WASHINGTON — One local college hoops team is still playing this season. And they’re going to the Final Four.
The George Washington men’s basketball team tips off Tuesday at 9 p.m. against San Diego State in the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden. The Colonials had a few lapses down the stretch of the regular season, then let a big lead slip away in the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament before losing to eventual champion St. Joseph’s.
At that point, head coach Mike Lonergan and the program knew that their dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament were probably gone. It was time to focus on what could be next and they wanted to be part of it.
“We wanted to be here from the start,” Lonergan said of the NIT. “Once we overcame the disappointment for a couple days after the St. Joe’s loss we knew we weren’t going to the NCAA Tournament, I think our guys got their energy back.”
The fourth-seeded Colonials defeated the No. 2 seed Florida Gators , 82-77, last Wednesday to advance to New York.
Lonergan knows that this senior class doesn’t want their careers to come to an end. It’s been a great four-year run for this group and with the win against Florida, GW notched its 72nd victory over the last three seasons to tie for the program’s best-ever three-year stretch in the school’s 102 seasons of basketball. They are also one win shy of equaling the 2005-06 team’s program record 27 wins.
“They want to keep playing,” Lonergan said. “I definitely have enjoyed coaching them an extra couple weeks, hopefully a few more days. I think they want to add to their legacy. We made one NCAA Tournament, Two NIT’s, but I think now they want to just keep winning…I think our guys have a lot to play for.”
They match up against San Diego State, a school GW has never played. The Aztecs are coached by Steve Fisher and are a No. 2 seed in the tournament with a 28-9 record. Lonergan will have a message for his team before Tuesday’s game.
“I want them to have fun and enjoy the trip, but I want them to come out and play aggressive,” he said. “We want to come here to win and we don’t want to just be happy to be here. I told them all the experience they’ve had the last few years, especially the seniors, this is where it pays off. They’ve earned the right to come to Madison Square Garden. Now it’s just another opportunity that we want to take advantage of.”
The winner of this game will take on the winner of BYU and Valparaiso in the NIT Championship game Thursday night.
