Up Shoot-out.