After defining March 'madness' a year ago, Arizona's Townsend excited for more

Before he helped 14th-seeded Oakland shock Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament’s first round last season, Trey Townsend thought he knew what to expect.

Longtime Oakland coach Greg "Kampe said before the season even started that this tournament is nothing like you could ever imagine, and once we got here that was true," Townsend said then. "It lived up to the hype."

For Townsend and the Golden Grizzlies, it might have been more than that. It might have even transcended sports and ventured into geography.

Oakland’s 2024 NCAA Tournament journey, a win over third-seeded Kentucky and just a six-point loss to eventual Final Four participant N.C. State in the second round, might have educated a few people about where their campus actually is.

That Oakland is also a suburban county north of Detroit, not just a city on the West Coast.

“I think people now hopefully will know that we're not in California and we're from Michigan,” Townsend said then. “I always wanted to come here and hang banners and make these memories and put Oakland on the map. And to say that we did that, it's such a special thing and I'm just so happy for my guys. To do it with this group of guys, it was that much more special.”

A year later, Townsend is living a nearly upside-down NCAA Tournament experience. He’s now part of the No. 4 seed Arizona team, with an assignment to face No. 13 seed Akron in the first round.

Townsend knows a lower-seeded team can win, having collected 17 points and 12 rebounds against Kentucky, and he knows how that sort of win can create waves all across college basketball.

That name March Madness? Townsend was literally involved with the Madness part of it.

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“We came in as a 14 seed, so it was a little different feel,” Townsend said. “But to me, it's all the same. It's just super exciting. No matter what seed (you have), just to be a part of an event like this, is something not everyone that plays college basketball gets to experience.

“To be able to do it as a higher seed, it does add a little pressure, but it just makes it that much more exciting.”

Townsend's perspective could help the Wildcats. Only forward Henri Veesaar remains from the UA team that was upset by 15th-seeded Princeton in the 2023 NCAA Tournament’s first round, and Townsend said he would press the importance of not underestimating anyone to his UA teammates.

“One hundred percent,” Townsend said. “It is March and anything can happen, especially nowadays. You know any team can beat anybody. You don't want to overlook anyone. That's when you start to kind of face those problems if you are thinking about what's ahead.”

To some extent, the Wildcats have already learned some lessons about not underestimating anybody or anything. They started out the season at 4-5, losing to Oklahoma and West Virginia on successive days in the Bahamas, and blowing a 14-point lead in a loss to UCLA on Dec. 14.

“We've learned from our beginning-of-the-season struggles to never underestimate any opponent, but just playing like it is your last game,” Townsend said. “Because really, now that we're here, every time we step on the court, it could be the last time. So it’s just playing every team like they’re the one seed.”

At the same time, Townsend says he wants his Arizona teammates to enjoy the ride, just as he did already.

“It took four years for me to finally get there, so the biggest thing for me is I just want them to enjoy the experience,” Townsend said. “It really is such a special thing, like everyone says. Once you're there playing in it, you see everything. There's nothing like it.”