2020–21 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team

2020–21 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball
2020–21 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball
C-USA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, second round
Conference	Conference USA
	West Division
Record	18–10 (9–5 C-USA)
Head coach	Grant McCasland (4th season);
Assistant coaches	Ross Hodge; Jareem Dowling; Matt Braeuer;
Home arena	UNT Coliseum
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Conference USA men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
Western Kentucky	11	–	3	.786	21	–	8	.724
Old Dominion	11	–	5	.688	15	–	8	.652
Marshall	9	–	5	.643	15	–	7	.682
Florida Atlantic	7	–	5	.583	13	–	10	.565
Charlotte	5	–	11	.313	9	–	15	.375
Middle Tennessee	3	–	13	.188	5	–	18	.217
FIU	2	–	15	.118	9	–	17	.346
West
Louisiana Tech	12	–	4	.750	24	–	8	.750
UAB	13	–	5	.722	22	–	7	.759
North Texas †	9	–	5	.643	18	–	10	.643
UTSA	9	–	7	.563	15	–	11	.577
UTEP	8	–	8	.500	12	–	12	.500
Rice	6	–	10	.375	15	–	13	.536
Southern Miss	4	–	13	.235	8	–	17	.320

† 2021 C-USA Tournament winner

The 2020–21 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team represented the University of North Texas during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Grant McCasland, and played their home games at UNT Coliseum in Denton, Texas as a member of the West division of Conference USA.^[1] In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 18–10, 9–5 to finish in third place in the division. They defeated Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, and Western Kentucky to win the C-USA tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the South region. There they upset No. 4-seeded Purdue in the first round for the school’s first ever NCAA tournament victory, before losing to No. 5-seeded Villanova in the second round.

Previous season

The Mean Green finished the 2019–20 season 20–11, 14–4 in C-USA play to finish to win the regular season championship. Before postseason play could begin, the C-USA tournament and other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roster

2020–21 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	James Reese	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	167 lb (76 kg)	Sr	AC Flora HS Odessa College	Eastover, SC
G	1	Mardrez McBride	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	Jr	Butler HS USC Salkehatchie	Augusta, GA
G	2	Keith Barnes	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	RS Fr	Faith Family Academy	St. Louis, MO
G	3	Javion Hamlet	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	RS Sr	Whitehaven HS NW Florida State	Memphis,TN
G	4	Jalen Jackson	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	So	Wagner HS	San Antonio,TX
F	10	Jahmiah Simmons	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Sr	Pace HS Arkansas State	St. Thomas, USVI
G	11	JJ Murray (W)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	RS Sr	Rowlett HS Eastfield	Rowlett, TX
F	13	Thomas Bell	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sr	Cahokia HS Kaskaskia	East St. Louis, IL
G	15	Rubin Jones	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	Fr	Yates HS	Houston, TX
G	22	Larry Wise	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	RS So	Waxahachie HS	Waxahachie, TX
G	23	Mykell Robinson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Sunrise Christian Academy	Houston, TX
F	24	Zachary Simmons	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	239 lb (108 kg)	Sr	Cedar Hill HS	Abilene, TX
F	33	Abou Ousmane	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	Fr	Scotland Performance Institute	Brooklyn, NY
F	34	Terence Lewis II	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	RS Jr	Combine Academy HS New Mexico JC	Upper Marlboro, MD

Head coach

Grant McCasland (Baylor)

Assistant coach(es)

Ross Hodge (Texas A&M–Commerce)
Jareem Dowling (Maryland Eastern Shore)
Matt Braeuer (Wichita State)
Nelson Haggerty (Baylor)
(Director of Basketball Operations)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: February 1, 2021

