University of North Texas Athletics
George's Gems: 2007 Sun Belt Tournament Victory
2/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
To commemorate the final broadcast on the Mean Green Radio Network for play-by-play man George Dunham, we're taking a look back at some of the greatest moments in Dunham's career as the voice of the Mean Green.
Entering the 2006-07 season, North Texas men's basketball had gone 28 years since its last 20-win season and 18 years since its one and only berth in the NCAA tournament. Those droughts ended in at the Sun Belt Tournament in Lafayette, La.
The Mean Green got off to a strong start, and stood at 11-3 entering the meat of the Sun Belt schedule. But North Texas struggled in league play, finishing the regular season 19-10 overall, and entered the conference post-season tournament as the No. 5 seed.
But North Texas got hot at the right time. It crushed ULL in the opening round in Denton, 93-78, then headed to Lafayette to face fourth-seeded Louisiana-Monroe. Behind 19 points from Calvin Watson and a double-double from Quincy Williams, North Texas out-lasted Monroe in overtime, 77-71.
Up next in the semifinals was Middle Tennessee, fresh off an upset of top-seeded South Alabama. Guard Ben Bell's 15 points and five assists and a tremendous defensive effort sent North Texas to a 59-52 win and a place in the championship game.
In the final against second-seeded Arkansas State, five Mean Green players scored in double figures, led by 24 points from Watson, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In a tight, back-and-forth game, North Texas took control late and earned an 83-75 victory, as called on the Mean Green Radio Network by play-by-play man George Dunham.
The win gave North Texas its first Sun Belt Conference championship, set a school record for most wins in a season with 23, and sent the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988.
