It was a moment no UNT basketball team had ever experienced, in a season that surely no college basketball program should ever have to endure. But, despite all the challenges that come with a global pandemic, these young men accomplished what no one but themselves thought they could achieve.
The journey really started at the conclusion of the 2020 regular season. The Mean Green were Conference USA regular season champions and poised to not just qualify for the NCAA tournament but possibly make an unprecedented run. They would not get that chance. UNT would have to wait 372 days to get their chance this season and they did not waste it.
The 2021 Conference USA champions had punched their hard-earned ticket to the dance and then advanced past the first round with a 78-69 victory over 4 seed Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament. A game that saw UNT dominate with great defense and amazing guard play.
On Sunday night, March 21st, UNT was matched up against former champion and 5th seeded Villanova at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Mean Green came out hot and led about halfway through the first half before the Wildcats would go on a massive run the remainder of the half that would include a barrage of threes. Villanova would lead 47-27, shooting 60% from the field AND from long range.
The second half would see the Mean Green go on a few runs, only to be answered with more triples from the Wildcats. Villanova had too much firepower and outside of Javion Hamlet's 25 points, the UNT offense struggled. North Texas was outscored by 21 points from beyond the arc. Villanova shot 55% from the field and 50% from three on their way to a 84-61 victory and a date with the 1 seed Baylor Bears in the Sweet Sixteen.
Their magical run had come to an end, but not before putting Mean Green basketball on the map and the rest of the college basketball world on notice. Coach Grant McCasland continues to build something special in Denton and as an alumnus, this season was remarkable and just what we needed in this community after such a taxing and demanding 2020 and start to 2021.
At the end of it all, the North Texas Mean Green were one of the 32 best teams in the nation and that's something to be very proud of and continue to build from. I was so blessed to be able to witness UNT's first tournament appearance in over a decade and to watch these young men make memories that will last a lifetime.
Photo credit: WFAA
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