ETSU is Going to the NCAA Tournament Looking to Win

The program’s best team in 29 years should not just be happy to go to the dance.

There’s something different about this venture in to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for East Tennessee State.

For the first time in 29 years, they’re not going there to lose.

Yes, technically ETSU’s last NCAA Tournament victory was 28 years ago, when the Greg Dennis-led Buccaneers defeated Arizona 87–80.

But truth be told, the Bucs were a 14 seed. The Wildcats of that era were famous for early exits in March Madness.

From a national perspective, there was more of a feeling Arizona lost than ETSU won.

The 1991 Bucs were different. They were the only team in school history to earn a national ranking in the AP Poll.

Though they ventured to Minneapolis as a 10 seed, the feeling from national pundits was it was too low. Iowa may have had a higher seed, but unlike the Bucs they were unranked. ETSU was a popular selection to win the game and advance in the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history.

But in the seven times the Buccaneers have made the NCAA Tournament since then, conventional wisdom had ETSU venturing to the Big Dance to be a wallflower.

Until this season. Until now.

But the Bucs shouldn’t be looking to merely win a game in the NCAA Tournament. They should be looking to win the…