University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Going Dancing: A Look Back at the 2003 Big South Tournament Champions
03.19.2020 | Men's Basketball
With the NCAA taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 NCAA Basketball Championships have been canceled. In lieu of March Madness, UNC Asheville and Big South Conference Hall of Famer Mike Gore will take Bulldog fans down memory lane, recounting each Asheville trip to The Big Dance.
The 2002-03 UNC Asheville men's basketball team won't be remembered as the best squad in school history. In the end, that Bulldog team didn't finish with a winning record as Asheville went 15-17.
But the memories this club gave Bulldog fans will never be forgotten.
Head coach Eddie Biedenbach was in his seventh season as head coach at UNC Asheville. Eddie had delivered three regular-season championships and the Bulldogs were widely known as one of the teams to beat in the Big South each year. The overall records might not have been quite as good the past few years but that's because Eddie would play a difficult non-conference schedule, partly to prepare the Bulldogs when they made the NCAA Tournament, and also to raise money for the athletic department.
Though Asheville had achieved success in Big South regular season play, the Bulldogs had not had much luck in tournament play. The Dogs lost championship games in 1998 and 2000. The 1998 defeat was the worst loss in school history. Playing second-seeded Radford, Asheville bolted to an early 17-point lead but the Highlanders rallied and led by eight with two minutes remaining in regulation. The Dogs roared back and tied the game on a Kevin Martin 3-pointer with 30 seconds left. The Highlanders had the final shot. They missed the first one but Asheville could not corral the rebound. Kevin Robinson picked up the loose ball and hit a jumper as time ran out to put RU in the NCAA Tournament, 63-61.
The following season saw Gregg Marshall begin a reign of dominance in the Big South. Marshall's Winthrop squad would win the next four Big South championships, including a title game win over the Bulldogs in 2000 at the Asheville Civic Center. The Eagles were especially tough on the Bulldogs as they had won eight of nine meetings between the clubs.
The 2002-03 season hoped to be different. Winthrop graduated some key members of their 2002 title-winning team and Asheville was a preseason pick to win the Big South.
But the Bulldogs weren't quite as good as they had hoped to be. Some injuries slowed the Dogs and as usual, there was a demanding non-conference schedule to be played. Asheville would open the season at Michigan State and Minnesota, and before Christmas, would play Connecticut and Holy Cross. Right after Christmas, Asheville would play at Oklahoma and Kansas. All six of these teams would go on to play in the NCAA Tournament, with Kansas playing in the national title game. Connecticut, Oklahoma and Michigan State reached the Elite Eight.
The Huskies would win the national title the following year.
But despite the tough non-conference schedule, Asheville would be 7-3 in Big South play. They were only a game out of first place and appeared certain to at least host a quarterfinal Big South Tournament game. It didn't work out that way. The Bulldogs would lose three straight road contests before being whipped by Winthrop at home in the final game of the regular season. Asheville's four losses dropped it to the fifth seed and would have the Bulldogs on the road for the quarterfinals at Elon.
Elon was in its final year of participation in the Big South before moving to the Southern Conference. The Phoenix had been playing well down the stretch and seemed determined to make a run at a championship in its final year in the Big South.
Despite the late-season slide, the Bulldogs had earned some recognition when the league announced awards for the regular season. Senior guard Andre Smith and senior center Ben McGonagil earned first team All-Conference honors, while senior Alex Kragel made the All-Academic team.
Asheville and Elon would play a memorable game in the Bulldogs' final visit to Elon. The Dogs, playing better than they had the past two weeks, led for most of the game. The Phoenix wouldn't let the Bulldogs go away. Elon forged a three-point lead midway through the second half only to see freshman Omar Collington sink a key trey to knot the game.
The game would go to overtime and back-and-forth the game went. Elon led by one and appeared to be in shape to maybe seal the game with free throws when Smith's three-pointer was short. A Phoenix defender would collect the rebound but Kragel out of nowhere grabbed the ball. The officials ruled a jump ball and Asheville had possession with 25 seconds remaining.
Trailing 66-65, the Dogs quickly got the ball to Smith. He took a long 25-footer that swished through the net and Asheville led 68-66.
Elon still had a chance to win or tie but it's last-second shot missed and the Bulldogs had won when many believed they couldn't.
