2000–01 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball team

The 2000–01 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball team represented Southern Utah University in the 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Thunderbirds, led by 5th-year head coach Bill Evans, played their home games at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah as members of the Mid-Continent Conference. They finished the season 25–6, 13–3 in Mid-Con play to finish in second place. They defeated Western Illinois, Oral Roberts, and Valparaiso to win the Mid-Con tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament – the first, and only, appearance in program history. Playing as No. 14 seed in the East region, the Thunderbirds were beaten by No. 3 seed Boston College in the opening round.[2]

2000–01 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball
Mid-Continent tournament champions
Mid-Continent Regular season co-champions
ConferenceMid-Continent Conference
Record25–6 (13–3 Mid-Con)
Head coach
Home arenaAmerica First Event Center
Seasons
← 1999–2000
2001–02 →
2000–01 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Valparaiso 13 3   .813 24 8   .750
Southern Utah 13 3   .813 25 6   .806
Youngstown State 11 5   .688 19 11   .633
Missouri-Kansas City 9 7   .563 14 16   .467
Oakland 8 8   .500 12 16   .429
IUPUI 6 10   .375 11 18   .379
Oral Roberts 5 11   .313 10 19   .345
Western Illinois 5 11   .313 5 23   .179
Chicago State 2 14   .125 5 23   .179
2001 Mid-Con Tournament[1] winner

Roster

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2000–01 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F Fred House 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Sr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 17, 2000*
at Arizona State L 72–94  0–1
Wells Fargo Arena 
Tempe, Arizona
Dec 22, 2000*
at Utah W 77–70  8–3
Jon M. Huntsman Center 
Salt Lake City, Utah
Big Sky tournament
Mar 4, 2001*
vs. Western Illinois
Quarterfinals
W 66–53  23–5
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mar 5, 2001*
vs. Oral Roberts
Semifinals
W 73–62  24–5
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mar 6, 2001*
vs. Valparaiso
Championship game
W 62–59  25–5
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 
Fort Wayne, Indiana
NCAA tournament
Mar 15, 2001*
(14 E) vs. (3 E) No. 7 Boston College
First round
L 65–68  25–6
Nassau Coliseum 
Uniondale, New York
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Mountain.

Source[3]

References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 2000-01 Mid-Continent Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "An Escape and an Exhale by the Eagles". The New York Times. March 16, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "2000-01 Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Utah University Athletics. Retrieved July 12, 2023.