Move over, Indiana. Abilene Christian solidifies Texas as The basketball state | Opinion
In terms of greatness, what Abilene Christian did late Saturday night does not compare but in terms of magical brilliance what it achieved ranks among the all-time best in the history of Texas.
Little ACU, enrollment of 4,500, beating mighty Texas, enrollment 51,000, by one point in the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis goes to the top five of all-time great moments in Texas sports history that should not happen.
We’re talking Texas Western winning the national title. TCU winning a Rose Bowl. Rice’s national title in baseball. The Dallas Cowboys making the playoffs.
“Nothing will ever top Texas Western beating Kentucky (in the 1966 title game),” ACU radio play-by-play voice Grant Boone said Sunday morning in a phone interview. “But in terms of David versus Goliath, this is up there.
“Texas is Goliath. I said it during the broadcast, ‘Goliath falls and ACU has the stones.’ That’s pretty borderline to say at Abilene Christian, but, hey, it’s anatomically correct.”
Say it. Soak it up. Buy the shirt, the hat, and take every photo. Enjoy every socially distanced, masked-up moment.
Can’t say it enough - the first two days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are the best 48 hours on the sports’ calendar because of moments just like this.
We Texans need to admit we are awful at football, and teams like Abilene Christian make the transition to a basketball first state easier. This tourney has been Texas’ at its best, even if it came at the expense of our flagship school which is now a volleyball and track school.
It began with Texas Southern winning its play-in game, included North Texas’ first ever win in the NCAA Tournament against “home team” Purdue, and ended with Abilene Christian defeating Shaka Smart and his future pros.
And there is Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston, too winning tourney games in Indy while no schools from that basketball drunk state remain.
Boone estimates about 1,000 ACU fans were in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“That’s a preacher’s count, but we’re known for that at Abilene Christian,” he said. “I went to bed at 3 a.m. We don’t do that at Abilene Christian. We have a curfew.”
By Sunday morning, about 100,000 people claimed ACU as their own.
Little known facts: Grant’s uncle is singing legend, Pat Boone. Pat Boone is an alum of ... North Texas.
North Texas’ head coach is Grant McCasland, who was the ACU head coach for all of four months, and never coached a game there. He left in July of ‘11 to become an assistant for Scott Drew at Baylor.
ACU hired Joe Golding, who has since led the program to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances, and first NCAA Tourney win.
In attendance at Saturday night’s game was former long time CBS sports producer, ACU alum Lance Barrow. He has two daughters, one who attended the University of Oklahoma, and the other ACU.
Coincidentally, Oklahoma also played at Lucas Oil Stadium in the “early” evening game. Barrow was able to watch OU win, and then walk around a giant curtain and witness his alma mater pull off the tournament’s signature stunner.
Because of COVID protocols, it muted what should have been the biggest party in ACU history.
The fans who made the trip, and were fortunate enough to have a ticket, could scream, shout and celebrate across the street from the team hotel as the players and coaches walked in following the win.
“It really was a magical night, but not unbelievable,” Boone said. “When I started there in 1987 as a freshman, we were a bad Division II program; from that perspective, last night is unbelievable.
“But if you watched us play this season, the game was believable. That’s how we play. The difference is we are able to normally score more.”
Twenty nine percent shooting and 53 points were enough.
In the span of three years, ACU has played Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, beat Texas, and will face UCLA in the Round of 32 on Monday.
ACU is a 14 seed, and UCLA an 11.
One more win, and Abilene Christian is in the Sweet 16.
Even if the Wildcats do not defeat the Bruins, this is all perfectly sweet, and already one of the greatest moments in the history of Texas sports.
Because this was not supposed to happen.
On behalf of every Longhorn, Aggie, Horned Frog, Cougar, Bear, Mustang, Owl, and the Mean Green we all say, “Go Wildcats.”
After all, we’re a basketball state.
