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Game 7-090: NCAA First Four, Game 1
March 16, 2011 9:14 am ET by Kyle Whelliston

[16] North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs vs. [16] Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans

March 15, 2011 7:30 pm
Dayton, OH
BBState Stats/Recap



It's a day of first firsts. The first day of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the first night of the 68-team future, the first First Four, the first this. This now is not like the past 10 years of the Play-In Game, when tickets were ten bucks and fathers could afford to bring their sons out to the arena. The First Four cost is nearly 100 clams for the four games, and the NCAA won't break up the strip. But Dayton, as always comes through, and brings in 10,000 people. Never doubt Dayton.

Also: we get better seats than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the story of Solomon Bozeman's Sun Belt-winning shot, Bally gets on truTV, spicy cheese puffs, Crazy Frog, win shares, live dragons in the crowd, and BLAPP crashes the Dance. Finally, a heroic half by one Mr. Matt Dickey of UNC Asheville.

@midmajority Game Tweets

17:59 New followers: Hi! We're Kyle & Bally. Yesterday we were simple street minstrels, today we're sitting right behind Jim Nantz at #FirstFour.
18:11 And a reminder: this is still the PIG. It's just the ear, belly, ham and trotters now. All yummy, if you're into that kind of thing.
18:13 UALR packed cheerleaders and a full band, and such will get to play all time outs. UNCA: cheerleaders and mascot only. #confidencewatch
18:15 UNC Asheville comes out for warmups in all black unis+socks... except style points get docked for different shoes. Some blue, some white.
18:17 We know we're supposed to use hashtags for the teams or something, but our halftime sponsor contract says that we can only use one. #BLAPP
18:22Game No. 7-090: [16] UNC Asheville vs. [16] UALR. NCAA First Four, game 1. Madness, at last. http://twitpic.com/49u9o2
18:24 First off, the crowd appears very small. Much smaller than the PIGs of past seasons. This would make Dayton look bad, but there's a reason.
18:27 UD priced tickets to the PIG at $8-$10. The NCAA is running this; First Four tickets cost $96. No single-game sales, gotta buy the strip.
18:28 One thing you won't see tonight: Bill Daniels and the pizza party crew with their signs. Bought out 13% of the arena last year. Priced out.
18:31 I interviewed Bill yesterday. "We always knew what we had was too good to be true."
18:33 I mentioned this the other day, but the first PIG (2001) was originally supposed to be at Hinkle. ISHAA had it booked. UD volunteered.
18:35 Now. A game. UNC Asheville. 19-13 (11-7 Big South), 3 seed. Beat No. 1 Coastal Carolina in final to get here. Six-game win streak.
18:37 Arkansas-Little Rock. 19-16 (7-9 Sun Belt). 8th best team in league reg season, but beat four teams in four days. USA, ARST, MTSU, NTEX.
18:37 #youareinformed. Now let's get this NCAA Tournament underway.
18:37 RT @gmoore21566: @midmajority - The Ballys and Butler Bally are ready for the NCAA Tournament! http://twitpic.com/49udzp
18:39 TurnerCBS booth-runner just turned to us and said, "Great seats still available." Yup.
18:41 Tip. http://twitpic.com/49uf47
18:42 UALR froshhh Gus Leeper scores the first basket of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
18:44 Mexican national Alex Garcia-Mendoza with a #superhoop, and UALR is up 5-4. The man from El Fuerte is... well, you know.
18:45 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest basketball point-maker of all time, is sitting directly behind us. He can definitely see over my head.
18:47 10-4 Trojans at 17:20 1H. Solomon Bozeman is on the board for UALR. 6-0 senior. 2011 Sun Belt POY. Hit a shot you might have seen.
18:48 Bozeman transferred in from South Florida. His reputation before last week was this: a guy who hit 40% of his 3's, but was 0% in the clutch.
18:49 North Texas made a 11-0 run in the SBC final, UALR launched a furious comeback. Final possession: Trojans trailed 63-61 with no timeouts.
18:52 Bozeman rose, and he fired. Earlier, he had asked his dad about advice on his shot. His dad said he should push more with his left hand.
18:53 Bozeman pushed with his left hand more than he usually does. The shot went in, UALR won the Sun Belt, and that's why they're here today.
18:55 15:38 1H, UALR 10 UNCA 6. Excitement of NCAA Tournament basketball, but quiet & slightly antiseptic in here. Big difference from PIG era.
18:58 There's Bozeman with a clean three, looks like he got some left hand in there. Then a steal and runback. UALR up 14-6 at 12:55 1H.
