Monmouth cruises in NCAAplay-in game
DAYTON, Ohio — Monmouth can stop cringing whenever March is mentioned.
A school that knew nothing but NCAA blowouts got the tournament rolling Tuesday by being on the other side of one for a change. A 71-49 victory over Hampton in the play-in game gave the Northeast Conference champions their first NCAA victory in four tries.
Monmouth (19-14) won the Northeast tournament on Chris Kenny's layup with 2.1 seconds left against Fairleigh Dickinson. Kenny kept it going by making six 3-pointers against Hampton — an opening-round record.
"It's been amazing," Kenny said. "I get a lot more phone calls and a lot more looks from girls. My 15 minutes of fame have been great. Hopefully I can extend it to 20 minutes."
If the Hawks win their next game, they'll earn a special place in tournament history. They play No. 1 seed Villanova on Friday in the Wildcats' backyard of Philadelphia, looking for that elusive 16-over-1 upset.
"We've held our last three opponents under 50 points," coach Dave Calloway said. "If we hold the next team under 50, I'm going to be doing a lot of defensive clinics."
Hampton (16-16) never figured out how to crack Monmouth's matchup zone. The Pirates couldn't even get around 7-foot-2 center John Bunch, who entertained the crowd of 7,764 with his blocks and his bulk.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champions had trouble getting off shots during Bunch's 21 minutes on the court. The 320-pound center occupied the lane just by standing there.
"Big John did a tremendous job of anchoring down in the paint," Hampton coach Bobby Collins said. "He definitely changed the course of the game."
He also won over the crowd, which initially waited to choose a rooting interest. He blocked four shots in the first half, when Monmouth took control, and finished with seven points, five blocks and six rebounds.
Every time he touched the ball, a murmur went through the crowd. His dunk as part of a three-point play in the second half drew the loudest cheer, put Monmouth up by 23 and ended Hampton's chances of a comeback.
"He's a big kid," said Hampton's Jeff Granger, who had 10 points. "Everywhere you went, he was there. He did exactly what a big man is supposed to do."
Bunch has one of the most unusual recruiting stories of the entire tournament. He didn't play all four years in high school, and was working at a movie theater showing "Ice Age" when a college coach's wife noticed him and passed his name along.
Initially, the former theater employee wasn't ready for the NCAA's showtime.
"Before the game, I was nervous," Bunch said. "It was a big atmosphere, the first time I've played in something like that. After my first block, I was feeling real comfortable."
Regardless of what happens against Villanova, Monmouth will consider its tournament successful considering its history. Monmouth lost by 24 points to Marquette in 1996, by 43 to No. 1 seed Duke in 2001, and by 33 to Mississippi State in 2004.
This one was a whole lot better than the last.
"The big difference is I feel like a winner," said Kenny, who played on the 2004 team. "We got crushed against Mississippi State. I'm on Cloud Nine right now and I'm going to stay there for a while."
