RAMS ARE LIVING THE DREAM
March 21, 2006

KANSAS CITY, MO:  When Texas Wesleyan received its at-large bid for the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament, head coach Terry Waldrop said, “this is every little boy’s dream growing up playing basketball to play for a national championship.”  The Rams are living that dream, making one of the most incredible runs in tournament history.  Tonight, they will play in the NAIA National Championship game, which will be broadcast live on CSTV (DirecTV channel 610, check your local listings).

At 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, they will meet #7 Oklahoma City in the National Championship game held at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO, which is a mere eight hours from Fort Worth.  The Stars are making their fourth appearance in the final; they won the title in 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1996, giving them more NAIA National Championships than any other School.  Meanwhile the Rams are creating their own tradition.  Texas Wesleyan is in uncharted territory making its first appearance in the championship game in the 68-year history of the program.

The Rams entered the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship as the 27th seed in the field of 32.  Only those in and around the team new better.  Their record stood at a respectable 20-9, but they had played the hardest non-conference schedule in the nation according to the Massey Ratings.

They defeated #5 Union University 82-64, and there were murmurs of a first round fluke.  They defeated a very talented Oklahoma Christian University team (seeded 21st), 67-62, in the Sweet 16, and it was written off by many as proving only that it is very hard to beat a team three times in one season.  Then came a 73-70 win over #4 Carroll.  That win, over a team that had won 30 games and lost only three all year, could not be ignored, and people finally began to take notice.  Still the small school from Fort Worth, seeded 27th, was viewed as a heavy underdog amongst the four remaining schools.  Then came a convincing 83-72 win over #8 Oklahoma Baptist, a team that has appeared in more national championship games than any other team in NAIA History.

The fact can no longer be ignored; this is an extremely talented team.  The best that Texas Wesleyan has ever seen.  All of the hours of hard work that the Rams have put in every day this season have culminated in an incredible team effort that has led the Rams on one of the most incredible runs in NAIA Tournament history.

Tonight’s National Championship game will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on CSTV (DirecTV channel 610, check your local listings).  For fans who cannot make the eight hour trip to K.C., and do not get CSTV, many local restaurants, bars, and clubs will be playing the game, including Dos Gringos Restaurant, located at 1015 University Dr. in Fort Worth.