The Bucs held an open-to-the-public event Thursday before heading to Hutchinson, KS for the first time in just its second season as a program. Bryan Cooney
The Florida SouthWestern men’s basketball team gave fans one last look at the nation’s No. 2-ranked junior college team Friday at Suncoast Credit Union Arena with a Blue and Aqua scrimmage before it sets off on the final leg of its journey toward a national championship.
As FSW coach Marty Richer and his players posed for photos with supporters and were wished good luck, they knew they’d need every last positive thought as the sixth seed in this week’s 24-team National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The Buccaneers, who are 29-2 in the second year of a resurrected program, received a first-round bye in the tourney and will play the winner of Tuesday’s 1 p.m. first-round game between 22nd-seeded Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College and 11th-seeded Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
“It is nice getting a first-round bye because you only have to win four games. We’ve got to win four games in four days,” Richter said. “… Yeah, you have to win a bunch of games, but you never know who’s going to be there the next night.”
FSW will have plenty of time to practice and get a feel for Hutchinson Sports Arena before settling in for what it hopes to be a long stay. But the most important time spent maybe the 40 minutes watching their possible opponents face off on Tuesday.
“We’re going to be studying them, studying every move,” said sophomore swingman Tremell Murphy, who leads the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game. “It’s a great advantage for us.”
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The prospect of having to face host Hutchinson (28-6), the defending national champions, on its home floor Wednesday would be a tough draw. Richter said it’s not anything the Bucs haven’t faced before.
“They’ve got the home crowd that seats 7,500. That’d be like coming into our arena and trying to beat us,” Richter said. “But that’s part of it. It's tournament play so anything’s possible.”
Murphy and company were in a similar situation during the Region 8 tournament. Taking on the College of Central Florida in the quarterfinal on its home court in Ocala, FSW didn’t let the moment get too big for it, nearly scoring in triple digits and holding their opponent to 28 percent shooting in the second half of a 97-83 win.
“Film and preparation is going to be really important. The coaches do a really good job of getting us ready for games,” said sophomore Tyler Cheese, who posted a triple-double in FSW’s first regional tournament win. “We’ll be ready.”
FSW will be looking to remove the bad taste from its mouth from an 86-65 regional semifinal loss to Northwest Florida State College where the Bucs finished with 19 turnovers.
“Everybody has to be on point this time, no slip-ups,” Murphy said, adding that FSW must improve on its on-ball defense and rebounding.
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Should the Bucs face Hutchinson, they’ll have to contend with top-tier players J.J. Rhymes and Devonte Bandoo, who led the team in scoring in last year’s national championship game.
Meanwhile, Cape Fear features five players who score in double figures, including sophomore forward Zaqwaun Matthews.
Murphy said the quality of opponents that stand in the way of the team’s ultimate goal don’t allow for FSW to lose its focus at any point during the road trip to Kansas.
“You can’t pay attention to any outside stuff, just keep your head straight,” Murphy said.
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