Tournament MVP Harry Kennedy sinks a 20-footer. (304k avi) | QuickTime (300k)
Mercer's Reggie Elliott makes the sweet driving layup. (479k avi) | QuickTime (474k)
DELAND, Fla. -- Central Florida, a team with a sub-.500 record, earned the first automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Mercer 86-77 Saturday in the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament-championship game.
College of Charleston won the TAAC regular-season championship with a 15-1 league record, but the school is ineligible to earn the league's NCAA Tournament automatic bid until next year.
Junior guard Harry Kennedy scored 20 points to lead Central Florida (11-18 overall, 7-10 TAAC), which were seeded sixth in the TAAC. Central Florida is only the 10th team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.
Kennedy averaged 20.2 points in the tournament and was named Most Valuable Player. Five other Central Florida players reached double-figures Saturday: Eric Riggs, Stacey Castle and Brad Trania had 12 points apiece and Howard Porter and Chris West added 11 each.
The Golden Knights tied a school-record with 12 3-pointers Saturday. They likely will draw a 16th seed and be matched against the nation's No. 1 team, which currently is Kentucky. Central Florida will be appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years under coach Kirk Speraw.
Reggie Elliott led Mercer (15-14, 7-10) with 24 points, but shot just seven for 22 from the field. The Bears made just eight of 36 3-point attempts.
Mercer (15-14), the fifth seed in the TAAC, knocked off top-seeded Florida International 101-76 in the semifinals Friday.
Ironically, this is the second consecutive year a team with a sub-.500 record represents the TAAC in the NCAA Tournament. Florida International qualified last year after winning the conference with an 11-18 record and lost 92-56 in the first round to top-ranked UCLA.
