by Tom Froemming
February 28, 2006
The Minnesota State men’s basketball team did something it has been waiting to do for 30 years.
Yesterday in the Taylor Center, the Mavericks brought out a ladder, grabbed a pair of scissors and cut down the net to celebrate their first North Central Conference championship since 1975-76 and its second-ever NCC title. But before the Mavs ascended the ladder, MSU Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman and head basketball coach Matt Margenthaler expressed their pride in the accomplishment, but hammered home the point that the team still had unfinished business.
Winning the conference championship gave MSU home-court advantage in the Wells Fargo Finals, the NCC’s conference tournament. The Taylor Center will play host to three games this weekend. The first semifinal game will be played at 2 p.m. Immediately following that game, MSU will take on the winner of Wednesday’s contest between Augustana and Minnesota-Duluth. The Wells Fargo Finals championship game will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Unlike during the regular season, MSU students must buy tickets to get into this weekend’s games. The admission charge will be $5 and tickets go on sale Thursday, but Buisman expressed a desire to get corporate sponsors to pick up the tab on at least 500 tickets for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games.
“We’re working very quickly behind the scenes with some sponsors to make that happen,” Buisman said. “I’m very optimistic that it’s going to happen.”
According to Buisman, the tickets would be distributed in as fair of a manner as possible and stressed that more information would be released in the days leading up to the weekend. After MSU has played their last three games on the road, Margenthaler is hoping to see a big crowd for the Mavericks’ return home.
“I hope that this weekend we can get the students out here and this place is rocking,” Margenthaler said. “We worked so hard to get home-court advantage. Now, we need the students, we need the community to get out and support us.”
Former North Carolina State head men’s basketball coach Everett Case started the net-cutting tradition after his team won the Southern Conference championship in 1947 and it has remained a staple in college basketball since.
“You never know when you’re going to have another opportunity to [cut down the nets],” Margenthaler said. “We’re planning on doing that Sunday, but who knows? Hopefully, we can continue this and [Monday’s net cutting] is just a practice run.”
The Mavericks will be putting on a Wells Fargo Finals kick off event and community rally at 7 p.m. Thursday in the River Hills Mall.
“It will be a nice way to get out into the community and promote the championship and acknowledge the accomplishments of [the team],” Buisman said.
Among the activities tentatively scheduled for Thursday are ticket giveaways and an opportunity to get autographs from players and coaches.
TRADITION: Junior forward Luke Anderson takes a turn cutting one of the nets in the Taylor Center Monday. The men's basketball team won its first NCC championship in 30 years.
