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Seminoles' Long NCAA Wait Ends Tonight

The Associated Press

After playing in 130 games with FSU, Uche Echefu gets his first March Madness experience tonight against Wisconsin.

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By COREY CLARK

Tribune correspondent

Published: March 20, 2009

Updated: 03/20/2009 09:36 am

BOISE, Idaho - Toney Douglas has played 129 games in his college career. Uche Echefu has played 130.

But neither has been here before, getting ready to play in a game like this.

Tonight, the Florida State University seniors will be playing in their first NCAA Tournament game while their program makes its first appearance in 11 years.

"Of course, it's going to feel different," Douglas said with a wide smile before Thursday's walk-through at Taco Bell Arena. "Every year I've been playing in college, my season has been over by now. So it's going to feel a little different.

"I'm just so anxious to get on the court. I was mad because we were playing Friday. ... I would've played on Tuesday or Wednesday if we could. So I'm ready, man."

Florida State, the fifth seed in the NCAA's East Regional, takes on No. 12 seed Wisconsin at 9:55 p.m. It will be the Seminoles' first NCAA appearance since 1998.

Echefu says he is ready.

"I've been so anxious to play," he said. "And we want to go out there ... and not just go out there and play, but to win."

To do that, they'll have to get past a Wisconsin team that has the No. 2 scoring defense in the Big Ten Conference and one of the top defenses in the country. Part of that is because the Badgers are committed to the defensive side of the floor; another is what they do on the other end of the court.

Wisconsin (19-12) plays at a snail's pace, routinely waiting 25 or 30 seconds each possession before attempting a shot.

The Badgers have gone 10 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to score more than 61 points - six of those games they gave up 52 points or fewer.

"They don't turn the ball over much," FSU junior forward Ryan Reid said. "They take their time with the ball. We'll probably be on defense for 30 seconds."

Not that that's a problem for the Seminoles, who are 25-9 and ranked No. 16 in large part because of their defense. Florida State was the No. 1 scoring defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"I know we're going to guard," said Douglas, who was chosen ACC Defensive Player of the Year. "This is it. One game and you're out. I don't think anybody on our team wants this to be over. So you'll be seeing some defense tomorrow."

With the way both teams limit scoring opportunities and the way Wisconsin dictates pace with its slow-it-down style, many analysts have wondered how FSU will react to a low-scoring, physical type of game.

But Florida State has proven it can play that way. The Seminoles were tied with No. 1 seed Pittsburgh at 48 with two minutes left before the Panthers went on an 8-0 run to close the game.

They held 12 opponents to 60 points or fewer this season, and in the high-scoring, up-and-down, guard-dominated ACC, the Seminoles allowed just two teams to score 80 points - Duke and North Carolina.

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