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 26, 2020* 7:00 p.m., YouTube Live		Mississippi Valley State	W 116–62	1–0	UNT Coliseum (1,206) Denton, TX
November 28, 2020* 5:00 p.m., SECN+		vs. Arkansas	L 54–69	1–1	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
December 1, 2020* 7:00 p.m., Youtube Live		Texas A&M–Commerce	Canceled ^[a]^[2]		UNT Coliseum Denton, TX
December 4, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN+		at Mississippi State	L 63–69	1–2	Humphrey Coliseum (1,877) Starkville, MS
December 11, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at No. 11 West Virginia	L 50–62	1–3	WVU Coliseum (291) Morgantown, WV
December 15, 2020* 7:00 p.m., YouTube Live		Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 81–56	2–3	UNT Coliseum (1,211) Denton, TX
December 17, 2020* 7:00 p.m., YouTube Live		Houston Baptist	W 85–55	3–3	UNT Coliseum (1,251) Denton, TX
December 19, 2020* 11:00 a.m., SECN+		at LSU	Postponed ^[b]^[3]		Pete Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA
December 22, 2020* 1:00 p.m., YouTube Live		LSU–Alexandria	W 110–78	4–3	UNT Coliseum (1,203) Denton, TX
January 2, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Loyola–Chicago	L 49–57	4–4	Joseph J. Gentile Arena Chicago, IL
CUSA regular season
January 1, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		UAB	Postponed ^[b]^[4]		UNT Coliseum Denton, TX
January 2, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		UAB	Postponed ^[b]^[4]		UNT Coliseum Denton, TX
January 8, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		at UTSA	W 77–70	5–4 (1–0)	Convocation Center (388) San Antonio, TX
January 9, 2021 3:00 p.m.		at UTSA	L 69–77	5–5 (1–1)	Convocation Center (389) San Antonio, TX
January 15, 2021 7:00 p.m., Stadium		UTEP	W 63–33	6–5 (2–1)	UNT Coliseum (1,369) Denton, TX
January 16, 2021 3:00 p.m., Stadium		UTEP	W 74–65	7–5 (3–1)	UNT Coliseum (1,416) Denton, TX
January 22, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Old Dominion	Postponed ^[b]^[5]		Chartway Arena Norfolk, VA
January 23, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Old Dominion	Postponed ^[b]^[5]		Chartway Arena Norfolk, VA
January 29, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Rice	W 79–74	8–5 (4–1)	Tudor Fieldhouse Houston, TX
January 31, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		Rice	W 79–53	9–5 (5–1)	UNT Coliseum (1,303) Denton, TX
February 5, 2021 7:00 p.m., Stadium		Louisiana Tech	L 63–68	9–6 (5–2)	UNT Coliseum (1,535) Denton, TX
February 6, 2021 1:00 p.m., Stadium		Louisiana Tech	W 57–55	10–6 (6–2)	UNT Coliseum (1,532) Denton, TX
February 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Southern Miss	W 65–49	11–6 (7–2)	Reed Green Coliseum (1,200) Hattiesburg, MS
February 13, 2021 4:00 p.m.		at Southern Miss	W 68–56	12–6 (8–2)	Reed Green Coliseum (1,200) Hattiesburg, MS
February 20, 2021 4:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook		Western Kentucky	Postponed ^[c]^[6]		UNT Coliseum Denton, TX
February 21, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook		Western Kentucky	Postponed ^[c]^[6]		UNT Coliseum Denton, TX
February 26, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Marshall	W 77–65	13–6 (9–2)	Cam Henderson Center (1,055) Huntington, WV
February 27, 2021 1:00 p.m., Stadium		at Marshall	L 72–73	13–7 (9–3)	Cam Henderson Center (1,228) Huntington, WV
March 5, 2021^[7] 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		UAB	L 51–65	13–8 (9–4)	UNT Coliseum (1,359) Denton, TX
March 6, 2021^[7] 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		UAB	L 61–65	13–9 (9–5)	UNT Coliseum (1,450) Denton, TX
Conference USA tournament
March 10, 2021 9:00 p.m., Stadium	(W3)	vs. (E6) Middle Tennessee Second Round	W 76–56	14–9	Ford Center at The Star (856) Frisco, TX
March 11, 2021 9:00 p.m., Stadium	(W3)	vs. (E2) Old Dominion Quarterfinals	W 61–55	15–9	Ford Center at The Star (1,137) Frisco, TX
March 12, 2021 3:00 p.m., CBSSN	(W3)	vs. (W1) Louisiana Tech Semifinals	W 54–48	16–9	Ford Center at The Star (789) Frisco, TX
March 13, 2021 8:00 p.m., CBSSN	(W3)	vs. (E1) Western Kentucky Championship	W 61–57 ^OT	17–9	Ford Center at The Star (903) Frisco, TX
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021 7:25 pm, TNT	(13 S)	vs. (4 S) No. 20 Purdue First Round	W 78–69 ^OT	18–9	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021 7:45 pm, TNT	(13 S)	vs. (5 S) No. 18 Villanova Second Round	L 61–84	18–10	Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Notes

^ Game was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Game was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues.
^ ^a ^b Game was postponed due to weather concerns.

References

^ "C-USA Announces Basketball Schedules". University of North Texas Department of Athletics. October 26, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
^ Vito, Brett (November 30, 2020). "North Texas' game against Texas A&M-Commerce canceled". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
^ Grimillion, Nick (December 17, 2020). "LSU men's basketball game vs North Texas postponed due to COVID-19 protocols". WAFB. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Vito, Brett (December 30, 2020). "North Texas' C-USA opening series against UAB in men's basketball postponed". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "UNT Men's, Women's Basketball Games vs Old Dominion Postponed Due to COVID-19". KXAS-TV. January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Vito, Brett (February 18, 2021). "North Texas-Western Kentucky basketball series postponed indefinitely". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "C-USA Announces Rescheduled Men's Basketball Games". Conference USA. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[canceled-2] Game was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues.

[postponed-4] Game was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues.

[ppweather-8] Game was postponed due to weather concerns.

[nm-1] "C-USA Announces Basketball Schedules". University of North Texas Department of Athletics. October 26, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.

[tamucc-3] Vito, Brett (November 30, 2020). "North Texas' game against Texas A&M-Commerce canceled". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[lsu-5] Grimillion, Nick (December 17, 2020). "LSU men's basketball game vs North Texas postponed due to COVID-19 protocols". WAFB. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[uab-6] Vito, Brett (December 30, 2020). "North Texas' C-USA opening series against UAB in men's basketball postponed". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[odu-7] "UNT Men's, Women's Basketball Games vs Old Dominion Postponed Due to COVID-19". KXAS-TV. January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[wku-9] Vito, Brett (February 18, 2021). "North Texas-Western Kentucky basketball series postponed indefinitely". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

[uab2-10] "C-USA Announces Rescheduled Men's Basketball Games". Conference USA. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

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v t e North Texas Mean Green men's basketball
Venues	Ken Bahnsen Gym (1950–1973) UNT Coliseum (1973–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

Previous season

Roster

Schedule and results

See also

Notes

References