Northwestern State Demons basketball

History

Mike McConathy era (1999–2022)

Mike McConathy was hired in 1999. In his first season, the team went 17–13 and finished fourth in the Southland Conference.

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. The Demons defeated Winthrop in that game, before losing to Illinois in the next round.

In 2005, the Demons finished the season 21–12, 13–3 to win the Southland Conference regular season championship. However, the Demons 10-game winning streak was stopped by Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland tournament championship.

The Demons would repeat as Southland regular season champions the following year. This time, they defeated Sam Houston State in the Southland tournament championship to earn their second appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA tournament as a No. 14 seed, the Demons earned one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by beating No. 3-ranked Iowa 64–63 in the first round. 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. 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. The Demons defeated Stephen F. Austin to win the Southland tournament championship and earn their third trip to the NCAA tournament. However, they lost to Florida in the round of 64 (then called the second round, which was before 2011 and since 2016 known as the first round).

Postseason appearances

NCAA tournament

The Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–3.

CIT results

The Demons have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.

NAIA tournament

The Demons have appeared in one NAIA tournament. Their record is 1–1.

Notable players

• USAISR D'or Fischer

References

References

1. "1999-00 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results {{!}} College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com".
2. (2001-03-13). "Play-in Game No Great Prize in Some Minds". Los Angeles Times.
3. "Northwestern State N'westrn St/Winthrop Winthrop Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN".
4. (2001-03-14). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; Northwestern State Advances". The New York Times.
5. "Northwestern State vs. Illinois Box Score, March 16, 2001 {{!}} College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com".
6. "McNeese vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 4, 2005 - ESPN".
7. "SE Louisiana vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 13, 2005 - ESPN".
8. "2004-05 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results {{!}} College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com".
9. "2005-06 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results {{!}} College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com".
10. "Sam Houston State vs. Northwestern State - Game Recap - March 12, 2006 - ESPN".
11. "Northwestern State vs. Iowa - Game Recap - March 17, 2006 - ESPN".
12. (2006-03-17). "14-seed Northwestern State beats Iowa". The Denver Post.
13. "2012-13 Northwestern State Demons Schedule and Results {{!}} College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com".
14. "Northwestern State Athletics - 2017-18 Demon Basketball Coaching Staff".
15. Spousta, Tom. (2013-03-21). "Northwestern State Takes Top Offense Into Tournament". The New York Times.
16. "Northwestern State vs. Stephen F. Austin - Game Recap - March 16, 2013 - ESPN".
17. "Florida dominates Northwestern State". SBNation.com.
18. "Northwestern State vs. Florida - Game Recap - March 22, 2013 - ESPN".
19. "NCAA basketball tournament History: Northwestern State Demons - ESPN".
20. "Tenn-Martin vs. Northwestern State - Game Summary - March 19, 2015 - ESPN".