The bus had become too quiet.
There initially had been plenty of excitement as the newly crowned NEC champion Wagner Seahawks boarded their bus late Tuesday, still enjoying the high from punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 54-47 win over Merrimack.
“We kept calling each other champs,” junior guard Tahron Allen, who led all scorers with 22 points, told The Post on Wednesday. “Everyone kept saying, ‘What’s up, champ?’ ”
Naturally, that high hit a lull during a roughly five-hour drive from North Andover, Mass., to Staten Island, even if they had some hardware and memorabilia to commemorate the moment.
And that’s when head coach Donald Copeland spoke up.
“They needed to see a different side of me. Bus rides are usually quiet, guys are usually sleeping or whatnot. They’re always ready for the games,” Copeland said. “I wanted them to enjoy it and continue to have fun. This was the greatest experience playing-wise.
“I yelled out, ‘It’s too quiet back there.’ ”
That did the trick, as the players reveled once again in their third-straight upset to send them to the NCAA Tournament.
The bus finally arrived back in New York around 3 a.m., and Allen said he didn’t want to go to sleep, although he finally crashed somewhere between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.
He and his teammates didn’t sleep much, the excitement permeating them like children on Christmas as they woke one another with screams Wednesday.
“It definitely feels unreal,” Allen said. “I’m still processing this. The love I’m getting from my school, the family, the people I’ve known since I was young, it’s definitely unreal.”
March Madness is built on these kinds of moments for small programs like Wagner, which now has the chance to have its “One Shining Moment.”
This is the second time Wagner (16-15) has qualified for the NCAA Tournament, last doing so in 2003 when the Seahawks fell in the first round to Pittsburgh as a No. 15 seed.
Wagner defined toughness on its path to a championship, upsetting the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds after going 7-9 in conference play during the regular season.
Oh, and the Seahawks only had seven healthy players, which meant practices did not involve live contact.
But a depleted roster and being the No. 6 seed didn’t deter the Seahawks, who lost several tight games to the conference’s top seeds during the regular season.
Those close losses provided confidence that Wagner could beat the top teams.
“This was always the expectation,” Copeland said. “Those games prepared for us what we faced, these adverse situations. We had been through them and we handled them better.”
The Seahawks downed No. 3 Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals before ousting top-seeded Central Connecticut in the semifinals.
Matched up against second-seeded Merrimack on Tuesday, the Seahawks grabbed a four-point halftime lead and took the lead for good with 5:03 remaining.
“We had to stay disciplined with our plan,” said Allen, who shot 8-for-16 while playing all 40 minutes. “Our motto was stay with each other. We knew it as a game of runs and were playing a great team, it was going to be a tight game. We stuck with each other and trusted in our defense.”
Copeland, 40, called his group tough, even saying that not everyone can play for him. He praised the six injured players for taking on coach-like roles while sidelined.
With its three upsets, Wagner became the first team in NEC history — 43 years — to ever win the conference tournament as a road team in each game.
“You have to be tough mentally and ready to work every day,” Copeland said. “We weren’t going to feel sorry for ourselves.”
This victory carried special meaning for Allen and Copeland as both are from the area.
Copeland, a Jersey City native, starred for St. Anthony’s before heading to Seton Hall, while Allen is from East Flatbush and played for Brooklyn Collegiate.
“To be able to do this in a place like this, it means a lot,” Copeland said. “I try to represent Jersey City. I’m proud to be from this area and from this school. It means a lot more.”
The Seahawks now have at least one week to rest up for the tournament, with ESPN projecting them as a No. 16 seed who will face Stetson in a First Four game.
Allen had not had much of a chance yet to walk around campus, but said those he had run into had shown him love and congratulated him and his teammates on their championship.
He said he plans to get plenty of treatment — one of the drawbacks of having seven players — before Wagner learns its draw Sunday.
“This means a lot. I was always wishing for as a kid and grateful just to continue to be playing in March,” Allen said. “I’m grateful to still play, watch some film and practice.”
Copeland said he’s focusing on how his team is going to practice in these upcoming days, although he’s going to ensure Sunday is a “fun experience” for his players. He wants his team to embrace all the attention that is going to come its way this week.
It’s possible Wagner could have a Round of 64 matchup with reigning national champion UConn, which would provide several interesting storylines.
Both Copeland and UConn coach Danny Hurley played at Seton Hall — Copeland from 2002-06 and Hurley from 1991-96 — and are Jersey City natives who played for Bob Hurley Sr. at St. Anthony’s.
Copeland said his team will embrace whomever it plays.
“It’s just surreal. I didn’t know what it’s supposed to feel like and there’s so many emotions,” he said. “I’m most of all appreciative of being able to experience this. You never know when you can get to this point, so I’m trying to enjoy this as much as I can.
“I want my team, as much as they can, to enjoy it too. They really deserve this.”
