Twenty-four hours after congregating at midfield to celebrate their unlikely Conference USA tournament championship in Louisville, the men's soccer team reconvened in front of a big screen TV and a healthy number of local media.
The occasion? To watch the NCAA tournament selection show and see how much respect the national selection committee would bestow on the Tigers.
As it turned out, respect is still hard to come by.The watch party - largely made up of players from the men's and women's programs - afforded just muffled whispers when the Memphis name appeared on the live, ESPNEWS telecast.
The quiet response was odd for a team that had been to only one NCAA tournament in their 22-year history.Head coach Richie Grant chalked it up to the newness of the experience.
"It got quiet because it's new territory," he said. "They were just surprised. It's the first time we've ever sat down and watched the show together. None of us came in here with any idea of where they'd send us."
As it turns out, the committee sent Memphis to Columbus, Ohio, to face Big Ten power Ohio State.And not all Tigers share Grant's analysis of the curious watch party reaction.
"I think we expected to get a bye," said senior goalkeeper Sebastian Vecchio. "I think we did what we could during the regular season. We expected more respect. But it's the same story."
What is more, despite winning the C-USA regular season and tournament titles, the 11th ranked Tigers were not given a top 16 seed or the first round bye that would accompany it.
Instead, they'll take on the Buckeyes, who finished the season at 10-6-2. Ohio State recently broke into the national rankings at No. 24. "When Ohio State came up, I was actually glad because I watched them play in the spring," Grant said. "I'm very familiar with their conference and I feel very comfortable having to go there."
In their last game, they lost to Michigan 1-0 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Tigers and Buckeyes have just one common opponent this season. Louisville played OSU to a 0-0 tie, while Memphis defeated the Cardinals 1-0 in early October.
