March Madness Begins For A Team That Almost Wasn't

05:43

March 14, 2017

New Orleans' Matthew Jiles, front, runs to grab the championship trophy after the team defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 68-65 in overtime in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Southland Conference tournament Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Katy, Texas. (Joe Buvid/AP)

The University of New Orleans will appear in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament for the first time in more than 20 years when its team takes on Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday night. But as NPR’s Tom Goldman (@TomGoldmanNPR) tells Here & Now's Robin Young, the school came close to dismantling its basketball team, making tonight's game even more special.

This segment aired on March 14, 2017.

March Madness Begins For A Team That Almost Wasn't

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