But waiting in the wings was Winthrop. The Eagles were the best team in the Big South that season and had won the regular-season title for the third time under Marshall. Marshall's club had won the last four tournament titles and were looking at a "Drive for Five."
That drive would stall in Lynchburg on the campus of Liberty University.
With renewed confidence, Asheville would battle Winthrop for 45 minutes. The Eagles led most of the contest but the Bulldogs would always hit a big shot to stay close. Bryan McCullough would play a key role with important baskets throughout the second half.
Asheville would find itself down 70-67 late in regulation when a freshman would have the confidence to take a big shot. With Asheville attacking the Winthrop basket, the Eagles' defense would forget about forward Chad Mohn trailing the play. A pass from Kragel would find a wide-open Mohn. Mohn would sink a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie the game at 70-70. Winthrop would have the final shot but it would not go in and the Bulldogs were headed to overtime again.
This time Asheville surged ahead and suddenly led 78-73 with 1:30 left in overtime, thanks to some key baskets from Smith. Winthrop would rally and stunningly take an 80-79 lead on a three-pointer from Ivan Jenkins at the eight-second mark. It would appear a great effort by the Bulldogs would come up short.
Alex Kragel had other ideas. Kragel had helped save Asheville's season in the previous game against Elon with a steal. This time he would make a big play on offense. And what a play it was.
McCullough brought the ball down court and quickly got the ball to Kragel. The senior guard didn't waste any time. He drove to the right, stopped and sank an 18-footer as time expired giving the Bulldogs an 81-80 victory.
It was an incredible game; it had felt like a championship game but it wasn't.
Senior center Ben McGonagil quickly calmed down a raucous Bulldog locker room afterwards with these words "We didn't come here to beat Winthrop. We came here to win a championship. We've got one more to go. Our work isn't done."
And just as McGonagil finished his words, a calm came over the locker room. Everyone realized that there was still work to do.
The Bulldogs had pulled off two upsets to reach the championship game and so had Radford, their opponent in the title game. The same Radford program that had knocked them out five years earlier on the same floor. Byron Samuels, a UNC Asheville graduate, was in his first year as head coach of the Highlanders. His top assistant was Kevin Martin who played on the Bulldog team that had lost to Radford.
Asheville quickly showed it was not the least bit hungover from the win the night before. The Dogs, behind dominating play from McGonagil, quickly took charge of the game. Kragel then hit another big shot. On the final play of the first half, Kragel hit a half-court shot as the first half expired, giving Asheville a 34-18 halftime lead.
Radford made several runs in the second half but the Bulldogs were able to hold the Highlanders off. It was a total team effort as Asheville rolled to an 85-71 triumph. Smith led all scorers with 18 points, while McGonagil enjoyed another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Joe Barber finished with 13 points as did Mohn. McCullough had a quiet 16 points plus six assists.
Smith was named Big South Tournament MVP, while Kragel and McGonagil earned All-Tournament honors.
It was the quickest five-hour drive from Lynchburg the Bulldogs had ever experienced. Finally, after years of coming close, Asheville was going dancing.
The Bulldogs had to wait awhile to find out who they would play in the NCAA Tournament. Asheville pretty much knew it would be headed to Dayton to play in the Opening Round but the Bulldogs were fine with playing in that game. Meanwhile, the national media was enjoying getting to know Eddie Biedenbach. Eddie talked to media outlets all throughout the country telling everyone who would listen the story of Asheville's amazing season and incredible tournament run.
On Selection Sunday, the Bulldogs found out they were going to Dayton and would face Texas Southern. A win would send Asheville to Birmingham and a date with top-seeded Texas and head coach Rick Barnes. Coach Barnes' first job had been with Coach Biedenbach at Davidson 25 years earlier.
Ironically, Texas Southern was led by a former Bulldog player. Alan Lovett had played for Asheville two years earlier and had some success before transferring to Texas Southern.
With a nationally televised audience watching on ESPN, the Bulldogs would once again face overtime. Asheville and Texas Southern went back-and-forth at Dayton Arena before the Bulldogs got big shots from Smith and Kragel late in regulation. But Asheville could not put the game away and TSU would tie the contest on a tip-in at the end of regulation at 75-75.
The Bulldogs entered the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record in overtime during the season. That record would remain unblemished. Smith simply took the game over. He scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the overtime. He sank a three-pointer on the first possession of OT and Asheville never trailed again. The Bulldogs prevailed 92-84.
