A lot has happened in the last 12 years.
The Internet has taken over the world, we all learned what a hanging-chad is and the United States was hit with the largest terrorist attack in the history of the world.
What hasn’t happened was the participation of Long Beach State men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. But that drought will soon come to an end.
LBSU (24-7) will play Tennessee (22-10) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, at approximately 11:35 a.m. The game can be seen on channel 2 (CBS).
The matchup features the Big West champion and the second-place team in the Southeastern Conference.
LBSU has won 22 of its last 25 games and is the winner of 11 of its last 12.
The Volunteers are coming off a 77-67 loss to LSU in the first round of the SEC Tournament, but they won eight of their last nine games before that, including a win over No. 6 Florida.
The game will also feature the Big West Player of the Year (Aaron Nixon) versus the SEC Player of the Year (Chris Lofton), both of whom are 6-foot-2 shooting guards.
Nixon is averaging 18.6 points per game and 4.9 rebounds, while Lofton is averaging 20.6 points per game and 3 rebounds.
When the two teams meet Friday, the game has the potential to be a shootout. LBSU is ninth in the country in scoring, averaging 80.3 points per game, while Tennessee is No. 11, averaging 79.7 points per game.
The Daily Forty-Niner is on the ground in Columbus starting tomorrow, and will have the most comprehensive LBSU coverage that can be found anywhere. Pregame reports, game stories, analysis, commentary and much more can be found at Daily49er.com.
