(01-30-2023 05:34 PM)_C2_ Wrote: (01-30-2023 04:31 PM)bill dazzle Wrote: Even with the loss of Cincy and Houston, the American will offer seven men's basketball programs that have been fairly respectable over the years: Temple, Charlotte, UAB, Memphis, SMU, Tulsa and Wichita. I'm hoping it averages two bids.
SMU?
And Charlotte and Tulsa haven't been relevant in years, almost decades.
SMU, Charlotte and Tulsa are solid programs (I used the term "fairly respectable" in the previous post). True, they are not nationally relevant like, say, Arkansas. But they each have a decent history and the potential to be competitive and respectable most years. All three have a very legit history with name coaches.
Per Wiki for SMU:
In 104 years of basketball, SMU's record is 1,377–1,237. SMU has reached one Final Four, has made 12 NCAA Tournament Appearances, won 16 Conference Championships, had 11 All-Americans, and 23 NBA Draft selections.
SMU finished the 2016–17 season with a 30–5 record, and won their second conference title in three years. They set the school record for single season wins, and returned to the NCAA Tournament following a postseason ban in the 2015–16 season.
Per Wiki for Tulsa
The team has long been successful, especially since the hiring of Nolan Richardson in 1980. Many big-name coaches previously worked at Tulsa, like University of Kansas coach Bill Self and Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. The Hurricane have been to the NCAA tournament 14 times in their history. In addition, they have won two National Invitation Tournaments, in 1981 and 2001, and one CBI tournament. In 2005, Street & Smith's named the University of Tulsa as the 59th best college basketball program of all time.