Barry Hinson can still close his eyes and picture himself in the basement of his home with a CBS camera crew and his team sitting around him. They were watching the 2006 NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
The day started with a practice full of energy and excitement. The Bears, with the No. 21 RPI in the country, were, in Hinson’s mind, a lock to make it to the big dance for the first time since 1999.
The Bears' resume was too good to ignore. They didn’t have a bad loss that season and no team in the history of the tournament with that good of an RPI had ever been left out of the dance.