UAF set to open 2004 BP TOWC against UCF

Submitted by Dave Geringer
Phone: 6807
11/17/04

All the preparations have been made, and it’s time for action as the tournament that everyone in Fairbanks has been waiting for gets underway.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ men’s basketball team will open the 2004 BP Top of the World Classic when they play Central Florida at 6 p.m. Thursday evening at the Carlson Center.

UAF Head Coach Frank Ostanik has been involved in the tournament for eight years as an assistant coach, but he says being a head coach in the tournament is a different story. "This is the biggest event of the year,"? said Ostanik. "It’s a whole different thing being in the tournament as a head coach as opposed to being an assistant coach. It’s exciting, we get to play at a different venue, and the excitement is incredible. You want to play so well, and you want to win so badly, because you know how much hard work has gone into making this tournament a success. You want to reward the town by playing well."?

The Nanooks won the tournament in 2002, becoming the only NCAA Division II team to win a Division I tournament. Last year, UAF won for the first time in an odd-numbered year, defeating Texas-San Antonio in the first round. Each year, the Nanooks must adjust to the Carlson Center, as they usually play their games in the Patty Center on campus. Ostanik said that the adjustment is not a tough one.

"You would think it could be difficult, but it’s usually not,"? said Ostanik. "We’ve always played well at the Carlson Center. Our kids seem to make the adjustment easily. It’s always easier to adjust when you have more talent."?

While the Nanooks must adjust to a different venue, the other seven teams must travel a long distance, and deal with colder temperatures than they are used to.

"?It’s a huge advantage,"? said Ostanik. "They have to travel and come here, to a different climate, while you’re sleeping in your own beds. It does give you an advantage, but it doesn’t make the other team any shorter. They will still be bigger, faster and stronger."?

Central Florida went 25-6 last season, winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time under Head Coach Kirk Speraw. UCF was picked to finish first in the pre-season A-Sun media poll, and was forecast to finish third in the coaches’ poll. "Central Florida is very well coached, very physical, and defense-oriented,"? said Ostanik. "They execute their offense very well. The toughest thing for us in the tournament is always scoring. Even when we win, it seems like the games are always tough, low-scoring affairs. There isn’t much open space when you play against these teams, and it’s hard to go by people easily. If you have someone who can knock down a 24-foot shot, it’s a tremendous advantage."?

Ostanik knows that each game in the tournament will be a tough one. "In order to be successful, we have to rebound, we have to make our shots, and we have to stay out of foul trouble,"? said Ostanik. "We have a smaller margin for error when we play against teams that are athletically gifted."?

The tournament seems to be wide open. "This is the most even field I’ve ever seen,"? said Ostanik. "Everybody asked me who the favorite is, and I don’t really know. Western Michigan, Georgia Southern, Utah State and Northwestern are all very good, and Central Florida is very physical. It should be a great tournament."?