NCAA Tournament First-Round Preview

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson rejects the notion that Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the typical underdog aiming to make a name for itself in the NCAA tournament.

After all, the Horizon League champions did that a year ago, knocking off Alabama and Boston College in the first two rounds before pushing eventual national finalist Illinois in a regional semifinal played in the Illini's own backyard.

"You may upset one team, but you don't sneak up on the next one," Sampson said Wednesday. "This team is not Cinderella. This team is the security guard at the back door. They'll beat you up."

By Sampson's own description, Oklahoma (20-8) is a talented team capable of making some noise in the tournament.

Wednesday Photos | OU Tournament Central | Notes

At the same time, the Sooners, seeded sixth in the Minneapolis Regional, have been dogged by inconsistency that could make them vulnerable against a veteran, tournament-tested team like Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"What has impressed me about them first of all is their experience," Sampson said, looking ahead to Thursday's first-round matchup at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

"Not only do they have five seniors, they have 23-year-old seniors. They are all redshirt seniors, and that shows through in the way they play."

Four of those seniors - Joah Tucker, Boo Davis, Chris Hill and Adrian Tigert - were also starters on the Wisconsin-Milwaukee team that turned heads in last year's tournament under former coach Bruce Pearl.

Pearl has moved on to Tennessee, but the Panthers (21-8) have made a nice transition under first-year coach Rob Jeter, who leaned heavily on the team's seven seniors to win the Horizon regular season and tournament titles and make the NCAAs for the third time in four years.

"With our success last year, we've had a target on our back all year, especially in our conference," Tigert said. "So to get to this point of year and be an underdog again, it's a bit of relief."

Oklahoma is in the NCAA tournament for the 11th time in the past 12 years under Sampson. The Sooners won six of seven down the stretch before finishing the regular season with a 24-point loss at Texas and losing to Nebraska in the Big 12 conference tournament last week.

Sampson and his players began the year with expectations of finishing better than third in the conference behind co-champions Texas and Kansas. However, they refuse to characterize the season as a disappointment.

"We have 20 wins, we are in the NCAA tournament. There is nothing to be disappointed for," leading scorer Taj Gray said. "Getting to the tournament is hard. We are one of the teams that got in, so that is something to be proud of."

Now, the challenge is to hang around as long as possible.

The Sooners are 8-3 in their last three trips to the tournament, and a victory Thursday would send them to the second round against either No. 3 seed Florida or No. 14 South Alabama. Naturally, Wisconsin-Milwaukee isn't conceding anything.

"Do we have a chance? Yes. Do we think it's going to be easy? Absolutely not," Jeter said. "It's going to take a special effort."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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