Jan. 12, 2010
Center Valley, Pa. - More than 300 fans voted on the most memorable story of the last decade in the Patriot League, and over half of them agreed that Bucknell's upset of Kansas in the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament first round was the most significant news event in the League's second decade.
The upset win was selected by 156 of 310 voters, good for a 50.3 percent clip to run away with the honor over 11 other choices. The 64-63 victory was chosen as the 2005 ESPY Award winner for Best Upset in all sports, and recently was selected as the No. 3 college basketball upset of the decade in an article by SI.com.
After winning their first-ever Patriot League title in a 61-57 victory on the road at Holy Cross, the Bison entered the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed with little expectation against the No. 3-seeded and national power Jayhawks. But the Bison hung tough throughout against Kansas, and held the Jayhawks without a field goal for the final 8:44 of the contest played in Oklahoma City. Trailing by one, Chris McNaughton's jump hook in the lane with 10.5 seconds remaining stood as the game-winning basket as the Bison prevailed by a point. It was the first-ever win for a Patriot League men's basketball team in the NCAA Tournament, and marked the biggest upset of the 2005 first round.
The Bison fell to No. 6 seed Wisconsin, 71-62, in the second round to cap a 24-9 campaign.
Football and men's basketball stories finished in the top five spots in the voting. Placing second was Colgate's run to the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA national title game, where the Raiders took down Massachusetts, Western Illinois and Florida Atlantic on their march to the championship game against Delaware. Also, running back Jamaal Branch was named that year's Walter Payton Award winner, given to the most outstanding player in the nation.
Finishing in a tie for third place in the voting was Holy Cross becoming the first three-time Patriot League champion in men's basketball from 2001-03 and Lafayette defeating Lehigh with the League football title on the line for three consecutive seasons from 2004-06. And Bucknell men's basketball also claimed the fifth-place position in the voting, as the Bison reached the top 25 and defeated Arkansas in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The full voting results are included below. Voting was conducted online at www.patriotleague.org from Dec. 18-Jan. 11, with 12 choices available and voters selecting just their top pick for the following question: What was the most memorable story of the last decade in the Patriot League?
1. 2005 - No. 14 seed Bucknell upsets No. 3 Kansas in NCAA Men's Basketball First Round - 50.3% (156 of 310 votes)
2. 2003 - Colgate advances to FCS Championship game, Branch wins Payton Award - 11.6% (36 votes)
3. 2001-03 - Holy Cross Becomes First Three-Time Champion in Men's Basketball - 8.4% (26 votes)
2004-06 - Lafayette Beats Lehigh with Patriot League Football title on the line for three straight years - 8.4% (26 votes)
5. 2006 - Bucknell reaches top 25, beats Arkansas in NCAA Men's Basketball First Round - 5.5% (17 votes)
6. 2004 - Navy advances to NCAA Championship in Men's Lacrosse, falling to Syracuse by one goal - 4.2% (13 votes)
7. 2001 - American enters Patriot League as full member, Georgetown joins in football - 3.2% (10 votes)
8. 2009 - Lehigh advances to Regional Final of NCAA Softball Tournament - 2.6% (8 votes)
2001 - Patriot League begins offering merit aid in the fall to all sports except football (basketball had already been offering merit aid) - 2.6% (8 votes)
10. 2008-09 - Bucknell Knocks off No. 4 Florida State, Army advances to Regional Final of NCAA Baseball Tournaments - 1.9% (6 votes)
11. 2006 - Lehigh to Round of 16, Bucknell to Second Round of NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament - 1.0% (3 votes)
12. 2004 - Women's Rowing Added as 23rd Patriot League Sport - .3% (1 vote)