"I've never really liked the play-in game," Eagles coach Fang Mitchell said. "It takes some of the thrill and the joy out of it for the kids, knowing who you're going to play before the 6 o'clock program comes on. It's trial and error, and you learn from things, but I'm definitely not one who is in favor of it."
Despite the outside issues, the game should provide an interesting matchup. Mount St. Mary's (18-14) has had one of the best benches in the country over the past month, with its reserves averaging more than 40 points during the past four games.
And Coppin State has a truly elite player in Tywain McKee, who got the Eagles here with a last-second shot in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game against Morgan State.
"It's scary when you face a player like him, because, on any given night, he can beat you by himself," Brown said. "When he steps on the floor, he's the best player out there."
It was McKee who persuaded Mitchell to put Coppin State's fate in the hands of his senior class, starting all five, a decision he wouldn't regret.
"We had a few cliques on our team," Mitchell said. "But our seniors like one another a lot - they play well together - and so we put it on them."
Mount St. Mary's will counter with sophomore Jeremy Goode, a North Carolina native who is one of the fastest small-college guards in the country. Goode, who desperately wants to play against the Tar Heels in front of friends and family, has energized the Mountaineers' attack with his ability to push the basketball in transition at breakneck speed. Brown, a former point guard at Howard, decided at midseason to turn Goode loose and try to get easy baskets, a decision that turned out to be the catalyst for Mount St. Mary's late-season run.
"We never stopped focusing on defense," Goode said. "We just made a commitment to try and make some easy shots. The more we push, the more opportunities we have."
kevin.vanvalkenburg@baltsun.com
