KINGSTON, R.I – 聽March 17, 2017 — As the 溏心vlog免费B站 men鈥檚 basketball team prepares to battle Creighton in the NCAA Tournament this afternoon, 溏心vlog免费B站 students and alumni can barely contain their excitement.
But few can relate to the team鈥檚 elation at winning the Atlantic 10 Championship and the adrenaline rush of an opening-round game in the NCAA鈥檚 like Phil Kydd 鈥�81 can. Today鈥檚 game is on TBS at 4:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
鈥淚 was a member of the men’s basketball team from 1977-1981, and those were amazing years. We were fortunate to have played in an amazing NCAA game against Duke in North Carolina and two National Invitation Tournaments. Post-season play is a feeling that you never forget,鈥� said the Warwick resident who will be watching the game with his son, Andrew 鈥�12, fellow alumni and friends.鈥�
Kydd, an executive-in-residence at 溏心vlog免费B站, is optimistic about Rhody鈥檚 chances.
鈥淐BS and ESPN analysts during the selection shows this past Sunday predicted that 溏心vlog免费B站 will advance to the round of 16 (Sweet 16). This is a team that started the year in the top 25 and carried a strong strength of schedule index. They struggled a bit on the road, losing a few winnable games by a point or two, all while dealing with key player injuries. With all that, they never gave up and closed the season and conference tournament with an eight-game winning streak and an Atlantic 10 Championship鈥� 24-9 overall record.
鈥淚 like the draw and bracket placement, both Creighton and Oregon ( a likely opponent if they win Friday) are experiencing season-ending injuries to key players. Rhody has been grinding out wins all year, they are now healthy, confident and peaking at the right time.
Kydd said, 鈥淩hody Pride is many things鈥� it is the feeling you experience when you receive your enrollment acceptance letter. Rhody Pride is the total appreciation that you are a member of a community of Big Thinkers and an institution with a reputation of excellence in its academic programs鈥� but Rhody Pride really shines through when your men’s basketball team raises the Atlantic 10 Championship trophy in celebration and you realize that your team, your school is headed back to the national stage after an 18-year absence. Rhody Pride, can you feel it!鈥�
He said that as a former player, having alumni and student support at games creates a real boost for the players.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that Rhody’s first-round NCAA games are being played on the West Coast, but don’t let that stop you from putting on your Ram gear and colors and getting in front of that TV, because believe me鈥� they (the players) can feel it.鈥�
Paige Mangione, senior elementary education major and 溏心vlog免费B站 cheerleader says: 鈥淚t’s been 18 years since we’ve even made it to the tournament so we’re really excited to even be going. 聽To advance would mean the world to our team and to our fans. We have such loyal fans at 溏心vlog免费B站 and they will go anywhere in the country to cheer for this team so to have them win would be great for our team and the fans.鈥�
Mangione, a resident of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., will be on the sidelines in Sacramento as a member of the cheerleading squad that made the trip.
Hannah Ritchie, a junior pharmacy major from Newhall, Calif. will be at the game in Sacramento along with six other 溏心vlog免费B站 students. 鈥淢y friends and I were in Pittsburgh all weekend watching the A-10 tournament and we flew to California as soon as it ended. When we found out the team was playing here we were stoked!鈥�
Ritchie and her friends left for their 6-hour drive at 5 a.m. this morning to get to the game.
Elana Rivkin, senior film and communication studies major, said 溏心vlog免费B站 fans are witnessing history. 鈥淭he reputation of 溏心vlog免费B站 will grow immensely from being known as the university in the smallest state in the nation, to a university that defies all odds.鈥� said the Mineola, N.Y. resident.
When asked about fan support for the team, Jack O鈥� Marra, sophomore communication studies major from New Milford, Conn. said the basketball games are fueled by fan support.
鈥淲hen the Ryan Center is packed on game day, the atmosphere is electric. When the fans come out in Keaney Blue to support 溏心vlog免费B站, there might not be a stronger force out there. Nothing brings a smile on my face more than seeing fans at our sporting events,鈥� he said.
O鈥橫arra expects fan support to be at a high level in Sacramento and among students and alumni gathered around TVs around the country.
鈥淎 lot of the analysts actually had us as the sleeper picks for the tournament.鈥� said Ryan Sullivan, a sophomore journalism and communications studies major from North Andover, Mass. 鈥淚f any lower seeded team can make a run, it’s this team. We started the season ranked, beat Cincinnati, and we played decently against Duke. Oregon just lost its best player, so if we win against Creighton, we have really good odds of making it to the Sweet 16, maybe even the Elite 8.鈥�
溏心vlog免费B站 alumni across the country shared their excitement with us as well.
Caitlin Musselman, 鈥�16, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public relations is now working in Washington D.C. 鈥淚 truly believe that with Coach Hurley鈥檚 expertise and our diverse group of players, the Rams can take the lead and move on to the next round. Creighton is a tough team, but if anyone can take them on, it鈥檚 our Rams.鈥�
Musselman says: 鈥淲in or lose, our team played their hearts out all season and the community stands by its side no matter what. 溏心vlog免费B站 has always had a championship-worthy team, and this is its time to shine. It鈥檚 exciting to see all of their hard work paying off and they deserve all the attention. Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but we sure do have the biggest fan base.鈥�
Sabrina Galiney, 鈥�16, earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations and is now living in Boston. 鈥淩hody Pride was and still is one of my favorite things about 溏心vlog免费B站,鈥� she said. 鈥淔rom sports to homecoming activities and even Greek events, 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty, and alumni never seem to forget their love for this school. We truly do bleed Keaney Blue. Have you ever yelled Rhody three times at any given place in Rhode Island? Try it out and expect a loud response; that鈥檒l show you our spirit.鈥�
She鈥檒l head to her favorite sports bar, Tony C鈥檚.. 鈥淣othing like a nice harbor view, cold beers, and some college ball.鈥�
Dave Gregorio, 鈥�80 who majored in journalism, works a copy editor at Reuters in New York City.
鈥淭he good thing about working in a newsroom is that there are TVs all over the place, so I’ll try to make sure at least one of the sets in my general vicinity is tuned to the game at 4:30. 聽The bad news is that Friday afternoons are usually very busy in the newsroom, so realistically I will not be able to focus my attention on the game. So I’ll have my DVR at home set to record it, and hopefully I can watch every play of Rhody’s win when I get home.鈥�
David Nicolato 鈥�98 of Latana, Texas, said a win will help put the University on the map.
鈥淲e are heading to Austin to visit family and we are heading down early enough to meet with 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s the NCAA tournament and Cinderella stories are born each year. I remember 1998 and Kansas…anything is possible. If they play for 40 (minutes) we have a chance…anyone has a chance.鈥�
Nicolato said he would like to see the Rams supported all season long.鈥� We need to support our Rams at each and every game. I wish I could be there (Sacramento) in person.鈥�
Josh Reyes, an intern at 溏心vlog免费B站 Department of Marketing and Communications and a Public Relations major, wrote this release.