The Northwestern State Demons basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville/Fort Jo ...

in Natchitoches,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. The team competes in the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

and The Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times, most recently in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

History

Mike McConathy era (1999–2022)

Mike McConathy John Michael McConathy (born December 27, 1955) is an American former basketball coach college basketball. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana from 1999 to 2022. He was raised i ...

was hired in 1999. In his first season, the team went 17–13 and finished fourth in the Southland Conference. In 2001, McConathy led the Demons to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Demons won the first play in game after the NCAA expanded the men's tournament from 64 to 65 teams. The Demons defeated Winthrop in that game, before losing to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the next round. In 2005, the Demons finished the season 21–12, 13–3 to win the Southland Conference regular season championship. However, the Demons 10-game winning streak was stopped by Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland tournament championship. The Demons would repeat as Southland regular season champions the following year. This time, they defeated Sam Houston State in the Southland tournament championship to earn their second appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA tournament as a No. 14 seed, the Demons earned one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by beating No. 3-ranked

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

64–63 in the first round. Jermaine Wallace hit a three-pointer with less than a second left in the game to give the Demons the victory, their second in NCAA history. The Demons advanced to the second round where they lost to

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

67–54. After some disappointing seasons where they only finished above .500 twice, the Demons returned to prominence in the 2012–13 season when they went 23–9, 15–3 in Southland play to finish in second place. The Demons defeated Stephen F. Austin to win the Southland tournament championship and earn their third trip to the NCAA tournament. However, they lost to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in the round of 64 (then called the second round, which was before 2011 and since 2016 known as the first round).

Postseason appearances

NCAA tournament

The Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–3.

CIT results

The Demons have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.

NAIA tournament

The Demons have appeared in one NAIA tournament. Their record is 1–1.

Notable players

D'or Fischer D'or Anthony Naheem Fischer (; born October 12, 1981) is an American-Israeli professional basketball who last played for Elitzur Eito Ashkelon of the Israeli National League. He has also represented the senior Israeli national team. Standing at ...

References

External links

* {{Southland Conference men's basketball navbox