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OAKLAND AND ALABAMA A&M WILL MEET IN THE NCAA OPENING ROUND IN DAYTON TUESDAY NIGHT

Tipoff Is Set For 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

<b>School names are placed on a six-story, 72-by-48-foot NCAA bracket in St. Louis, the host city for the 2005 Final Four. The world's largest tournament bracket will be updated after each round and remain up until the completion of the tournament. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)</b>

School names are placed on a six-story, 72-by-48-foot NCAA bracket in St. Louis, the host city for the 2005 Final Four. The world's largest tournament bracket will be updated after each round and remain up until the completion of the tournament. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

March 13, 2005

  • NCAA Men's Basketball bracket

  • Media Day Notes & Quotes

  • Practice Day Photo Gallery

    DAYTON -- For the fifth consecutive season, the Road to the Final Four will begin at the University of Dayton Arena as Oakland University will take on Alabama A&M University in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Opening Round Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Tickets are $10 for any seat. Please contact the UD Arena Ticket Office at 937-229-4433 for more information. The game will be live on ESPN.

    The Golden Grizzlies (12-18) and the Bulldogs (18-13) will meet, with the winner advancing to face the No. 1-seed University of North Carolina in the First Round Friday in Charlotte, N.C.

    The Opening Round Game pits the two lowest seeded teams in the tournament field. It was instituted for the 2000-01 season, after the NCAA increased the number of automatic bids to 31, but did not want to reduce the number of the at-large bids (34). It is officially referred to as the Opening Round Game of the Men's Basketball Championship and should not be referred to as a "play-in" game.

    Oakland, the alma mater of UD head coach Brian Gregory, was the unlikely champion of the Mid-Continent Conference tournament. OU was the tournament's seventh-seed and upset the top-seed Oral Roberts at the buzzer in the tournament final. They are the only below-.500 team in the Field of 65. This will be the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Golden Grizzlies from Oakland, MI. OU head coach Greg Kampe coached Gregory from 1986-1990.

    Alabama A&M, the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, will also bring a three-game winning streak to Dayton. They were both the regular season and tournament champions of the SWAC, defeating Alabama State in the tournament final. This will also be A&M's first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs from Normal, AL.

    Tomorrow's practice sessions at the UD Arena are open to the public. Alabama A&M will practice from 6:00-6:50 p.m., with Oakland going from 7:10-8:00 p.m.

    UD will continue the host the Opening Round game through at least the 2007-08 season, and will also be a First/Second Round site for the men next season.

    Here's a look at the previous NCAA Opening Round games in Dayton:

  • 2001 - Northwestern State 71, Winthrop 67 - Att: 6,813
  • 2002 - Siena 81, Alcorn State 77 - Att: 8,681
  • 2003 - UNC Asheville 92, Texas Southern 84 (ot) - Att: 7,711
  • 2004 - Florida A&M 72, Lehigh 57 - Att: 7,808
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