Wagner’s March Madness loss should not mar magical season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They were never going to win, but that was never the point.
Tiny Wagner was never going to be able to beat mighty North Carolina. Not with seven players. Not with 11 players. Not with half of Staten Island on the roster.
But the fact that the Wagner season was still in play Thursday afternoon at the Spectrum Center was more the point.
For the better part of the past month, the Wagner Basketball Seven and their resilient, energizing coach, Donald Copeland Jr., have been like the boxer who keeps getting knocked down, refuses to stay down and keeps getting up for more.
Thursday’s NCAA Tournament first-round, 90-62 loss to North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the West, was a microcosm of that.
The Seahawks, 24.5-point underdogs, trailed by just 12 points midway through the second half before two months of playing with seven players caught up with them, and North Carolina’s depth, athleticism and talent combined to turn the game into a much more lopsided final result than the game really was.
The fact is, Wagner’s will kept North Carolina from putting it into the rearview mirror until late in the second half, which is much longer than the Tar Heels hoped and expected it to take.
Wagner basketball, the 2023-24 version of it, refused to die … until its magical, history-making season was finally officially pronounced dead at the sound of Thursday’s final horn.
The Tar Heels improved to 28-7 and earned themselves a second-round matchup against Michigan State on Saturday at the Spectrum Center.
Wagner ended its season at 17-16.
By all rights, Wagner’s season should have been over earlier this month. On March 2, after a 57-54 home loss to FDU, its fourth loss in five games, the Seahawks finished the regular season at 13-15 and looked likely poised to be one-and-done in the Northeast Conference tournament.
The Seahawks, down to just seven healthy players because of injuries, were depleted. They hadn’t conducted a full practice since two days after Christmas for fear of getting one of their remaining healthy players injured.
Yet they mowed through the NEC Tournament, winning three games on the road — at No. 3 seed Sacred Heart, at No. 1 seed Central Connecticut and at defending-champion and No. 2 seed Merrimack.
It’s been a record-setting run for Wagner. Tuesday’s First Four win over Howard was its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.Â
The inside of the Wagner locker room was quiet and somber in the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s loss. But the accomplishments of this short-handed group were not lost on them.
“We made history at the end of the day,’’ Wagner guard Julian Brown told The Post after leading the Seahawks with 18 points. “Why can’t we be happy about that? I know we lost, but we definitely did make history. It probably won’t ever be done again with seven guys. So, we’ll enjoy the moment.’’
They should.
“These guys were here because they feel they belong here,’’ Copeland said. “I was happy for them to be able to compete in this atmosphere [18,223 fans with approximately 18,000 of them rooting for North Carolina]. And I was really proud the way they competed. Obviously, what we’ve gone through all year isn’t ideal, but we expected to play well, we expected to win the game. We didn’t, but I’m glad the way we played.’’
As the second half wore on, Wagner looked worn out. The Seahawks simply had no answers for North Carolina’s talent and depth. Wagner, after cutting the deficit to 60-48 with 10 minutes remaining, finally looked gassed. Then the bottom fell out for the Seahawks — for the game and for their season — as the Tar Heels ended the game on a 33-13 run.
Wagner’s top player, Melvin Council Jr. — who was the unquestioned star in the win over Howard with 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists — struggled to get shots to go down Thursday, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting.
Defensively, Wagner could not stop North Carolina big man Armando Bacot, who scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds. Tar Heels guard RJ Davis got hot in the second half and led all scorers with 22 points, thanks to making four of seven from 3-point range. Charlotte native Jae’Lyn Withers came off the bench and hurt Wagner with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The perfect illustration of what Wagner was up against was stated clearly on the stat sheet in three categories: The Tar Heels outrebounded the Seahawks, 43-24, outscored them 26-6 in bench points and 48-20 in the paint.
Still, Wagner left Charlotte a proud group.
“We accomplished a lot … more than what anyone expected of us,’’ Wagner guard Tahron Allen said.
“This is what everybody dreams,’’ Wagner guard Javier Ezquerra said. “Every kid that plays basketball wants to play at this level.’’
Copeland said this run, which put Wagner basketball on the map, “definitely gives the program something to continue to strive for and hopefully try to get better’’ in the future.
“Because you have to get better,’’ he said. “You can’t just do it the same way. It’s good to finally get this done and now raise expectations.’’
