SportsLine.com Report
March 17, 2000

Round 1: SCSU fails Stanford test

South Carolina State had to hope for some sort of flaw to appear in the No. 1 seeded Cardinal, but none did and the Bulldogs lost 84-65 at the South Regional in Birmingham on March 17.

The Bulldogs were undersized and overmatched in all facets, but at least played better than many No. 16 seeds have in the past. The champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference fell to 0-4 in NCAA Tournament play.

Mike Wiatre, the transfer from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, led South Carolina State with 17 points.

"It was a good experience for us," said Wiatre. "We played hard and hung in there and never gave up."

A 16th seed has never won an NCAA Tournament game.

How They Got There

The Bulldogs were making sure there would be no detours.

They didn't destroy the rest of the MEAC, but did finish with an impressive-enough 14-5 mark, good enough for the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the conference tourney.

Once there, Cy Alexander's team won its semifinal and final games by a combined 39 points to cruise into the NCAA Tournament.

Starting Lineup

• PG Mike Wiatre (6-0, 180 Sr.): Wiatre leads the team in scoring at 16 points a game and has a knack for hitting clutch shots. However, he shoots just 40 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point line. Wiatre leads the team in assists at 2.4 per game.
• SG James Jones (6-6, 175, Sr.): Jones is the second-leading scorer on the team and the only Bulldog other than Wiatre to average in double figures (11.9). He shoots just 36 percent from the floor, but is nearly as good a 3-point shooter as he is overall, hitting 35 percent of his treys.
• C Duane Johnson (6-11, 225, Sr.): Johnson is big and puts up solid numbers, averaging 9.2 points a game and 6.4 rebounds a contest. He's shooting a respectable 49 percent from the field and smartly has taken only two 3-point attempts this season, missing both.
• F Dexter Hall (6-8, 185, Jr.): Hall is a fine rebounder, the team leader at 7.3, but he's averaging just 4.3 points a game, while shooting just 43 percent.
• G Coray Davis (6-5, 215, Sr.): Davis is the team's fourth-leading scorer at 8.2 points a game and shoots 37 percent from 3-point range, but just 38 percent overall.

Keys to Success

South Carolina State doesn't have any big scorers or many good shooters, but they are at their best when they get everyone involved. Ten players have had double figure games this season.

The Bulldogs are good in the clutch, led by guard Mike Wiatre, who has a pair of game-winning baskets in the waning moments this season. SCSU has good size with Duane Johnson (6-11) and Dexter Hall (6-8) in the middle.

The Coach

When Cy Alexander showed up in Orangeburg in 1987, the Bulldogs had never been to an NCAA Tournament. Two years later, they made their first trip and now are in the dance for the fourth time. Alexander took over a program that had endured nine consecutive losing seasons, and has posted non-losing records in 10 of his 13 years. He doesn't get much national attention, but keeps the Bulldogs competitive and has them in position to go to win the MEAC and go to the NCAA Tournament just about every year.

The Bench

Omar Vanderhorst, a 6-1 freshman, is averaging a solid 7.5 points and 2.2 assists per game. Arthur Carlisle, a 6-5 senior, is averaging 6.7 points a contest.

Offense

Point guard Mike Wiatre keeps the pace quick and the shots coming, as he gets out, runs the break and finds open cutters. The Bulldogs hit the boards hard and come up with plenty of second-chance points. Though they have one of the league's premier point guards, the Bulldogs averaged just 9.9 assists a game -- better only than Maryland-Eastern Shore in the MEAC.

Defense

SCSU isn't a defensive maniac, but the Bulldogs will put the clamps on the opposition, holding their opponents to .431 from the floor -- fourth best in the MEAC. No MEAC team forced fewer turnovers than SCSU's 13 per game.