SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Former College of the Canyons guard Andre Murray and his teammates from Portland State will play Kansas in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Portland State is a No. 16 seed in its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament appearance and meet the No. 1 seed Kansas in the Midwest Region on Thursday, March 12.
Murray is the third Cougar to make it to the big dance. In 2000, guard Bryan Finley went with Central Connecticut State University for its first-ever berth, but lost in the first round to Iowa State, 88-78. Nick Sanderson went with Brigham Young University twice in 1992 and 1993. The Cougars lost in 1992 in the first round, 94-83, to a Louisiana State University team that boasted Shaquille O’Neal. In 1993, BYU got past Southern Methodist, 80-71, but eventually fell to Kansas, 90-76, in the second round.
Murray, a junior at Portland State, and his squad earned an automatic bid after defeating Northern Arizona, 67-51, in the Big Sky Tournament on Wednesday, March 12 at The Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. Starter Murray had 13 points in the game, after going 4-of-7 from the field in 24 minutes of play against Northern Arizona.
The 6-foot-2-inch Cleveland High School graduate is the third-leading scorer for the Vikings with 9.2 ppg. He has started 21 of the 31 games for Portland State.
The Vikings (23-9) will take on Big 12 Conference champions Kansas (31-3) on Thursday, March 20 at 9:25 a.m. PST in Omaha, Neb. |