Catholic University Cardinals men's basketball

{{Infobox college basketball team

|name = Catholic University Cardinals
men's basketball

|current =

|logo = Initials catholic univ.svg

|logo_size = 150

|university = The Catholic University of America

|conference = Landmark Conference

|division = III

|location = Washington, D.C.

|coach = Aaron Kelly

|tenure = 1st

|arena = Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center

|capacity =

|nickname = Cardinals

|studentsection =

|h_pattern_b =

|h_body =

|h_shorts =

|h_pattern_s =

|a_pattern_b =

|a_body =

|a_shorts =

|a_pattern_s =

|3_pattern_b =

|3_body =

|3_shorts =

|3_pattern_s =

|NCAAchampion3 =

|NCAAchampion2 =

|NCAAchampion = 2001

|NCAAfinalfour = 2001

|NCAAeliteeight = 2000, 2001, 2025

|NCAAsweetsixteen = 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2025

|NCAAroundof32 = 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2024, 2025

|NCAAtourneys = Division I: 1944; Division II: 1964; Division III: 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025

|conference_tournament =

|conference_season =

|division_season =

}}

The Catholic University Cardinals men's basketball team represents The Catholic University of America in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III college basketball competition as a member of the Landmark Conference. They won the national championship in the 2000–2001 season, and are the only program in Division III to reach the Sweet Sixteen in five consecutive seasons, from 1998 to 2002.

History

The team began as a club sport in the 1909–10 season, and gained varsity status the following year. Although it did not have an official head coach, the roster listed Joseph Bollin as the team's "manager." The first game during the club sport era was against Georgetown University, and the first official game was a 42–33 home victory over Gallaudet University on January 7, 1911. They followed it with a 37–34 victory over St. John's College in Annapolis, but lost the remaining six games of the season to finish 2–6.

Fred Rice, a graduate student, joined the team in the 1911–12 season as a player coach. Rice had previously played at Georgetown, where he earned a law degree. The team improved to 10–7, and then 13–3 in 1912–13.

The December 1916 edition of The Catholic University of America Bulletin declared that, under Rice's leadership,

{{Blockquote|Our three latest seasons have been records of accomplishment and victory. Schools of much greater prominence have been conquered, and even the acknowledged college champions of the North have bowed in defeat to us. The fastest Southern teams have been unable to best us, and, as a result, the South Atlantic Championship has been awarded to us two times.}}

The Brookland Gymnasium, the first on-campus arena, opened in 1924. The team won its first two games in it, and went 38–15 from 1925 to 1928.

NCAA tournament results

The 1943–44 men's basketball team won the Mason-Dixon Conference title and made the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament. The team played in Madison Square Garden, losing to Dartmouth and Temple.

class=wikitable \|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-I Tournament history
Year ! Opponent ! Won/Lost ! Result
rowspan=4 \| 1944
Dartmouth College \| L \| 38–63
Temple University \| L \| 35–55

class=wikitable

|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-I Tournament history

Year

! Opponent

! Won/Lost

! Result

rowspan=4 | 1944

Dartmouth College

| L

| 38–63

Temple University

| L

| 35–55

In the 1963–64 season, Catholic played the NCAA College Division (Division II) Tournament at Hofstra, losing to Hofstra and Philadelphia.

class=wikitable \|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-II (College Division) Tournament history
Year ! Opponent ! Won/Lost ! Result
rowspan=4 \| 1964
Hofstra University \| L \| 91–92 (2OT)
Philadelphia Textile \| L \| 64–94

class=wikitable

|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-II (College Division) Tournament history

Year

! Opponent

! Won/Lost

! Result

rowspan=4 | 1964

Hofstra University

| L

| 91–92 (2OT)

Philadelphia Textile

| L

| 64–94

The men's basketball team won the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship and was the only program in Division III to reach the Sweet Sixteen in five consecutive seasons, from 1998 to 2002. They also reached the postseason in 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20150302pxaali |title=Cardinals Receive 15th NCAA Tournament Bid, Host Alvernia on Thursday |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603175906/http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20150302pxaali |url-status=live }} 2016,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160229kc037x |title=CUA Men's Basketball to Host NCAA First & Second Rounds |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204172353/http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160229kc037x |url-status=live }} and 2024.