How big of a win was it? Asheville became the first Big South Conference basketball team to ever win an NCAA Tournament game.
The Bulldogs magical tournament run would end against top-seeded Texas three days later, 82-61. Asheville battled the best team in the South region but the Longhorns, en route to the Final Four, would simply have too much size.
The season ended with a mediocre sounding 15-17 overall record. But it's a season that no Bulldog fans will ever forget. UNC Asheville had finally made it to the NCAA Tournament and accomplished something no other Big South team had ever done – win.
The 2002-03 UNC Asheville men's basketball team won't be remembered as the best squad in school history. In the end, that Bulldog team didn't finish with a winning record as Asheville went 15-17.
But the memories this club gave Bulldog fans will never be forgotten.
Though Asheville had achieved success in Big South regular season play, the Bulldogs had not had much luck in tournament play. The Dogs lost championship games in 1998 and 2000. The 1998 defeat was the worst loss in school history. Playing second-seeded Radford, Asheville bolted to an early 17-point lead but the Highlanders rallied and led by eight with two minutes remaining in regulation. The Dogs roared back and tied the game on a Kevin Martin 3-pointer with 30 seconds left. The Highlanders had the final shot. They missed the first one but Asheville could not corral the rebound. Kevin Robinson picked up the loose ball and hit a jumper as time ran out to put RU in the NCAA Tournament, 63-61.
The following season saw Gregg Marshall begin a reign of dominance in the Big South. Marshall's Winthrop squad would win the next four Big South championships, including a title game win over the Bulldogs in 2000 at the Asheville Civic Center. The Eagles were especially tough on the Bulldogs as they had won eight of nine meetings between the clubs.
The 2002-03 season hoped to be different. Winthrop graduated some key members of their 2002 title-winning team and Asheville was a preseason pick to win the Big South.
But the Bulldogs weren't quite as good as they had hoped to be. Some injuries slowed the Dogs and as usual, there was a demanding non-conference schedule to be played. Asheville would open the season at Michigan State and Minnesota, and before Christmas, would play Connecticut and Holy Cross. Right after Christmas, Asheville would play at Oklahoma and Kansas. All six of these teams would go on to play in the NCAA Tournament, with Kansas playing in the national title game. Connecticut, Oklahoma and Michigan State reached the Elite Eight.
The Huskies would win the national title the following year.
But despite the tough non-conference schedule, Asheville would be 7-3 in Big South play. They were only a game out of first place and appeared certain to at least host a quarterfinal Big South Tournament game. It didn't work out that way. The Bulldogs would lose three straight road contests before being whipped by Winthrop at home in the final game of the regular season. Asheville's four losses dropped it to the fifth seed and would have the Bulldogs on the road for the quarterfinals at Elon.
Elon was in its final year of participation in the Big South before moving to the Southern Conference. The Phoenix had been playing well down the stretch and seemed determined to make a run at a championship in its final year in the Big South.
Despite the late-season slide, the Bulldogs had earned some recognition when the league announced awards for the regular season. Senior guard Andre Smith and senior center Ben McGonagil earned first team All-Conference honors, while senior Alex Kragel made the All-Academic team.
Asheville and Elon would play a memorable game in the Bulldogs' final visit to Elon. The Dogs, playing better than they had the past two weeks, led for most of the game. The Phoenix wouldn't let the Bulldogs go away. Elon forged a three-point lead midway through the second half only to see freshman Omar Collington sink a key trey to knot the game.
The game would go to overtime and back-and-forth the game went. Elon led by one and appeared to be in shape to maybe seal the game with free throws when Smith's three-pointer was short. A Phoenix defender would collect the rebound but Kragel out of nowhere grabbed the ball. The officials ruled a jump ball and Asheville had possession with 25 seconds remaining.
Trailing 66-65, the Dogs quickly got the ball to Smith. He took a long 25-footer that swished through the net and Asheville led 68-66.
Elon still had a chance to win or tie but it's last-second shot missed and the Bulldogs had won when many believed they couldn't.
But waiting in the wings was Winthrop. The Eagles were the best team in the Big South that season and had won the regular-season title for the third time under Marshall. Marshall's club had won the last four tournament titles and were looking at a "Drive for Five."
That drive would stall in Lynchburg on the campus of Liberty University.
