North Texas Mean Green men's basketball

North Texas Mean Green
North Texas Mean Green
	2016–17 North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team
Head coach	Tony Benford (5th season)
Conference	Conference USA; West Division
Arena	The Super Pit ; (capacity: 10,500)
Nickname	Mean Green
Colors	Green and white;
Uniforms
Home	Away ;
NCAA tournament appearances
	1988, 2007, 2010
Conference tournament champions
	1988, 2007, 2010
Conference regular season champions
	2010
Conference division season champions
	Sun Belt West: 2010

The North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team represents the University of North Texas (UNT) in NCAA Division I college basketball, competing as a member of Conference USA.

For most of its history, the Mean Green have had patches of success, starting in the 1970s when the team received its first ever top-20 ranking under head coach Bill Blakeley as well as success in the late 1980s and early 1990s under head coach Jimmy Gales and then again in the mid to late 2000s under head coach Johnny Jones. They have made appearances in the NCAA Tournament on three different occasions, first time in 1988, then again in 2007 and 2010. The Mean Green went on an especially strong run in the 2006–2010 era, with two tournament appearances, two conference championships, and posting more wins over this time period than any other Division I team in the state of Texas^[3]

The 2011–12 and 2012–13 teams featured the only 5-star recruit to play for North Texas in Tony Mitchell. In one season, he became the program's all-time leader in blocks.^[4] Despite Mitchell being highly touted, his performance in his second year suffered and he ended up struggling under new head coach Tony Benford eventually falling to the 2nd round of the NBA draft.

On April 16, 2012, longtime head coach Johnny Jones was formally introduced as the next head coach of his alma mater LSU. His replacement, Tony Benford, was not able to capitalize on the program's momentum, resulting in a disappointing final year in the Sun Belt Conference and then more struggles in the Mean Green's new conference Conference USA.

Prior to 1973, the Mean Green played in the Ken Bahnsen Gym, nicknamed the Snake Pit. They now play in The Super Pit which derives its name from the Snake Pit.

Championships

Conference tournament

Southland Conference

1988

Sun Belt Conference

2007, 2010

Conference regular season

Sun Belt Conference

2009-10

Conference division

Sun Belt Conference (West Division)

2009-10

Rivals

The Mean Green's major rivals within Conference USA include the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the UTSA Roadrunners.

Non-conference notable rivals include the The University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks (games between the schools are well-attended due to geographic proximity and both schools being large universities) and the SMU Mustangs.

Coaches

Years	Coach
1916-20	J.W. St. Clair
1920-21	Theron Fouts
1921-24	J.W. St. Clair
1924-29	John Reid
1929-33	Terrance Myracle
1933-35	Jack Sisco
1935-59	Henry "Pete" Shands (1899-1983)
1959-65	Charles Johnson
1965-70	Dan Spika
1970-71	Harry Miller
1971-75	Gene Robbins
1975-83	Bill Blakeley
1983-86	Tommy Newman
1986-93	Jimmy Gales
1993-97	Tim Jankovich
1997-2001	Vic Trilli
2001-12	Johnny Jones
2012–Present	Tony Benford

Postseason results

NCAA Tournament results

The Mean Green have appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times. Their combined record is 0–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result/Score
1988	First Round	North Carolina	L 65–83
2007	First Round	Memphis	L 58–73
2010	First Round	Kansas State	L 62–82

NAIA Tournament results

The Mean Green have appeared in the NAIA Tournament two times. Their record is 3–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result/Score
1938	First Round Second Round	Morningside Delta State	W 31–29 L 39–48
1942	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Wisconsin-Stout York (NE) Hamline	W 60–37 W 51–49 L 41–45

References

^ "UNT Colors". Retrieved March 24, 2016.
^ "Sun Belt All-Time Standings" (PDF). 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide. Sun Belt Conference. pp. 93–95. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
^ [1]
^ [2]

[1] "UNT Colors". Retrieved March 24, 2016.

[2] "Sun Belt All-Time Standings" (PDF). 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide. Sun Belt Conference. pp. 93–95. Retrieved 2012-03-06.

[3] [1]

[4] [2]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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

v t e University of North Texas
Located in: Denton, Texas
Academics	College of Arts & Sciences American Literary Review College of Business College of Education College of Engineering College of Information College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism College of Music College of Public Affairs & Community Service College of Visual Arts & Design Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism Honors College Libraries Press Texas Academy of Mathematics & Science (TAMS) Toulouse Graduate School
Athletics	Teams Football Men's Basketball Women's basketball Facilities Fouts Field Ken Bahnsen Gym Mean Green Village DATCU Stadium Lovelace Stadium Mean Green Soccer Stadium North Texas Volleyball Center UNT Coliseum "The Super Pit"
Campus	Hurley Administration Building Library Mall Murchison Performing Arts Center Rafes Urban Astronomy Center Discovery Park
Student life	Denton, Texas Fry Street Green Brigade Marching Band KNTU-FM List of University of North Texas alumni North Texas Daily NTTV One O'Clock Lab Band Two O'Clock Lab Band UNT Symphony Orchestra
Traditions	Glory to the Green and White History of UNT North Texas Fight Song
Founded: 1890 Commons

v t e Conference USA men's basketball
Current teams	FIU Panthers Jacksonville State Gamecocks Kennesaw State Owls Liberty Flames Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders New Mexico State Aggies Sam Houston Bearkats UTEP Miners (leaving in 2026) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Future teams	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (joining in 2025) Missouri State Bears (joining in 2025)
Championships & awards	Conference USA men's basketball tournament Player of the Year
Seasons	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