18:59 UNC Asheville shooting just 25% to start: 3 for 12. UALR has hit 7 of first 11 shots.
19:02 HISTORIANS ALERT: Marlon Louziero with the first #omgdunx in First Four play. He's 3-for-3. End of the first quarter, UALR leads UNCA 21-12.
19:03 In a shameless attempt to win over the home crowd, the UALR Trojans band plays "Gooooo Dayton Flyers." Shameless!
19:06 JP Primm a steal/runback for UNCA. He was their 2009-10 leading scorer, but other guys stepped up this season. 21-14 UALR. Football score.
19:07 You are here. http://twitpic.com/49umyw
19:09 Do you like #DUNX? UALR 6-7 senior Montrell Thornton just made one. Trojans by 10 at 7:31 1H, 26-16.
19:14 6-10 sophomore DJ Cunningham deposits a #omgdunx for Asheville! He's injured a lot, but he can make good #dunx. 27-18 UALR at 6:18 1H.
19:18 Crowd has filled out a little more, mostly up top. Early start. But attendance in the lower bowl is still very sparse. Must look bad on TV.
19:21 Bozeman just ran a 10 yard dash to the hole, and it's 29-22 UALR at 3:10 1H. Trojans still shooting real well: 54%.
19:24 $24 per game is reasonable. But if they decide to move the First Four, they'll have this problem anywhere, until they break up the strips.
19:25 Matt Dickey, the Big South tourney MVP, with an and-one for Asheville, and the Bulldogs are running. 29-27 UALR at 2:31 1H.
19:27 And it's tied! 6-4 sophh Jaron Lane for Asheville: 29-29. He started scoring in dubl-figures halfway through the year, and is UNCA's future.
19:28 John Williams #fastdunk for UNCA, tied again at 31. He almost dubl-dubled in Big South title game, but you probably saw the block he made.
19:30 Drawing to a close in the 1H of this first First Four game. Alex Garcia-Mendoza (AGM for short) gets hacked on a layup, +1, end half.
19:31 Halftime! Arkansas-Little Rock 37, UNC Asheville 33.
19:36 Tempo-free HT, brought to you as always by BLAPP. UNCA: 37 points in 33 possessions (1.12). UALR: 33 points in 33 trips (1.00).
19:38 While you're enjoying the First Four, try the Last Three. That's right, BLAPP. Lager, fruit juice and grain alcohol will do you in quick.
19:39 Surgeon General's warning: BLAPP looks like Vitamin Water, but it isn't. It's slightly healthier for you.
19:47 I'm not. I'm a human being with real feelings. RT @solidblue94: @midmajority Say you're an AQ Mid, destined for a 15- or 16-seed...
19:50 RT @rushthecourt: We've had a @midmajority and @ballybasketball sighting. Best dressed guys in the room, and it's not close.
19:51 We are all over this three-shot.
19:51 RT @raphiellej: And there's @midmajority with the bowtie. And @ballybasketball on TV too. Good times.
19:52 RT @pauloren: Bally all over the NCAA Tourney. Nice bowtie! @midmajority
19:52 RT @donpot: @midmajority That is a five-shot. And I could do without three of them. #bally!
19:52 RT @JoshWeinhold: The NCAA needs @midmajority and his bowtie and Bally behind the TV crew at EVERY game. Classy.
19:52 RT @lukezim: #teambally @midmajority @ballybasketball http://t.co/JFqGWR6
19:52 RT @brantsloan: @midmajority I SEE YOU IN YOUR BOW TIE!!!
19:53 Well, that was 100 percent awesome. We are back for a second half of basketball.
19:55 It's a First Four blend. It has spicy cheese puffs. RT @rosslancaster: Is @midmajority eating the famed NCAA Nutt Mixx in his live shot?
19:55 RT @wrightstudent: @midmajority A Tru appearance on Tru with @ballybasketball. Looking sharp.
19:56 Anyway. UALR back out to a 9-point lead at 17:13. JP Primm is keeping Asheville in this game. 11 pts for him.
19:59 UALR has four guys with nine. Louzeiro, Williams, AGM, Bozeman. Great balance. Trojans up 47-40 at 15:50 2H.
20:08 Trojans 52-47 13:07 2H. UALR had a hard enough time winning games during the regular season, but also struggled to keep its roster together.
20:09 Eric Kibi (6-6 jr) missed time for academic ineligibility, and 6-9 sr. Derrick Bails was suspended for a TRV. A lot of size to lose.
20:13 UALR tops out at 6-9. The tallest person in the huddle is Joe Kleine, 4th-year assistant coach. 15 year NBA veteran, Olympic gold, 98 Bulls.
20:13 RT @bcmu03: Halftime show, brought to you by BLAPP @midmajority http://twitpic.com/49v5xo
20:15 Kareem made his appearance, and left. Stayed for the first half. Looked a little tired. He was here this morning for a lecture too.
20:18 11:48 2H, UALR 55 UNCA 47. Gene Smith behind us now, getting interviewed. I wonder how tired he is of defending this bracket.
20:20 Clarification on earlier: Kareem was the one giving the lecture. Nobody lectures a guy who scored 38,000 points in the NBA.
20:22 End of the third quarter, and it feels like the die for this game is pretty much cast. Well-maintained 9-pt lead for UALR.
