North Texas: 2025 New Mexico Bowl Champions

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – Eric Morris guided North Texas to a host of milestones in what turned out to be his final season at North Texas.

North Texas: 2022-23 National Invitation Tournament Champions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kai Huntsberry scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, Tylor Perry scored 14 of his 20 after halftime and North Texas beat fellow Conference USA foe UAB 68-61 on Thursday night to claim the program's first NIT championship.

It was the fourth NIT championship game to feature conference opponents — and the first in 20 years. Conference USA is now 18-2 in the NCAA postseason — with Charlotte winning the College Basketball Invitational title and FAU advancing to the Final Four.

Perry, the conference player of the year and NIT MVP, made a steal and a 3-pointer on a fast break to give North Texas the lead for good at 55-53 with 6:22 remaining. Aaron Scott extended it to 61-55 after making a high-arching layup and a jumper.

UAB guard Jordan Walker was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining and he made two free throws to get within 63-59. North Texas had two shots on its next possession after an offensive rebound and Perry sank a jumper.

After UAB made two more free throws with 49.6 seconds left, Perry dribbled down the clock and hit a step-back jumper, with a foot on the 3-point line, for a 68-61 lead. UAB missed a 3-pointer and Huntsberry was fouled at 13.2 before securing it at the line.

North Texas won its second NCAA postseason championship under sixth-year head coach Grant McCasland. The Mean Green won the 2018 CBI title in his first season in Denton.

Scott finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for North Texas (31-7), which set a program record for wins in a season.

Walker scored 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting for UAB (29-10), which was in the NIT title game for the first time in program history. KJ Buffen added 11 points.

Javian Davis converted a three-point play with 12:43 left in the second half for UAB's first lead, 47-45, since it was 15-14. The Mean Green scored 22 of the first 30 second-half points.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the teams — with North Texas winning two regular-season meetings before a matchup in the conference tournament semifinals.

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Conference USA: 2021 Men's Basketball Champions

FRISCO, Texas -- — Javion Hamlet scored six of his 20 points after regulation, including the go-ahead basket with 13.9 seconds left, and North Texas beat Western Kentucky 61-57 in overtime on Saturday night to win the Conference USA Tournament title game.

The Mean Green (17-9) earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament, their first since winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2010.

Mardrez McBride added 13 points and Zachary Simmons 12 for North Texas.

WKU's Jordan Rawls hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in OT and there were three lead changes and three ties before Hamlet's left-handed runner in the lane made it 59-57. Thomas Bell blocked a potential tying layup attempt by Taveion Hollingsworth with four seconds left before James Reese made two free throws to cap the scoring.

Josh Anderson scored 14 points and Charles Bassey added 13 points and 11 rebounds for WKU (20-7).

The Mean Green jumped to a 17-0 lead about five minutes into the game as WKU missed its first eight shots, and McBride hit a 3-pointer to give the Mean Green a 10-point lead with 15 minutes left in the second half. But Anderson answered with a jumper before Bassey scored nine straight points to spark a 19-2 run that gave WKU a 48-41 lead — its first of the game — about 12 minutes later after Anderson capped the spurt with six consecutive points.

The Hilltoppers, who fell to 23-7 all-time against North Texas, used a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by McBride to close regulation and force OT.

Western Kentucky has lost each of the last three C-USA title games, falling to Marshall in 2018 and Old Dominion in 2019. The 2020 conference tournament was canceled after the first round due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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North Texas: 2018 College Basketball Invitational Champions

DENTON, Texas -- Roosevelt Smart has led North Texas all season, so it was no surprise that he was the most valuable player in the deciding Game 3 of the College Basketball Invitational finals.

Smart, a sophomore who set UNT records for points and 3-point field goals this season, scored 25 points and made all 14 of his free throws in an 88-77 win over San Francisco on Friday night. The Mean Green were 32 for 43 from the line.

Smart said the free-throw success was no accident.

"Practice, really," he said. "After practice, we do this free-throw drill and got to make free throws."

The Mean Green trailed only once in the first half. They didn't panic when USF pulled within a point at 52-51 with 9:33 to play.

"We calmed down," UNT's A.J. Lawson said. "The season showed that we matured over time. In that situation, we could close a game just by calming down, passing the ball and hitting the open guy. Nobody tried to do anything spectacular and be a superhero."

First-year North Texas coach Grant McCasland called a timeout and set up a play for an unlikely player, Michael Miller.

"Mike was playing limited to no minutes at times, and all of sudden he steps in and makes some of the biggest shots," McCasland said. "I drew up a play for Mike. He went and caught it and got the basket."

