LA Tech Notebook: Tucson Regional | Photo Gallery

TUCSON, Ariz. - Why not us? That was the mantra Louisiana Tech's golf team lived by at the Conference USA Championship when the Bulldogs, then ranked 140th in the country, upended No. 38 UAB in the championship match for the school's first conference title in 36 years.

That same mantra -- taken from the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Four Days in October" -- continues in the southwest American desert as the NCAA Regionals begin play Monday morning at The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson.

It is Louisiana Tech's first appearance at the NCAA Regionals in school history (the regional round was implemented in 1989) and just the second NCAA postseason appearance for the program after finishing 18th at the 1969 NCAA Division II Championships. While the Bulldog golf program now has 14 conference titles to its credit, the 2016 championship marks the first a title carried with it an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason.

At face value it will mark a lot of firsts for the team but this team carries a surprising amount of experience for the situation. Senior Victor Lange has been to the NCAA Regionals the last two years as an individual. He also played in the Southwestern Amateur in Arizona last summer, finishing fourth only two strokes back of the champion. And he gets the benefit of traveling with his team this year instead of just himself as an individual.

"This is definitely more special," Lange said of traveling with his teammates instead of by himself. "To finish my college career [with the team] is incredible and it means a lot to me. I've gone to Regionals twice now as an individual and it is tough. You are there all by your lonesome and your coach while all the other teams are there with everybody, basically. It is a tough event to go to by yourself but this year I will have my team with me."

The 2,800-foot elevation of Tucson is half of what the team experienced when it traveled to Albuquerque earlier this season. And the desert atmosphere -- the thirst for water in this part of the country is as great as was the team's want of a conference championship -- has been experienced by the team and individuals alike.

The terrain will be similar to Albuquerque and the Bulldogs practiced in Tucson both Saturday and Sunday. And, most importantly, advancing through the match play semifinals and finals at the C-USA Championship provided critical high-stakes, high-pressure experience for the five members of the team. Jacob Wyatt rallied back from three holes down with four to play to beat C-USA's top-ranked individual. Lange withstood a rally against UAB hours after going to 20 holes to defeat his North Texas opponent. And Ben Robinson sunk a 15-foot putt with the tournament championship on the line.

"I have played in some pretty pressure-packed situations in the past and this was like a whole new level," Robinson said of making that putt. "All I was thinking was how badly we as a team wanted this and if I didn't do this, it would absolutely shatter me. But it was one of the best putts I have ever it under the circumstances. I still can't believe I holed it, to be honest with you."

That high-pressure experience will be needed this week. While the Bulldogs get the gift of no host team having a home course advantage -- the host University of Arizona did not qualify for the NCAA postseason this year -- other challenges remain with five teams ranked in the top 25 making up part of the Tucson Regional field including top-ranked Stanford.

The other challenge for Louisiana Tech will be revenge. Both North Texas and UAB -- teams LA Tech beat in the C-USA match play semifinals and finals, respectively -- were also sent to Tucson. And three other participating teams in the Tucson Regional -- Georgia State, North Florida and St. Mary's -- all got the best of Louisiana Tech earlier this season.

"That [conference championship] is something we can all look back on, if we are struggling down the road," Chuck Spears said. "We can look back and remind ourselves that we can do this because we have done it before."

But the Bulldogs remain undaunted. Golf, more than any other sport, remains one where a team fully controls its own destiny. And with three rounds of stroke play ready to tee off starting Monday, an outright win is not necessary; the top five teams in each region will advance to the NCAA Championships later this month in Oregon.

"We are clicking at just the right time and it is great to see us playing with a high level of confidence," head coach Jeff Jenkins said. "We have shown flashes of greatness throughout the season but now are finally putting it together all at once. It is fun to watch."

Louisiana Tech opens play at 10:15 a.m. CDT/8:15 a.m. MST Monday, paired with Georgia State and North Texas.

Despite the odds -- Louisiana Tech is the No. 12 seed in the 14-team field and has risen 20 spots to 120th in the country -- the team continues to ask, "Why not us?"

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