With renewed confidence, Asheville would battle Winthrop for 45 minutes. The Eagles led most of the contest but the Bulldogs would always hit a big shot to stay close. Bryan McCullough would play a key role with important baskets throughout the second half.
Asheville would find itself down 70-67 late in regulation when a freshman would have the confidence to take a big shot. With Asheville attacking the Winthrop basket, the Eagles' defense would forget about forward Chad Mohn trailing the play. A pass from Kragel would find a wide-open Mohn. Mohn would sink a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie the game at 70-70. Winthrop would have the final shot but it would not go in and the Bulldogs were headed to overtime again.
This time Asheville surged ahead and suddenly led 78-73 with 1:30 left in overtime, thanks to some key baskets from Smith. Winthrop would rally and stunningly take an 80-79 lead on a three-pointer from Ivan Jenkins at the eight-second mark. It would appear a great effort by the Bulldogs would come up short.
Alex Kragel had other ideas. Kragel had helped save Asheville's season in the previous game against Elon with a steal. This time he would make a big play on offense. And what a play it was.
McCullough brought the ball down court and quickly got the ball to Kragel. The senior guard didn't waste any time. He drove to the right, stopped and sank an 18-footer as time expired giving the Bulldogs an 81-80 victory.
It was an incredible game; it had felt like a championship game but it wasn't.
Senior center Ben McGonagil quickly calmed down a raucous Bulldog locker room afterwards with these words "We didn't come here to beat Winthrop. We came here to win a championship. We've got one more to go. Our work isn't done."
And just as McGonagil finished his words, a calm came over the locker room. Everyone realized that there was still work to do.
The Bulldogs had pulled off two upsets to reach the championship game and so had Radford, their opponent in the title game. The same Radford program that had knocked them out five years earlier on the same floor. Byron Samuels, a UNC Asheville graduate, was in his first year as head coach of the Highlanders. His top assistant was Kevin Martin who played on the Bulldog team that had lost to Radford.
Asheville quickly showed it was not the least bit hungover from the win the night before. The Dogs, behind dominating play from McGonagil, quickly took charge of the game. Kragel then hit another big shot. On the final play of the first half, Kragel hit a half-court shot as the first half expired, giving Asheville a 34-18 halftime lead.
Radford made several runs in the second half but the Bulldogs were able to hold the Highlanders off. It was a total team effort as Asheville rolled to an 85-71 triumph. Smith led all scorers with 18 points, while McGonagil enjoyed another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Joe Barber finished with 13 points as did Mohn. McCullough had a quiet 16 points plus six assists.
Smith was named Big South Tournament MVP, while Kragel and McGonagil earned All-Tournament honors.
It was the quickest five-hour drive from Lynchburg the Bulldogs had ever experienced. Finally, after years of coming close, Asheville was going dancing.
The Bulldogs had to wait awhile to find out who they would play in the NCAA Tournament. Asheville pretty much knew it would be headed to Dayton to play in the Opening Round but the Bulldogs were fine with playing in that game. Meanwhile, the national media was enjoying getting to know Eddie Biedenbach. Eddie talked to media outlets all throughout the country telling everyone who would listen the story of Asheville's amazing season and incredible tournament run.
Ironically, Texas Southern was led by a former Bulldog player. Alan Lovett had played for Asheville two years earlier and had some success before transferring to Texas Southern.
With a nationally televised audience watching on ESPN, the Bulldogs would once again face overtime. Asheville and Texas Southern went back-and-forth at Dayton Arena before the Bulldogs got big shots from Smith and Kragel late in regulation. But Asheville could not put the game away and TSU would tie the contest on a tip-in at the end of regulation at 75-75.
The Bulldogs entered the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record in overtime during the season. That record would remain unblemished. Smith simply took the game over. He scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the overtime. He sank a three-pointer on the first possession of OT and Asheville never trailed again. The Bulldogs prevailed 92-84.
How big of a win was it? Asheville became the first Big South Conference basketball team to ever win an NCAA Tournament game.
The Bulldogs magical tournament run would end against top-seeded Texas three days later, 82-61. Asheville battled the best team in the South region but the Longhorns, en route to the Final Four, would simply have too much size.
The season ended with a mediocre sounding 15-17 overall record. But it's a season that no Bulldog fans will ever forget. UNC Asheville had finally made it to the NCAA Tournament and accomplished something no other Big South team had ever done – win.
Monday, March 18
Monday, March 18
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