Saturday, March 13
Frisco, TX
8 P.M.
University of North Texas
-179,95 CUSA
61
vs
57
Western Kentucky
-207,113 CUSA
1
2
OT 1
F
North Texas
34
14
13
61
Western Ky.
23
25
9
57
Conference Champions
3/13/2021 9:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FRISCO — The North Texas men's basketball team won the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Saturday after beating WKU 61-57 in overtime in the finals.
With the win, the Mean Green earn an automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It's their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
"When you have to win four games in four days and the last one is against a program like Western Kentucky who we have the utmost respect for as a team, as a staff and as a program with history, we knew it was going to be a fight," said head coach Grant McCasland. "We came here, despite losing three straight and having to win four games in four day, with the expectation we were going to win. So we're going to go to the NCAA Tournament with the expectation to win."
North Texas (17-9) won the title Saturday a little over a year after winning the league regular season championship and entering last season's conference tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. But due to the pandemic, they never got that opportunity.
Saturday, the Mean Green brought it all together and accomplished what they set out to over a year ago.
However it wouldn't be easy and took the help and leadership of some newcomers to the squad stepping up in the biggest moment.
"We told ourselves a year ago we were going to go dancing," said senior Zachary Simmons."We've all been through a lot in the last year but this feels great."
UNT pounced on WKU (20-7) on Saturday The Mean Green jumped out to a 17-0 lead tn the game's first six minutes.
With the eventual C-USA Tournament MVP Javion Hamlet driving the ship, UNT carried a double-digit lead for all of the first half after shooting 60 percent from the floor and 71 percent from deep.
But WKU wouldn't go away.
"We knew they were going to come back," McCasland said. "They're far too talented and hungry to just roll over. We knew that. And I knew our team was tired. But we also knew it didn't matter if we were down by a couple we just had to keep believing we could win."
And trailing by a couple points is where North Texas found themselves late in the second half.
With three minutes remaining, the Hilltoppers were up seven points and looking as if they were going to spoil the Mean Green's chances. But UNT had another run in them.
"No one believes in his team, in himself, in us more than Javion," McCasland said. "He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around because he believes."
North Texas ended regulation on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a Mardrez McBride game-tying 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.
In overtime, UNT missed just one shot. They were perfect at the free throw line. And despite missing his first six 3-point attempts in the game, in overtime senior Thomas Bell sank a momentum shifting 3-pointer that gave UNT a lead it would hang on to for the rest of the game.
The final dagger came 13 seconds remaining when Hamlet swished a left-handed mid-range floater to seal the victory.
"There was never a doubt in any of their eyes that they were going to win this," McCasland said. "Even when we blew a 17-point lead. They were in the huddle supporting one another and being confident that we were right there."
Hamlet led all scorers Saturday with 20 points. He was voted the C-USA Championship MVP after averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
Along with Hamlet, senior Zachary Simmons was named to the five-man all-tournament team. He averaged 10.7 points per game and shot conference tournament best .656 percent from the field.
UNT is the first team to win the C-USA Championship title by winning four games in four days since Houston in 2010. They'll find out who they are playing in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT during the 2021 Selection Sunday show on CBS.
Stay tuned for more information on the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
With the win, the Mean Green earn an automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It's their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
"When you have to win four games in four days and the last one is against a program like Western Kentucky who we have the utmost respect for as a team, as a staff and as a program with history, we knew it was going to be a fight," said head coach Grant McCasland. "We came here, despite losing three straight and having to win four games in four day, with the expectation we were going to win. So we're going to go to the NCAA Tournament with the expectation to win."
North Texas (17-9) won the title Saturday a little over a year after winning the league regular season championship and entering last season's conference tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. But due to the pandemic, they never got that opportunity.
Saturday, the Mean Green brought it all together and accomplished what they set out to over a year ago.
However it wouldn't be easy and took the help and leadership of some newcomers to the squad stepping up in the biggest moment.
"We told ourselves a year ago we were going to go dancing," said senior Zachary Simmons."We've all been through a lot in the last year but this feels great."
UNT pounced on WKU (20-7) on Saturday The Mean Green jumped out to a 17-0 lead tn the game's first six minutes.
With the eventual C-USA Tournament MVP Javion Hamlet driving the ship, UNT carried a double-digit lead for all of the first half after shooting 60 percent from the floor and 71 percent from deep.
But WKU wouldn't go away.
"We knew they were going to come back," McCasland said. "They're far too talented and hungry to just roll over. We knew that. And I knew our team was tired. But we also knew it didn't matter if we were down by a couple we just had to keep believing we could win."
And trailing by a couple points is where North Texas found themselves late in the second half.
With three minutes remaining, the Hilltoppers were up seven points and looking as if they were going to spoil the Mean Green's chances. But UNT had another run in them.
"No one believes in his team, in himself, in us more than Javion," McCasland said. "He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around because he believes."
North Texas ended regulation on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a Mardrez McBride game-tying 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.
In overtime, UNT missed just one shot. They were perfect at the free throw line. And despite missing his first six 3-point attempts in the game, in overtime senior Thomas Bell sank a momentum shifting 3-pointer that gave UNT a lead it would hang on to for the rest of the game.
The final dagger came 13 seconds remaining when Hamlet swished a left-handed mid-range floater to seal the victory.
"There was never a doubt in any of their eyes that they were going to win this," McCasland said. "Even when we blew a 17-point lead. They were in the huddle supporting one another and being confident that we were right there."
Hamlet led all scorers Saturday with 20 points. He was voted the C-USA Championship MVP after averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
Along with Hamlet, senior Zachary Simmons was named to the five-man all-tournament team. He averaged 10.7 points per game and shot conference tournament best .656 percent from the field.
UNT is the first team to win the C-USA Championship title by winning four games in four days since Houston in 2010. They'll find out who they are playing in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT during the 2021 Selection Sunday show on CBS.
Stay tuned for more information on the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Team Stats
UNT
WestKy
FG%
.393
.340
3FG%
.364
.273
FT%
.900
.850
RB
36
33
TO
15
16
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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