Men's Roundup
Wright State Tops No. 19 Butler; Oral Roberts Returns to NCAAs
Associated Press
Wednesday, March 7, 2007; Page E08
DaShaun Wood scored 27 points and Will Graham hit four free throws in the last 12 seconds to lead Wright State past No. 19 Butler, 60-55, last night in Fairborn, Ohio, for the Horizon League postseason title and its second trip to the NCAA tournament.
"Coach [Brad Brownell] came in from day one and said we could make it," Wood said while receiving high-fives and hugs on the crowded floor after the game. "All I know is we did make it. And nobody else thought it could be done."
  Oakland's Derick Nelson chases Oral Roberts's Ken Tutt to a loose ball. Tutt delivered a key basket in the closing minute in the MCC title game. (By Mel Root -- Associated Press) |
Butler still looks like a solid bet to receive an at-large bid to its seventh trip to the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs have lost six of their last seven games at Wright State's Nutter Center.
"This was not neutral," Butler Coach Todd Lickliter said. "Our guys maintained their poise for most of the time, but you have to do it all the time to win."
Wood helped turn the tide after Butler (27-6) had scrambled back from an eight-point deficit to take the lead in the final minutes.
With the score tied at 52-52 and 1:25 left, Butler's A.J. Graves drove to the basket but Wood blocked the shot from behind. Then at the other end, Wood curled off a pick and hit a three-pointer from the right wing with 1 minute 6 seconds left for a 55-52 lead for Wright State (23-9).
Brandon Crone, who led the Bulldogs with 18 points, scored inside off the inbounds pass to cut the lead to a point as hundreds of Wright State students crammed around the floor in expectation of a celebration.
The teams each hit a foul shot, before Graham was fouled with 11.6 seconds left. A 66-percent free-throw shooter, he made them both for a 58-55 lead.
The only other NCAA tournament appearance for the Raiders, who won a Division II national championship in 1983, came in 1993.
· ORAL ROBERTS 71, OAKLAND 67: In Tulsa, Ken Tutt banked in a jumper with 32 seconds left as the top-seeded Golden Eagles (23-10) won the Mid-Continent Conference tournament title and an automatic NCAA bid for the second straight year.
