Northwestern State Demons basketball
| Northwestern State Demons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Northwestern State University | ||
| First season | 1976 | ||
| All-time record | 584–750 (.438) | ||
| Head coach | Rick Cabrera (1st season) | ||
| Conference | Southland | ||
| Location | Natchitoches, Louisiana | ||
| Arena | Prather Coliseum (Capacity: 3,900) | ||
| Nickname | Demons | ||
| Colors | Purple, white, and orange trim[1] | ||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
| 2006 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 2001, 2006, 2013 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 2001, 2006, 2013 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1922, 1940, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1974, 1975, 2005, 2006 | |||
The Northwestern State Demons basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, United States. The team currently competes in the Southland Conference and The Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times, most recently in 2013.
History[edit]
Mike McConathy era (1999–2022)[edit]
Mike McConathy was hired in 1999. In his first season, the team went 17–13 and finished fourth in the Southland Conference.[2]
In 2001, McConathy led the Demons to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Demons won the first play in game after the NCAA expanded the men's tournament from 64 to 65 teams.[3] The Demons defeated Winthrop in that game,[4][5] before losing to Illinois in the next round.[6]
In 2005, the Demons finished the season 21–12, 13–3 to win the Southland Conference regular season championship.[7] However, the Demons 10-game winning streak was stopped by Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland tournament championship.[8][9]
The Demons would repeat as Southland regular season champions the following year.[10] This time, they defeated Sam Houston State in the Southland tournament championship to earn their second appearance in the NCAA tournament.[11] In the NCAA tournament as a No. 14 seed, the Demons earned one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by beating No. 15-ranked Iowa 64–63 in the first round.[12] Jermaine Wallace hit a three-pointer with less than a second left in the game to give the Demons the victory, their second in NCAA history.[13] The Demons advanced to the second round where they lost to West Virginia 67–54.
After some disappointing seasons where they only finished above .500 twice, the Demons returned to prominence in the 2012–13 season when they went 23–9, 15–3 in Southland play to finish in second place.[14] The Demons defeated Stephen F. Austin to win the Southland tournament championship and earn their third trip to the NCAA tournament.[15][16][17] However, they lost to Florida in the second round (formerly and now known as the first round).[18][19]
Postseason appearances[edit]
NCAA tournament[edit]
The Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–3.[20]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | No. 16 | Opening round first round |
No. 16 Winthrop No. 1 Illinois |
W 71–67 L 54–96 |
| 2006 | No. 14 | First round second round |
No. 3 Iowa No. 6 West Virginia |
W 64–63 L 54–67 |
| 2013 | No. 14 | Second round | No. 3 Florida | L 47–79 |
CIT results[edit]
The Demons have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.[21]
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | First round | UT Martin | L 79–104 |
NAIA tournament[edit]
The Demons have appeared in one NAIA tournament. Their record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | First round Second round |
Millersville Hanover |
W 95–76 L 76–85 |
References[edit]
- ^ 2017 Northwestern State Demons Baseball Media Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ "1999-00 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Play-in Game No Great Prize in Some Minds". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2001-03-13. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State N'westrn St/Winthrop Winthrop Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN". static.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; Northwestern State Advances". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2001-03-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State vs. Illinois Box Score, March 16, 2001 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "McNeese vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 4, 2005 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "SE Louisiana vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 13, 2005 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "2004-05 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "2005-06 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Sam Houston State vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 12, 2006 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State vs. Iowa - Game Recap - March 17, 2006 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "14-seed Northwestern State beats Iowa". The Denver Post. 2006-03-17. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "2012-13 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State Athletics - 2017-18 Demon Basketball Coaching Staff". www.nsudemons.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ Spousta, Tom (2013-03-21). "Northwestern State Takes Top Offense Into Tournament". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State vs. Stephen F. Austin - Game Recap - March 16, 2013 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Florida dominates Northwestern State". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Northwestern State vs. Florida - Game Recap - March 22, 2013 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "NCAA basketball tournament History: Northwestern State Demons - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "Tenn-Martin vs. Northwestern State - Game Summary - March 19, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
