The carriage turned into a pumpkin but not before it gave a fine, unexpected ride.
UWM fell to Northern Kentucky 59-53 in Tuesday night's Horizon League Championship, meaning the Norse get the automatic NCAA tournament berth that comes with the crown, while the Panthers reflect on a most surprising post-season run.
“This group was an inspiration to many people,” head coach LaVall Jordan tells Wisconsin’s Morning News. “To come out of the regular season with four conference wins, but then to get here and make a run like that. It just goes to show that you’re down but never out.”
“We were right there during the regular season in conference play, lost a ton of close ones. We talked about that with our players heading into the conference tournament. They knew it. They weren’t satisfied with getting close, so we knew we could do better. So, I wasn’t surprised that we did what we did.”
Despite last night’s loss, LaVall is proud of the team.
“Proud of our guys for the way they locked in their attention to detail once we got here to Detroit. They really wanted it. They paid attention and they were very focused once we arrived.”
And an added bonus, the whole country seems to be talking about Milwaukee.
“We didn’t win the championship like we wanted to, but it’s a win for Milwaukee,” added Jordan. “The exposure the university has gotten over the last few days has been all positive. That’s all thanks to our guys.”
For the full conversation with Jordan on Wisconsin’s Morning News, click in the SoundCloud player above.