Four of Smart's points came during an 8-1 run in the second half after USF rallied within 52-51. Smart made two free throws and then added two more when San Francisco coach Kyle Smith drew a technical foul.

"He loves to play, and he's a fantastic teammate," McCasland said.

The Mean Green lost the opener in the best-of-three matchup but won 69-55 Wednesday to set up the championship game.

They had lost seven of eight games before receiving their CBI bid.

The players, who had been planning for their spring break, won five of six in the tournament.

Frankie Ferrari led the Dons (22-17) with 19 points. Nate Renfro added 18 and Chase Foster had 12.

North Texas led 45-31 before USF began its comeback. Ferrari started the 20-7 run with two of his five 3-pointers in 11 attempts.

Jorden Duffy scored 14 points and Lawson and Miller each had 12 for UNT.

San Francisco played without center Matt McCarthy, who was injured in Game 2. In his place, Nick Loew and Jimbo Lull totaled eight points and eight rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

San Francisco: The Dons won their home game in the finals but lost both games at UNT. They stayed in the final game by making 12 3-pointers, bringing their season total to 333.


North Texas: The Mean Green had their first winning season since 2011-12. Their 20 wins were 12 more than a year ago. UNT had six 3-pointers for a season total of 302.

COULD RUSSELL BLOCK GREENE?

North Texas fans channeled the most famous athlete in each school's history with a sign that read, "Mean Joe Greene would have dunked on Bill Russell."

20-20 VISION

San Francisco has won 20-plus games in each of Smith's two seasons, and North Texas won 20 in McCasland's first season.

UP NEXT

San Francisco has had consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1982. A third wouldn't be a stretch. Foster is one of only two Dons seniors.

North Texas also has only two seniors. "All the guys that played in this tournament, we return everybody," McCasland said. The CBI title could portend bigger things. The 2015 and 2016 champions, Loyola-Chicago and Nevada, reached at least the Sweet 16 in this season's NCAA tournament, with Loyola getting to the Final Four.

North Texas: 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS (AP) — Derek Thompson threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, Brelan Chancellor scored twice and North Texas dominated the second half Wednesday to beat UNLV 36-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance in nine years.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance since a 2004 New Orleans Bowl loss to Southern Miss and its first bowl victory since New Orleans in 2002. The Rebels lost for the first time in four bowl games.

UNLV (7-6) drove 95 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession but didn't score again until the Mean Green (9-4) were up 28-7 in the fourth quarter.

With the score 7-7 at halftime, the Mean Green went ahead for good at 14-7 in the third quarter on Thompson's 7-yard scoring pass to Drew Miller — the fourth third-down conversion on the drive.

Chancellor kept the possession alive by slipping past UNLV's Peni Vea along the sideline and staying inbounds for a 17-yard catch on third-and-16. That was one play after North Texas was backed up by a late-hit penalty on guard Mason Y'Barbo.

Tim Cornett, UNLV's career rushing leader, was held to 33 yards — 71 below his average and the same total as quarterback Caleb Herring, who threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Chancellor, who had 74 yards receiving and 47 rushing, scored on runs of 3 and 15 yards. The Mean Green sacked Herring five times.

Darnell Smith had a 34-yard catch to put North Texas up 28-7 before Herring's 13-yard scoring pass to Jerry Rice Jr., the first career touchdown for the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in his final college game.

North Texas came in with one of the nation's top scoring defenses and forced seven straight scoreless UNLV possessions. The Rebels punted on their first three possessions of the second half, and the Mean Green scored each time.

UNLV missed a chance to take control in the first quarter when Keith Whitely muffed a punt to keep the Rebels from getting the ball back after a 95-yard drive highlighted by Herring's 29-yard pass to Devante Davis and punctuated with a 9-yard scoring toss to Marcus Sullivan.

Zed Evans recovered Whitely's muffed punt at the UNLV 42, and Antoinne Jimmerson scored from inside the 1 a play after his run from the 3 was ruled a touchdown before getting overturned on replay.

Davis had 10 catches for 96 yards for the Rebels.

North Texas' James Jones dropped what would have been an easy interception that he could have returned for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half. Coach Dan McCarney called timeout moments before the Mean Green blocked a field goal that Kenny Buyers would have easily taken about 50 yards for a score on the final play before halftime.

The Rebels were in position to try the 52-yard field goal at the end of the half after the Mean Green jumped offside with UNLV punting on fourth-and-5 with 24 seconds left. Nolan Kohorst's kick was well short.