Steve Luptak always had a secondary position when he was a basketball player at Munster. The 2007 grad played behind Mike Bizoukas (DePaul) and Aric Van Weelden (Loyola).

It's been said that one day the first will be last and the last will be first.

On Friday, the 6-foot-3 freshman guard will run out with his American University teammates as the 15th seed in the East Regional plays at 11:15 a.m. in the school's first NCAA tournament game. The Eagles face No. 2 Tennessee at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center.

Luptak is the first Munster graduate to play in the NCAA tournament.

"It's been pretty exciting to say the least," Luptak said of American University's run through the Patriot League's tournament, which got coach Jeff Jones' program its automatic bid to March Madness. "It's been a big adjustment balancing athletics and academics. At first I was just trying to bring energy to our practices."

Luptak plays behind Garrison Carr at the shooting guard position. On Dec. 19 at Dayton, Luptak was moved to that backup role. His parents, Ron and Mary, drove to the game in Ohio and watched their son play in front of 11,000 fans. Ten days later, at Georgetown, Luptak nailed a 3-pointer, his first points at the D-I level.

"That was a lot of fun," Luptak said. "It was like I was living a dream."

Learning how the game is played in the Patriot League took a little time. Unlike the ACC where 90 points are expected, 60 points is often enough to win. American beat Colgate 52-46 in the tournament championship game on ESPN.

"Steve was the first one out there for the celebration," Munster coach Mike Hackett said with a laugh. "He's a smart kid. He knows where the cameras are."

Luptak spoke with Hackett this week about the same subject.

"Being on ESPN was a dream come true," Luptak said. "As a kid, I always wanted to be in that position. (Hackett) told me the same thing. That isn't it. I like being the first person off the bench. I do whatever I can to help inspire my teammates."

The Eagles arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday. Luptak is ready for the jump shot or the camera, no matter.

"I'm getting ready to take it all in, the game and the crowd," Luptak said on Tuesday. "I hope to enjoy it the best that I can and we hope to compete with a good team in Tennessee."

Luptak heard from five former Mustang teammates after he was seen on national television, and he's still trying to get back to all the text messages he's received.

"I appreciate the support, I appreciate the help I got along the way," he said. "I would not be here without my coaches and my teammates. Mike Bizoukas pushed me every day in practice to become better. I wouldn't be here without that."