Sunday, March 12, 2000UC fans boo seeding
BY SARA J. BENNETT
The Cincinnati EnquirerJim Giuliano held onto hope that the University of Cincinnati Bearcats would get a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. He hoped, even though he knew the loss of star player Kenyon Martin to injury probably would drop the team a notch or two.
“I still think they deserve a No. 1 seed,” the 44-year-old Millville man said, as he awaited announcement of the tournament lineup at Jillian's in Covington. “What (the tournament committee) is basing it on is Kenyon Martin's loss. They're not basing it on the facts. They need to base it on what the team has done throughout the season.”
Most of the UC fans at Jillian's Sunday evening shared Mr. Giuliano's guarded optimism. They looked hopefully up from their french fries and chicken strips when announcement time came.
Boos rang out when the four No. 1 seeds were announced and UC was not among them.
But people quickly got realistic, and many agreed that UC's No. 2 seed in the South wasn't bad at all.
“I'm disappointed, but now I'm excited about them and Ohio State being in the same bracket,” said 15-year-old Kevin Walterman of Hebron. “So I guess it turned out to be OK.”
The second seed was just where Scott Kleckner, 30, of Union, Ky., thought UC should be.
“When you lose a 20-point a game player, that's a huge intimidation factor you give up,” he said.
Kenneth King, 39, of Walnut Hills, said he knew from the beginning that UC's hope at a No.1 seed had vanished when Martin broke his leg in Thursday's Conference USA tournament game against St. Louis.
“If Kenyon Martin hadn't gotten hurt, they would be No. 1,” King said. “He's the best player in the country. He meant more to his team than most players mean to their teams.”
But King had other reasons for lowering his expectations. UC never gets a good seed, he said, no matter who is in their lineup.
“They get screwed every year, and this year is no different,” he said after the announcement. “All year long they're No. 1, and they don't get it.”
Once he got over his initial disappointment, Mr. Giuliano predicted tournament success for the Bearcats.
“They're going to get their act together. They've got too much talent to fold,” he said. “Depending how they play, they'll be all right. I predict Sweet 16, and then we'll go from there.”
Desiree Lehmkuhl, 26, of Belleview, said she wasn't disappointed at all by UC's No. 2 seed.
“I think it really should be a team effort, but (Kenyon Martin) was such a great player,” she said. “I think they should have been No. 1, but two's not bad. We'll take it.”
Men's bracket
Join the discussion in our College Sports forum
Bearcats Stories
UC fans boo seeding