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1995–96 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team

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1995–96 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball
SoCon South division champions
SoCon tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First round
ConferenceSouthern Conference
DivisionSouth
Record17–13 (10–4 SoCon)
Head coach
  • Phil Hopkins (1st season)
Assistant coachThad Matta (1st season)
Home arenaRamsey Center
Seasons
← 1994–95
1996–97 →
1995–96 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
North
Davidson 14 0   1.000 25 5   .833
VMI 10 4   .714 18 10   .643
Marshall 8 6   .571 17 11   .607
East Tennessee State 3 11   .214 7 20   .259
Appalachian State 3 11   .214 8 21   .276
South
Western Carolina 10 4   .714 17 13   .567
Chattanooga 9 5   .643 15 12   .556
Furman 6 8   .429 10 17   .370
The Citadel 5 9   .357 10 16   .385
Georgia Southern 2 12   .143 3 23   .115
SoCon Tournament winner
As of April 30, 1996
Rankings from AP poll

The 1995–96 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team represented Western Carolina University during the 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Catamounts, led by first-year head coach Phil Hopkins, played their home games at the Ramsey Center and were members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 17–13, 10–4 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for first place. They defeated Appalachian State, VMI, and Davidson to capture the SoCon tournament title to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament – the first, and only, appearance in program history. Playing as No. 16 seed in the West region, Western Carolina was narrowly beaten by No. 1 seed Purdue, 73–71,[1] in the opening round.[2]

Roster

[edit]
1995–96 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 24 Anquell McCollum 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sr Fayetteville, NC
Head coach
  • Phil Hopkins
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference Regular season
Nov 29, 1995*
at Georgia L 71–91  0–3
Stegeman Coliseum 
Athens, Georgia
Dec 6, 1995*
at Tennessee L 51–63  0–5
Thompson-Boling Arena 
Knoxville, Tennessee
Dec 20, 1995*
at No. 20 Duke L 67–107  1–6
Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, North Carolina
Jan 2, 1996*
at NC State L 71–102  1–7
Reynolds Coliseum 
Raleigh, North Carolina
Jan 13, 1996*
at Georgia Tech L 78–91  3–8
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 
Atlanta, Georgia
SoCon Regular season
Jan 15, 1996
at Chattanooga L 70–84  3–9
(0–1)
UTC Arena 
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Feb 26, 1996
Appalachian State W 91–72  14–12
(10–4)
Ramsey Center 
Cullowhee, North Carolina
SoCon tournament
Mar 1, 1996*
vs. Appalachian State
Quarterfinals
W 74–66  15–12
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, North Carolina
Mar 2, 1996*
vs. VMI
Semifinals
W 97–93  16–12
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, North Carolina
Mar 3, 1996*
vs. Davidson
Championship game
W 69–60  17–12
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, North Carolina
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1996*
(16 W) vs. (1 W) No. 4 Purdue
First round
L 71–73  17–13
University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NO. 1 SEED PURDUE EKES PAST WESTERN CAROLINA". The Deseret News. March 14, 1996. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Almost famous: 27 years ago, Western Carolina head coach Phil Hopkins fell short against No. 1 Purdue". ESPN. March 18, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "1995-96 Men's Basketball Schedule". Western Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved July 7, 2023.