Siena came within a few minutes and a handful of points of upsetting the number one team in the country on the biggest stage in college basketball. But even in defeat, Siena stole the national spotlight.
In the end, Siena lost to Duke as expected in the NCAA Tournament, but the Saints nearly pulled off the greatest upset in college basketball history. Siena's epic fight in a 71-65 first round loss in Greenville, South Carolina made headlines from coast-to-coast.
ABC News described Siena's play as fearless. Locally, the Times Union wrote that President Seifert "could not be prouder" and News 10 ABC covered the electric atmosphere on campus.
Meanwhile, two of Siena’s Franciscan friars had a case of divided loyalties during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which makes for a great story. Fr. Mark Reamer '83 O.F.M., vice president for mission, and Fr. Ken Himes '71, O.F.M., Franciscan scholar-in-residence, both received their bachelor’s degrees from Siena back in the day. They eventually went on to earn their doctorates from Duke University. When their almae matres (Google it) went head-to-head March 19 in the First Round, the big question was: would they be wearing Siena green or Duke blue under their brown Franciscan robes?
CBS6 and NewsChannel 13 both stopped by campus before the big game to get some Franciscan perspective.
“I am a Duke alum. But I’m also a Siena alum, and a Siena alum first,” said Fr. Mark. “I love Duke but I love Siena much more.”
After a near upset of the Blue Devils that had the entire country talking, Fr. Ken offered a philosophical perspective:
“Initially I was surprised at how well Siena handled the pressure of a tournament game and how they showed a willingness to challenge Duke in the paint and on the boards,” he said. “As an alum of both schools, I was proud of both teams for playing such a hard-fought and competitive game that was also fun to watch with no antics from either bench or hot-dogging on the court. A fine example of what college athletics should be about.”
And then there's the Sports Illustrated cover story, below.
Almost America's Cinderella
Siena graced the digital cover of Sports Illustrated on March 25 (right). The corresponding article chronicles how the "16-seed Saints came within inches of immortality before a 13-second swing turned a dream into heartbreak against No. 1 overall seed Duke."
The article also goes beyond the game to tell the story of a Siena team that captured a nation's attention.
"But boy, did the Saints ever give their fans (and all the new ones who adopted them for two hours) a ride to remember. Kids getting home from school and nine-to-five workers streaming the action on their work computer suddenly became as big a Siena fan as those who have been making the trip to downtown Albany their entire life... That they punched back, briefly reextended the lead, and held it until the game’s final five minutes said everything about what the Saints were made of. If there was ever a deserving Cinderella in a year without one, it was Siena."