Sports Desk
From the Scene’s desk at McCabe Pub
The votes have been tallied and the Austin Peay Governors have been elected to dance in the NCAA Tournament. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the OVC Championship and, subsequently, received automatic bids for March Madness. It marks the first time in seven years that a lone OVC school has sent both programs to the NCAA Tournament—with Austin Peay also achieving the feat in 1996. The Lady Govs (27-3) punched their ticket with an 85-61 drilling of Southeast Missouri State, pushing their winning streak to 22 games. As for the men, the Governors (23-7) edged Tennessee Tech 63-57. “Winning both titles and trips to the Tournament on the same day feels incredible,” said men’s head coach Dave Loos. Loos, who also serves as APSU’s athletic director, added, “It’s certainly one of the biggest athletic achievements in school history.” ♦ Stats of the week: Tennessee Tech, which has now lost in the OVC Championship game the last two years, has not received an NCAA Tournament bid since 1963. This month, Kentucky Wesleyan will be going for its record ninth NCAA Division II National Championship. Wesleyan is the only team in NCAA history—on any level—to win national basketball championships in each of the last five decades, with titles coming in 1966, '68, ’69, ’73, ’87, ’90, ’99, and 2001. The University of Kentucky has made 13 Final Four appearances, trailing only North Carolina and UCLA in that category. When the LSU Lady Tigers thumped Pat Summitt’s Vols 78-62 en route to their first SEC Championship since 1991, it marked the largest margin of defeat the Vols had suffered since an 85-66 loss to Alabama in 1984. ♦ As the Predators continue their playoff push, they’ve added a solid back-up to team MVP Tomas Vokoun. Goalie Wade Flaherty, 35, was acquired from the Florida Panthers organization in exchange for Pascal Trepanier (nine goals, 15 assists in 52 games with the Milwaukee Admirals). Flaherty (11-13-5 for San Antonio in the American Hockey League) will allow the Preds former No. 2 goalie, Jan Lasak, continued ice time in Milwaukee and a chance to compete for Slovakia in the upcoming World Championships. As for Flaherty, he made his NHL debut in 1991-92 for the San Jose Sharks and set a career-high for games played (24) during the 1995-96 season. The Predators travel to face Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Minnesota on Friday and return to Nashville Saturday to battle the St. Louis Blues.
—Brian Blackwell
The votes have been tallied and the Austin Peay Governors have been elected to dance in the NCAA Tournament. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the OVC Championship and, subsequently, received automatic bids for March Madness. It marks the first time in seven years that a lone OVC school has sent both programs to the NCAA Tournament—with Austin Peay also achieving the feat in 1996. The Lady Govs (27-3) punched their ticket with an 85-61 drilling of Southeast Missouri State, pushing their winning streak to 22 games. As for the men, the Governors (23-7) edged Tennessee Tech 63-57. “Winning both titles and trips to the Tournament on the same day feels incredible,” said men’s head coach Dave Loos. Loos, who also serves as APSU’s athletic director, added, “It’s certainly one of the biggest athletic achievements in school history.” ♦ Stats of the week: Tennessee Tech, which has now lost in the OVC Championship game the last two years, has not received an NCAA Tournament bid since 1963. This month, Kentucky Wesleyan will be going for its record ninth NCAA Division II National Championship. Wesleyan is the only team in NCAA history—on any level—to win national basketball championships in each of the last five decades, with titles coming in 1966, '68, ’69, ’73, ’87, ’90, ’99, and 2001. The University of Kentucky has made 13 Final Four appearances, trailing only North Carolina and UCLA in that category. When the LSU Lady Tigers thumped Pat Summitt’s Vols 78-62 en route to their first SEC Championship since 1991, it marked the largest margin of defeat the Vols had suffered since an 85-66 loss to Alabama in 1984. ♦ As the Predators continue their playoff push, they’ve added a solid back-up to team MVP Tomas Vokoun. Goalie Wade Flaherty, 35, was acquired from the Florida Panthers organization in exchange for Pascal Trepanier (nine goals, 15 assists in 52 games with the Milwaukee Admirals). Flaherty (11-13-5 for San Antonio in the American Hockey League) will allow the Preds former No. 2 goalie, Jan Lasak, continued ice time in Milwaukee and a chance to compete for Slovakia in the upcoming World Championships. As for Flaherty, he made his NHL debut in 1991-92 for the San Jose Sharks and set a career-high for games played (24) during the 1995-96 season. The Predators travel to face Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Minnesota on Friday and return to Nashville Saturday to battle the St. Louis Blues.
—Brian Blackwell
