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Bucknell coach played last-minute role in 2005 Kansas stunner

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Even after 12 years and countless retellings, Bucknell’s John Griffin gets a jolt from describing how the Bison toppled Kansas in the NCAA tournament.

“A good memory to rehash,” he said.

Now an assistant at his alma mater, Griffin is preparing a new batch of underdogs to face West Virginia during Thursday’s 4-versus-13 NCAA opener.

Among the small-conference teams aiming to play big this week, Bucknell hopes to bust brackets like it did in that enduring 2005 first-round game. Griffin was a freshman guard the night Chris McNaughton’s banked-in hook shot put 14th-seeded Bucknell ahead 64-63 with 10.