PORTLAND, Oregon --The Madness didn't begin in March for Texas Southern. It came in November and December.Looking back, third-year TSU basketball coach Mike Davis admits it all seems a little crazy. Load up the non-conference schedule with name-brand schools and pray for an upset along the way.
"People thought I was out of my mind playing a tough (non-conference) schedule," Davis said Wednesday on the eve of the Tigers' NCAA Tournament opener against second-seeded Arizona at the Moda Center.
The method to Davis' madness is all part of a long-term "vision" for TSU, which is the West Regional's No. 15 seed, matching the highest in school history.
The Tigers' non-conference schedule was the toughest in the nation this season, according to ratings by KenPom.com. TSU (22-12) faced five teams that made the NCAA Tournament field: Indiana, Baylor, Gonzaga, Michigan State and New Mexico State. The Tigers also played Tennessee, Florida, Auburn and Kansas State.
On Dec. 20, TSU upset Michigan State 71-64 in East Lansing, a win described as "monumental and historic" by athletic director Dr. Charles McClelland.
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