Ram Page

Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kimberley Parker, Photographer Junior Shavar Burch and the Rams head to NCAA Tournament in hopes of a national title.

Media Credit: Kimberley Parker, Photographer Senior Nathan Walton and the Rams look to step up the intesity heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Media Credit: Kimberley Parker, Photographer Senior Lionel Brown glides to the basket ready to kiss one off the glass.

Despite a disappointing 82-65 first-round loss to Southwestern Oklahoma in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the ASU Men's Basketball season will continue.

The 23rd-ranked Rams headed to Bartlesville on the heels of a two-game losing skid, just the second time this season they had lost back-to-back games.

After leading 45-41 with 15 minutes left in the game, the Rams were outscored 41-20 down the stretch leading to an early exit from the tournament and the Top 25.

"One of our goals from day one was to win the Conference Tournament," senior guard Nathan Walton said. "It was really disappointing, but things just didn't go our way."

The Rams (20-8) dropped from 4th to 7th in the Region over their final three games, but learned Sunday night they had earned one of the eight spots in the South Central Regional for the 2009 NCAA Division II Championship tournament.

"We had a feeling we would make it in (the Regional,)" senior guard Lionel Brown said. "Sunday night during the Selection Show we got kind of nervous dropping to the seventh seed, but we still made it in."

This will be the fourth trip to the "Big Dance" for an ASU Men's Basketball team, the last coming in 2000-2001 season.

The regional will be held in Warrensburg, Mo., on the campus of Central Missouri, home of the No. 1-seeded Mules.

ASU is the seventh seed in the Regional and will face No. 2 seed Southwest Baptist (24-4), the 4th-ranked team in the nation.

The Rams are 1-1 in their two previous meetings with the Bearcats, the last being an 83-72 victory in December of 2001.

It pretty much amounts to a home game for Southwest, having to travel just 85 miles down the road, compared to the 768 mile journey for the Rams.

"It is definitely an advantage, they have played in that gym several times," coach Fred Rike said. "How big of an advantage, I am not sure, we are just happy with the opportunity to keep playing."

The road to a National Title is a little tougher from the seventh seed; the Rams are the underdog in the first round game.

"We are playing against the No. 4 team in the nation and nobody expects us to win," junior Johnny Barnes said. "Now we get to go out there and prove everybody wrong."

With a first round win, ASU would play the winner of the Central Oklahoma and Dallas Baptist matchup.Ram basketball games can be heard live at Angelosports.com.

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