I have to admit I have a soft spot in my heart for La Salle. My oldest brother - the first to go off to college - is an alum.
I distinctly remember him coming home one Christmas and insisting we had to get this weird box to sit on top of our TV. That was our introduction to UHF television - Channel 48 - and the great Quaker City Invitational Tournament.
As you can expect, he was pretty excited this weekend.
Three city teams made it into the NCAA tournament. Only La Salle is still dancing.
The Explorers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a gutty two-point win over Ole Miss. You can read all about it here. It's the first time in more than 50 years La Salle has advanced this far. Actually, the last time the Explorers got this far the tournament didn't even have a Sweet 16.
There is a bit of justice here for La Salle. I have always been of the belief that the greatest team in Big 5 history was that Kenny Durrett-led juggernaut that also featured Larry Cannon, my favorite all-time Big 5 players. That team was not allowed to compete in the tournament because it was placed on probation by the NCAA. They still were ranked the No. 2 team in the nation.
Better rest up, La Salle fans. Your reward for beating Ole Miss is a 10 is a game in Los Angeles Thursday night that will start - start! - after 10 p.m. So much for deadline.
Go Explorers!
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