20:24 61-54 UALR, 8:26 2H. Lower bowl might be filling out, or that might just be what I want to see. I'd estimate crowd at 8,000.
20:27 8-minute MTO, UALR by 5. Crazy Frog comes blasting over the PA. Some past just won't stay buried.
20:28 I don't know what that means. RT @mwmiller20: @midmajority Gene Smith defending the selection committee least of his worries. #tresselgate
20:29 UAB next. There is a guy dressed up like a dragon in the crowd. I'll bet he has a Twitter account.
20:32 UNC Asheville on a huge run! Within three! BSC tourney MVP Matt Dickey has 9 points this half, 12 total. 6:43 in reg, 63-60 UALR.
20:33 But Solomon Bozeman is ridiculous, no? Not talking about his fade-hawk either. #superhoop gives him 17, UALR up by 8 again.
20:40 Approx $1.2 million for the league to redistribute, six installments. RT @MikeMillerNBC: @midmajority what's the winner's cut in this game?
20:40 That looks like a live animal to me. cc: @ButlerBlue2 http://twitpic.com/49vfsl
20:42 Matt Dickey looking to imprint himself in First Four lore. UNCA within two at 4:11 2H. The 6-1 junior has 17, 14 in the half. Madness!
20:44 Winner of this gets a full NCAA win share. Conferences usually distribute those equally among member schools. But each league has own rules.
20:45 For example, America East distributes the first win share equally, as with Vermont 05. But! Over 75% of the second one goes to the school.
20:46 So if Boston University beats Kansas for the first 16/1, and THEN beats UNLV, BU gets to keep most of the second win share. Not bad.
20:46 RT @clivedaddy: The PIG is the most compelling sporting event currently happening. @midmajority
20:48 UALR by 2, 3:40 2H. Dickey with a one-man empty possession for UNCA, then comes down odd on his foot. Just a tweak, he's coming back in.
20:50 He has stayed in his filth-bunker. RT @polarscribe: @midmajority Speaking of crazy frogs, any JJ Jumper sightings at First Four? #mascothell
20:51 Down to the wire in the first game of the first First Four. 1:57 2H. UALR by four, 72-68. A tourney "8th" seed versus a 3. Both champions.
20:53 BIG offensive rebound by Joe Kleine lookalike Gus Leeper to extend a UALR possession. And then he fouls out. 1:13 to go. Crunch time.
20:55 Dickey a runner, no good. Asheville side asking where the foul is. Dude's on one foot right now. 56.5, 72-68. Bozeman out on fouls for UALR.
20:56 UALR milking clock. Asheville' season in the balance. Empty! And DICKEY WITH A #SUPERHOOP!
20:57 It's all tied up in Dayton! 72-72, 10.5 seconds left! This is championship basketball, sports fans! First Four! Quad-PIG style!
20:58 RT @rtruesdell: @midmajority OH MY!! What a shot!
20:59 Here we go! Bozeman watching from the bench, DQ'ed. Matt Mouzy with a 3 from the corner... NO good! Overtime!
21:00 Dickey, UNCA's leading scorer, played every minute of 1H, but stayed in the background. 3 points, a FG and a FT. Came alive in 2H.
21:01 Dickey finished regulation with 20 points, 6-for-9 shooting. We're underway in the extra.
21:03 Apparently, somebody has made their own BLAPP, is watching the game with friends, sent pictures through The Form. Not pretty. #notliable
21:06 John "Play of the Day" Williams with a swoop-scoop, and Asheville moves out to a 74-73 lead at 3:00 OT. Dickey takes his fourth.
21:08 And Dickey again! Asheville up 76-75. Were down by 9 early in 2H. 2:14 OT.
21:09 We've said it enough, but any game, at any level, between evenly-matched opponents has the capacity for a classic. Enjoy, America.
21:11 Back an forth they go. But Primm charges on a drive; UALR, up one, has the opportunity to push the lead beyond 1 at 1:34 OT.
21:12 But a UALR empty! And a Southern-style backdoor! JP Primm draws a foul, shooting. Make, make. UNCA back up, 78-77. 1:10 OT.
21:14 Bulldogs get it back! Primm will shoot two after a time out, 51.6 OT, Asheville up 78-77.
21:17 1/2. 23 seconds left in OT, and Asheville gets the ball back! Time out. UALR fans all standing. Players bouncing nervously in both huddles.
21:18 UALR press. Dickey gets it into the frontcourt. With 12 ticks, the foul arrives. Primm will shoot another two. Make, make. UNCA by 4.
21:19 UALR empty possession, three shots! Asheville wins! Bulldogs come back to take the PIG trotters! Big South! Big South!
21:21 Asheville happies! http://twitpic.com/49vsbw
21:21 Who the f___ cares about that? GREAT GAME. RT @marchmadness: A great game with #UNCA coming out on top! Did that help or hurt your bracket?
21:22 I doubted at the start, but strong finish. RT @pbyrnett: @midmajority how about Dayton? So impressive how they fill the place for the PIG(s)

