Before Pat Knight, the former head coach at Texas Tech and the son of Bobby Knight, came to Lamar, the school hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2000.
NCAA Bracket 2012: How Lamar Basketball Got To March Madness
After a press-conference tirade for the ages from Pat Knight, the Cardinals went 6-0 and earned their way into the field of 68. Coincidence or Genius?
However, Knight put the school on the map a few weeks ago when he delivered an epic tirade after the Cardinals’ loss to Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 22:
Lamar is 6-0 since Knight’s tirade, which suggests the team’s seniors may not be destined for homelessness after all.
They finished the year with a 23-11 overall record and a 11-5 mark in Southland Conference play, but they were able to avoid top seeded UT-Arlington in the conference tournament, as the Mavericks were upset in the semifinals. The Cardinals challenged themselves in non-conference play but lost by 20 or more points to Louisville, Ohio State and Kentucky.
The team is led by three of the seniors who Knight called out, with 6'1" guard Mike James averaging 17.2 points, 6'1" guard Anthony Miles averaging 14.7 points and 6'2" guard Devon Lamb getting 11.9 points a night.
Like most low-major teams, Lamar will be at a huge size disadvantage against in the NCAA Tournament, as their two leading rebounders are Lamb and 6'5" senior forward Charlie Harper. Lamar will face Vermont in the First Four for the right to face No. 1 North Carolina in the second round of the Midwest region.
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