| North Texas Mean Green men's basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| Head coach | Ross Hodge (2nd season) | ||
| Conference | The American | ||
| Location | Denton, Texas | ||
| Arena | The Super Pit (capacity: 10,500) | ||
| Nickname | Mean Green | ||
| Student section | Mean Green Maniacs | ||
| Colors | Green and white[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
| 2021 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1988, 2007, 2010, 2021 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| Southland: 1988 Sun Belt: 2007, 2010 C-USA: 2021 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| TIAA: 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927 Lone Star: 1938, 1942, 1943, 1948 Gulf Coast: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 Southland: 1988, 1989 Sun Belt: 2010 C-USA: 2020, 2022 | |||
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 the American Athletic Conference.
For most of its history, the Mean Green have had patches of success, starting in the 1970s when the team received its first 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. Blakeley coached three consecutive 20-win seasons: 1975–76 (22-4); 1976–77 (21-6); 1977–78 (22-6). North Texas has appeared in the NCAA tournament on four occasions: 1988, 2007, 2010, and 2021, recording their first-ever tournament win in 2021. 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.[2]
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.[3] 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.
- ^ "UNT Colors". Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ "MEANGREENSPORTS.COM - University of North Texas Official Athletic Site University of North Texas Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball". www.meangreensports.com.
- ^ "MEANGREENSPORTS.COM - University of North Texas Official Athletic Site University of North Texas Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball". www.meangreensports.com.