Joseph brothers will face off in SU-Vermont clash

BUFFALO — What are the odds that two kids growing up in Montreal would make the NCAA Tournament, let alone play against each other in a first-round game?

And what if they were brothers, and may possibly guarding each other in certain situations?

"Pretty amazing, huh?" said SU sophomore forward Kris Joseph, who will be sitting on the opposite bench to his brother, Vermont senior Maurice Joseph, when the teams play an NCAA first-round game tonight. "It's something we dreamed about on the playground back home. But you never expect it to become a reality."

Kris Joseph, three years younger than his sibling, burst onto the scene this season by earning Big East Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors. He is Syracuse's third-leading scorer, has played more minutes than all but three teammates, and has become one of the most valuable performers off the bench in the entire country.

Maurice, who began his career at Michigan State but transferred to Vermont for the 2007-08 season, is the Catamounts' third-leading scorer (14.1 ppg.), is a co-captain and a third-team All-America East performer.

The brothers said they couldn't be happier for each other.

"I know he's gone through a lot," Kris said of Maurice. "He didn't have a good experience at Michigan State, and he wanted to be closer to home. Vermont is now his second home, and he loves it there."

Said Maurice: "I knew Kris would become a great player because of his work ethic. He worked so hard over the summer to improve his entire game. And then when he got the opportunity this season, he contributed in a big way."

Kris Joseph is a slasher, an athletic 6-foot-7 swingman who is most effective going to the basket.

The two have texted and "tweeted" each other constantly since the announcement Sunday that they both would be in Buffalo.

But as Maurice said, "when the game starts, it will be Syracuse against Vermont, not me against Kris."

The two have spent much of week trying to come up with enough tickets for family and friends. "We'll have about 12 core family here, and others are still trying to get tickets," Maurice said.

LONERGAN AN SU FAN

Fifth-year Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan is a long-time admirer of Syracuse and was a huge fan of the Orange growing up in Washington, D.C.

"Pearl Washington was my all-time favorite college player," said Lonergan, who attended Archbishop Carroll High School in the nation's capital. "And Sherman Douglas and Lawrence Moten, two of their all-time greats, attended my high school. I was an Orange fan before anything else."

One of his first jobs was an assistant to the late Jack Bruen at Colgate. Lonergan said that when he worked at Colgate, "I'd often sneak up to the Carrier Dome to catch Syracuse-Georgetown games. They were such epic battles."

Bruen, who died of pancreatic cancer after leading Colgate to three consecutive NCAA appearances, was "like a father-figure to me. He was probably the best least-known coach in the country. And he taught me almost everything I know as a coach."

Lonergan led his alma mater, Catholic University, to seven consecutive NCAA Division III Tournaments prior to taking an assistant's job at Maryland under Gary Williams.

"To be here today, and having a chance to experience the NCAA Tournament as a coach is one of my dreams come true," he said. "I feel truly blessed."

ZAGS GO ANYWHERE

Give Gonzaga coach Mark Few credit. His team will go anywhere and play anybody to improve its NCAA Tournament résumé and seeding.

The Zags, who take on Florida State in tonight's 8/9 game at HSBC Arena, have hit the road for places such as East Lansing, Mich. (Michigan State), Hawaii (Maui Invitational), New York City (Aeropostale Classic vs. Duke), Champaign, Ill. (Illinois) and Memphis, Tenn. (University of Memphis) in search of quality opponents.

And now, they have left the friendly confines of Spokane, Wash., to jet some 2,300 miles to Western New York for their 12th straight NCAA tournament appearance.

"I think it helps us learn a lot about ourselves and it prepares us for almost anything," Few said. "We have a lot of time to bond and be with each other, and it helps to expand the chemistry between us."

Gonzaga probably blew a chance to play at the Spokane site when the Zags lost to St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference title game.

"To be honest with you," Few said, "it was probably better for us to leave town. There would have been a ton of distractions."