BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League Champion Lehigh men’s basketball team earned a #15 seed in the South Region and will face second-seeded Duke in an NCAA Second Round Game, Friday in Greensboro, N.C. The Mountain Hawks are making the school’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, after winning their third Patriot League Championship at Bucknell Wednesday.
“It was wonderful for our team to be able to see Lehigh University on national television on the selection show,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “It’s a validation of all their hard work and everything they put into the season. It’s another step for what’s been a wonderful journey throughout the year.”
Lehigh will play in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, after winning the league title in 2010 as well. The Mountain Hawks earned a 16 seed that season, hanging tough before falling to top seed Kansas, 90-74. This marks Lehigh’s highest seed in the NCAA Tournament in the Patriot League era.
The Mountain Hawks stand at 26-7 overall, riding an eight-game winning streak into the tournament. Lehigh played two teams in the 2012 field, including #8 seed Iowa State and top seed Michigan State. The Mountain Hawks hung within single digits in both games, which included a 38-35 halftime lead at Michigan State on Dec. 22.
“We had an opportunity to enjoy a Patriot League Championship and marinate in that,” said Reed. “But now, to a man, we have people on our team who are very competitive and want to excel at a high level. We have talked about the vision of this program winning games in the NCAA Tournament as something we would aspire for. We understand in order to do that, we’ll have to be very unified and passionate about what we do and enter any contest with not only determination, but confidence as well.”
Lehigh and Duke have played four times in their history with the Blue Devils winning all four matchups. The most recent came in 1996-97, on the road. The 2011-12 Blue Devils stand 27-6, winners of eight of their last 10.
“Our program has a tremendous amount of respect for Duke with what they’ve been able to do historically, and their accomplishments this year,” said Reed. “We know it’s one of the most highly-regarded college basketball programs in the country. We’re excited for the opportunity to compete against one of the best that’s out there. For our players who are competitors, they relish the chance to play against some of the best to show what they can do.”
Check back throughout the week for continued updates, including game time, television information, etc. once they’re available.
Tickets will be available through Lehigh for Lehigh alumni and campus community. Just click here and type in the promotional code in the box at the top of the page. All tickets purchased will be available at Will Call at the arena on game day. Tickets are very limited and expected to sell quickly.
Tickets will go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m. online, by phone (610-758-4263) and in person at Stabler Arena. Tickets are only for the doubleheader that Lehigh is in (which also includes Xavier vs. Notre Dame), and not for all four games at the venue that day. Tickets are only for the Second Round, and should Lehigh win, tickets would then need to be repurchased for the Third Round. Visit LehighSports.com and follow the Lehigh Athletics’ Twitter page for up-to-the-minute information on tickets and everything else surrounding the team’s NCAA Tournament appearance.
Like Lehigh Men’s Basketball on Facebook for exclusive content, team updates and more: https://www.facebook.com/LehighMensBasketball. Vote C.J. McCollum for the Lou Henson Award: https://www.votelouhenson.com/.
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