The NCAA men's basketball tournament came to Pittsburgh for the first time in 1997. Duquesne sponsored it, and they sold out their three-session strips that cost $105. (There were 27,000 applications for the 13,000 available strips.)
The matchups that were announced on the Selection Sunday show were (6)Louisville-(11)UMass, (3)New Mexico-(14)Old Dominion, (7)Wisconsin-(10)Texas and (2)South Carolina-(15)Coppin State. While Pittsburgh had games Friday and Sunday, the times weren't announced until Monday so that CBS could optimize their coverage.
South Carolina won the SEC's regular season championship with a 24-7 record. (Kentucky won the conference tournament.) Coach Eddie Fogler's team featured three strong guards -- B.J. McKie, Larry Davis and Melvin Watson. Coppin State, a school in Baltimore, was the champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at 21-8. Coach Ron (Fang) Mitchell's team featured a banger at center named Terquin Mott.
Phil Axelrod assessed the matchups in the March 10 Post-Gazette. "For sex appeal, the East subregional of the NCAA tournament in town this weekend at the Civic Arena comes up empty." He added that, "The most intriguing matchup in this subregional and the one that could produce the only upset is No. 6 Louisville (23-8) vs. No. 11 Massachusetts (19-13)."
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