09 | March | 2010 | Et Cetera: Publick and Privat Curiosities

Wofford College Beats Appalachian State University 56-51, Earns First NCAA Tournament Berth!

March 9, 2010 — Patrick Zimmerman

Wofford Beats Appalachian State University 56-51, Earns 1st NCAA Tournament Berth!

Cameron Rundles scored 20 points, and Wofford used a stifling defense to overcome a long second-half scoring drought to beat Appalachian State University 56-51 on Monday night for the Southern Conference Title and its first NCAA tournament berth. Now, Wofford is hardly a household name, so just who is this Wofford College team? Well, for starters, let’s put Wofford’s Southern Conference Championship Title in perspective. Wofford College is one of the smallest schools playing Division I basketball, and it’s known primarily for its rigorous academic standards.

Wofford has fewer than 1500 students, about half of whom are men. It was an old NAIA college, and Wofford has never been in the NCAA tournament, nor has it ever played in the NIT. The Wofford Terriers have never even won a conference tournament or a regular-season title. But looking back over this season, the Terriers should have been much more on everyone’s mind. Wofford was one possession away from winning at Pittsburgh in the season opener (they lost by only 3 points), defeated both Georgia and South Carolina of the SEC and went 15-3 during the regular season in a respected league.

Currently, Wofford is 26-8, winning its 13th straight game and 19 of its last 20 games. So there was a very large crowd of very happy supporters at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte (NC) last night, and Wofford’s tournament victory led to a giddy dancing and singing celebration on the floor.

With the win, the Terriers have earned the conference’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The 2010 men’s basketball selection show will be held Sunday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. and will be televised on CBS.

You can read more about the Southern Conference Championship game here.