Boxscore

NORTH CAROLINA-ASHEVILLE 81, ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 77 (OT)
03/15/2011


NORTH CAROLINA-ASHEVILLE 20-13 (11-7) -- S. Lewis 7-16 0-0 18; M. Dickey 7-10 6-7 22; J. Primm 4-11 12-14 22; J. Williams 7-10 1-1 15; C. Stephenson 2-8 0-0 4; D. Cunningham 3-8 0-0 6; J. Lane 4-5 2-4 10; Q. Jackson 0-2 2-2 2; E. Stubbs 0-0 0-0 0; T. Meyer 0-0 0-0 0; T. Hartman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 23-28 81.
ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 19-17 (7-9) -- D. Williams 3-10 0-0 9; A. Garcia-Mendoza 5-7 9-11 21; S. Bozeman 4-10 9-10 18; M. Louzeiro 5-6 0-3 11; G. Leeper 2-4 0-0 4; M. Mouzy 1-10 0-0 3; M. Thornton 3-4 0-0 6; D. Guy 1-3 2-2 5; T. Sutherland 0-1 0-0 0; E. Kibi 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-56 20-26 77.

Three-point goals: UNCA 4-12 (C. Stephenson 0-2; J. Primm 2-7; M. Dickey 2-3), UALR 9-29 (S. Bozeman 1-4; M. Mouzy 1-10; M. Louzeiro 1-1; A. Garcia-Mendoza 2-3; D. Guy 1-3; T. Sutherland 0-1; D. Williams 3-7); Rebounds: UNCA 34 (D. Cunningham 8), UALR 32 (D. Williams 7); Assists: UNCA 17 (J. Primm 5), UALR 19 (D. Williams 10); Total Fouls -- UNCA 25, UALR 24; Fouled Out: UNCA-D. Cunningham; UALR-G. Leeper.