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: ''For information on all Niagara University sports, see Niagara Purple Eagles'' The Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball team is the
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
team that represents Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, United States. The school's team currently competes in the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...
. The team formerly played at the now-defunct Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center from 1973 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1996.


History

Niagara has played in the NCAA Tournament three times. They last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2007. They played in the
National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York Cit ...
on 14 occasions, advancing to the championship game in 1972 before losing to
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
. Niagara has been ranked in the AP Final Polls twice, 16th in 1954 and 17th in 1970.


Roster


Postseason


NCAA tournament results

The Purple Eagles have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–4.


NIT results

The Purple Eagles have appeared in 14
National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York Cit ...
s. Their combined record is 9–14.


CIT results

The Purple Eagles made their first appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2018. Their record is 0–1.


All time MAAC Awards

*Up to 2021-22 season


Seasons


Niagara wins vs. the AP Top 25


Retired jerseys

Niagara has retired nine jerseys.


Head coaches

*-Beilein was hired in March 2019 but resigned in October 2019 without having coached a game; Paulus was named interim head coach in his place.


Purple Eagles in the NBA or National leagues

* Joe Arlauckas *
Al Butler Elbert J. "Al" Butler (July 9, 1938 – July 12, 2000) was an American basketball player who played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he played basketball for East High School in Rochester, ...
* T. J. Cline (born 1994), American-Israeli basketball player *
Larry Costello Lawrence Ronald Costello (July 2, 1931 – December 13, 2001) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors, the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA and the Wilkes-Barre Barons. ...
*
Boo Ellis Alex "Boo" Ellis (February 11, 1936 – May 6, 2010) was an American professional basketball player for the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ellis played in the league for just the and seasons and averaged ...
* Bo Erias * Ed Fleming *
Manny Leaks Emanuel Leaks, Jr. (born November 27, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Leaks was a 6'8" forward/center who played at Niagara University from 1965 to 1968. He averaged 17.3 points and 15.1 reboun ...
* Juan Mendez * Calvin Murphy * Zeke Sinicola * Joe Smyth * Chris Watson (born 1975), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israeli Premier League. In the Niagara University Hall of Fame. * Andy Walker


References


External links

* {{Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball navbox