One minute into a phone conversation Wednesday, Johns Hopkins men's basketball coach Bill Nelson had to step away to accept congratulations from a passer-by on the team advancing to its first Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament since 1990.
"It's been busy," Nelson deadpanned.
The compliments have flooded the team's offices, locker room and social media platforms since the No. 15 Blue Jays edged Skidmore, 61-58, Saturday in the second round of the tournament at Goldfarb Gymnasium. Johns Hopkins (25-4) earned the right to play at No. 4 Babson (27-2) in Wellesley, Mass., Friday at 7:30 p.m.
After 25 years and eight tournament appearances, in which the Blue Jays never got out of the second round, the program had finally gotten over the hump.
"It's an awesome feeling," senior forward George Bugarinovic said. "We're just trying to enjoy every moment of it and soak it in. But at the same time, we want to stay focused and try to win two more games this weekend. … We're enjoying living in the moment, but at the same time, we know we have a job to do and we can really focus on enjoying it even more after our season is over."
The Blue Jays are one of two state teams in this year's Division III Sweet 16. The Salisbury women (27-2) face Amherst (25-3) Friday in Montclair, N.J.
The last time Johns Hopkins men made a trip to the Sweet 16, their star player was Andy Enfield, the current head coach at Southern California. They lost to Western Connecticut State in that round, 79-69.
"They were 27-1," Nelson, who is in his 29th year coaching Hopkins, recalled of that Western Connecticut State team. "Andy scored 27 points in that game, but we just came up short. Obviously, I mentioned that to [our current] players, but you don't really have to give them any pep talks because if they can't get excited about this, then they can't get excited."
Being excited but staying poised could be a key in Friday's game against Babson, a team adept at getting to the line and making free throws.
Babson is also ranked seventh in all of Division III in defense, surrendering an average of 58.4 points. Johns Hopkins is slightly behind, ranking 13th at 59.6 points allowed per game, courtesy of a pressing defense that traps to create turnovers and fastbreaks.
Babson also has momentum on its side, having won its past 15 games. But the Blue Jays are 9-1 on the road this season and aren't spooked by the possibility of playing in front of a hostile crowd.
"They're definitely a really good team, but we've played and beaten good teams throughout the year," junior guard Austin Vasiliadis said. "We know that they're a good team, but we also know that we're a really good team as well. We feel like we can compete with anyone in the country. So while we definitely respect them, we feel like we have a great shot at winning."
Johns Hopkins will rely on its senior 1-2 punch of guard Jimmy Hammer and Bugarinovic. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Hammer leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game) and 3-pointers made (72), while the 6-5, 225-pound Bugarinovic ranks second in scoring (13.7) and first in rebounding (7.4).
They are surrounded by a supporting cast that includes 5-11, 180-pound Vasiliadis (5.4 points and 4.7 assists per game) and 6-7, 200-pound sophomore forward Ryan Curran (12.0 points and the team is 22-2 with him in the starting lineup).
With four seniors and six juniors on the roster, the Blue Jays have erased 17-point and 18-point deficits to win games, and they nipped Haverford, 80-78, on Jan. 7 thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Hammer.
"Watching our guys all year, they really do a great job of staying composed," Nelson said. "They're certainly not a cocky team, and they're mentally tough. We've had situations this year when we could have fallen apart. So they never lose confidence."
The players understand the difficulty of reaching the Sweet 16, but they are not content with simply making an appearance.
"With every win that we have, we just keep saying, 'Why not us? Why not us for this next one?'" Bugarinovic said. "We're happy with where we're at, but with the kind of talent that we have, there's no reason for us not to expect to win every game that we're in because we believe that if we play our best, we can play with anyone in the country. So there's no reason for us not to leave everything out there on the floor."