NCAA Basketball: Unlikeliest Conference Tournament runs of the Decade

By Joey Loose | Mar 2, 2019

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 12: The Connecticut Huskies celebrate with their trophy after defeating the Louisville Cardinals during the championship of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament presented by American Eagle Outfitters at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 18: Melvin Johnson III #31 and Larry Wilkins #3 of the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners walk to the bench in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 18, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

10. UTSA (2011 Southland, 7-seed) (16-13, 9-7)

The UTSA Roadrunners have been members of Conference USA since 2013, but spent nearly two decades in the Southland conference. The promotion was tied to their football program’s elevation to FBS as the basketball team has never really stood out. They’ve made a few NCAA Tournaments, but the Roadrunners have never really gotten on any kind of run.

In 2011, the Roadrunners qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament, which only took the top eight teams in conference play. Their 9-7 mark in conference play wasn’t outstanding, but it did give them a chance. An 8-8 record might not have gotten the Roadrunners into their conference tournament and they sure took advantage of the chance to be there.

Against 2-seed Northwestern State, UTSA had their best offensive output of the season, fighting back to win 97-96. They got 28 points, 10 rebounds from Devin Gibson and 25 points from Jeromie Hill, who both had outstanding games. Gibson (26 points, 11 rebounds) shined once more in their match-up against 3-seed Sam Houston State leading another solid shooting effort (50%) for the suddenly relevant Roadrunners.

The Southland title game pitted this resilient 7-seed against the top-seed in McNeese State. UTSA found themselves in an early hole, but their run towards March Madness was not terminated. They fought back and secured the lead at the half; a lead they would not relinquish. They held on for a 3-point victory and were headed to the NCAA Tournament. Hill’s 25 points (10-14 from the field) jump-started a Roadrunners squad that shot the ball well in the games that mattered the most.

The Roadrunners toppled Alabama State in the First Four before falling to Ohio State, the #1 team in the nation. Nobody expected to see UTSA even in the bracket, let alone to have pulled off these three conference tournament wins. The Roadrunners have yet to return to the NCAA Tournament, but this is a program trending upwards under third-year coach Steve Henson.

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