By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 16, 2004
STARKVILLE Mississippi State University's Rick Stansbury was not shy about admitting his lack of knowledge of Monmouth on Sunday.
The sixth-year Bulldog head basketball coach's team will meet the Hawks of Monmouth at 6:10 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in Orlando, Fla. MSU is the No. 2 seed in the Atlanta Regional and Monmouth is seeded 15th.
Stansbury, who guided the Bulldogs to their best position ever entering the tournament, said Monmouth's win in the Northeast Conference championship was one of the few conference finals he did not see this year.
But the coach did get a little information about the 3,500-student university in New Jersey from Bulldogs back-up point guard Gary Ervin, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.
MSU's coach said he did have a tape of the Hawks' win over Central Connecticut State in the NEC championship game from March 10.
Stansbury and his staff has been able to get a little bit of a handle on how the Hawks operate in game situations from the one tape.
Monmouth posted a 21-11 record this season, and the Hawks recorded a perfect 13-0 mark at home. The Hawks went 4-1 at neutral sites.
The program is making its third appearance in the tournament, since beginning play at the Division I level starting in the 1983-84 season.
The Hawks stumbled at the end of the regular season losing three of their last six games, but they regrouped for three straight wins in the NEC tournament.
In its two previous NCAA tournament games, Monmouth lost to Duke 95-52 in 2001 and Marquette 68-44 in 1996.
The Hawks are coming out of the conference that has posted the worst record in tournament history. The NEC has gone 1-24 in the tournament
Robert Morris defeated Georgia Southern in a 1983 play-in game to record the NEC's lone tournament victory.
MSU players said despite their opponent's light reputation, they will not take Monmouth lightly in the opening round.
The Hawks have averaged 68.8 points per game this year, while holding opponents to 66.9.
Hamilton led Monmouth in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game, and guard Dwayne Byfield has scored at a 12.3 clip.