class=wikitable \|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year ! Round ! Opponent ! Won/Lost ! Result
1993 \| 1st \| Stockton State College \| L \| 91–106
1996 \| 1st \| Cabrini College \| L \| 65–85
rowspan=3 \| 1998
2nd \| Johns Hopkins University \| W \| 67–62
Sectional Semifinals \| Hunter College \| L \| 82–84 (2 OT)
rowspan=4 \| 1999
1st \| Lebanon Valley College \| W \| 77–72
2nd \| Goucher College \| W \| 73–69
Sectional Semifinals \| William Paterson University \| L \| 71–79
rowspan=4 \| 2000
2nd \| Christopher Newport University \| W \| 65–64
Sectional Semifinals \| William Paterson University \| W \| 57–52
Sectional Finals \| Franklin & Marshall College \| L \| 74–85
rowspan=7 \| 2001
1st \| City College of New York \| W \| 82–65
2nd \| Widener University \| W \| 69–67
Sectional Semifinals \| State University of New York at Brockport \| W \| 69–64
Sectional Finals \| Clark University \| W \| 82–78
National Semifinals \| Ohio Northern University \| W \| 82–76
Championship \| William Paterson University \| W \| 76–62
rowspan=3 \| 2002
2nd \| Hampden–Sydney College \| W \| 74–66
Sectional Semifinals \| Clark University \| L \| 72–75
2003 \| 2nd \| Montclair State University \| L \| 78–95
rowspan=3 \| 2004
1st \| SUNY-Old Westbury \| W \| 75–50
2nd \| Gwynedd–Mercy College \| L \| 72–74 (OT)
2006 \| 1st \| Widener University \| L \| 59–61
rowspan=3 \| 2007
1st \| Messiah College \| W \| 37–58
2nd \| Lincoln University \| L \| 70–81
rowspan=3 \| 2013
1st \| College of Staten Island \| W \| 67–61
2nd \| Williams College \| L \| 78–89
rowspan=3 \| 2015
1st \| Alvernia University \| W \| 87–80
2nd \| Randolph–Macon College \| L \| 65–78
2016 \| 1st \| Endicott College \| L \| 76–84
rowspan=3 \| 2024
1st \| Worcester State University \| W \| 75-72 (OT)
2nd \| Rowan University \| L \| 85–89
rowspan=5 \| 2025
1st \|Franklin & Marshall \|W \|84-50
2nd \|Randolph–Macon \|W \|79-67
Sectional Semifinals \|Roanoke \|W \|95-91 (OT)
Sectional Finals \|Trinity \|L \|86-63

class=wikitable

|+ Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history

Year

! Round

! Opponent

! Won/Lost

! Result

1993

| 1st

| Stockton State College

| L

| 91–106

1996

| 1st

| Cabrini College

| L

| 65–85

rowspan=3 | 1998

2nd

| Johns Hopkins University

| W

| 67–62

Sectional Semifinals

| Hunter College

| L

| 82–84 (2 OT)

rowspan=4 | 1999

1st

| Lebanon Valley College

| W

| 77–72

2nd

| Goucher College

| W

| 73–69

Sectional Semifinals

| William Paterson University

| L

| 71–79

rowspan=4 | 2000

2nd

| Christopher Newport University

| W

| 65–64

Sectional Semifinals

| William Paterson University

| W

| 57–52

Sectional Finals

| Franklin & Marshall College

| L

| 74–85

rowspan=7 | 2001

1st

| City College of New York

| W

| 82–65

2nd

| Widener University

| W

| 69–67

Sectional Semifinals

| State University of New York at Brockport

| W

| 69–64

Sectional Finals

| Clark University

| W

| 82–78

National Semifinals

| Ohio Northern University

| W

| 82–76

Championship

| William Paterson University

| W

| 76–62

rowspan=3 | 2002

2nd

| Hampden–Sydney College

| W

| 74–66

Sectional Semifinals

| Clark University

| L

| 72–75

2003

| 2nd

| Montclair State University

| L

| 78–95

rowspan=3 | 2004

1st

| SUNY-Old Westbury

| W

| 75–50

2nd

| Gwynedd–Mercy College

| L

| 72–74 (OT)

2006

| 1st

| Widener University

| L

| 59–61

rowspan=3 | 2007

1st

| Messiah College

| W

| 37–58

2nd

| Lincoln University

| L

| 70–81

rowspan=3 | 2013

1st

| College of Staten Island

| W

| 67–61

2nd

| Williams College

| L

| 78–89

rowspan=3 | 2015

1st

| Alvernia University

| W

| 87–80

2nd

| Randolph–Macon College

| L

| 65–78

2016

| 1st

| Endicott College

| L

| 76–84

rowspan=3 | 2024

1st

| Worcester State University

| W

| 75-72 (OT)

2nd

| Rowan University

| L

| 85–89

rowspan=5 | 2025

1st

|Franklin & Marshall

|84-50

2nd

|Randolph–Macon

|79-67

Sectional Semifinals

|Roanoke

|95-91 (OT)

Sectional Finals

|Trinity

|86-63

Coaches

class="wikitable" \|+ Cardinals' Coaches !style="background:#efefef; width=100px\|Years !style="background:#efefef; width=100px\|Coach
1911 – 1930	Fred Rice
1931 – 1941	Forrest Cotton
1943 – 1944	John Long
1952 – 1957	Joe Della Ratta
1958 – 1967	Tom Young
	Bob Reese
1972 – 1975	Dick Myers
1975 – 1982	Jack Kvancz
1983 – 1989	Jack Bruen
1990 – 1991	Bob Valvano
1992 – 2003	Mike Lonergan
2004 – 2019	Steve Howes
2019 – present	Aaron Kelly

References

{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

{{cite web

| url = http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/archives/2010-11/releases/100_years_of_hoops_article

| title = FLIGHT OF THE CARDINALS: A 100-YEAR HISTORY OF CUA MEN'S BASKETBALL

| date = November 1, 2010

| first = Chris

| last = McManes

| accessdate = 2015-02-04

| archive-date = 2015-02-27

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150227174532/http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/archives/2010-11/releases/100_years_of_hoops_article

| url-status = live

}}

External links

{{oweb}}