CEDAR CITY, Utah - It has been nearly eight months since the Southern Utah men’s basketball team was crowned the 2020-21 Big Sky Regular Season Champion for the first time since joining the conference in 2012. Now reigning Big Sky Coach of the Year Todd Simon and the Thunderbirds will look to begin their championship title defense on Tuesday November 9 as they take on Bethesda University in the America First Event Center at 7:00 p.m.

2020-21 Season At a Glance

It all came down to the final game of the season, but on March 6, 2021 in Portland, Oregon, the Thunderbirds defeated Portland State 73-54 and claimed their first Big Sky Men’s Basketball championship in the history of the program. They finished the season 12-2 in conference play, giving them a winning percentage of .857, their highest since becoming a member of the conference.

Southern Utah would go into the Big Sky Conference Championship Tournament in Boise, Idaho as the No. 1 seed for the first time ever. They were able to beat Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals before being upset by Montana State in the semifinals of the tournament.

The T-Birds finished the season with an overall record of 20-4, giving them the highest winning percentage in the Division I history of the program (.864). They were also one of just 12 teams to finish the season with an undefeated record on their home court, going 14-0 for the first time since 2000-01.

The Thunderbirds finished the regular season with the best scoring offense in the Big Sky, averaging 84.2 points per game. That mark was the third-highest number in the entire country. They also had the highest scoring margin (+15.8), rebounding margin (+9.0), and led the Big Sky in defensive rebounds (28.5) and three-point field goals per game (8.9).

At the end of the season, head coach Todd Simon was named Big Sky Coach of the Year, NABC Co-Coach of the Year for District 6, and was awarded the 2021 Jim Phelan Award, an award presented annually to the nation's top Division I coach.

Tevian Jones was named to both the NABC All-District District 6 First Team and the Big Sky All-Conference First Team, making him the first Thunderbird to ever earn either one of those honors. John Knight III and Maizen Fausett were both named to the Big Sky All-Conference Second Team and Dre Marin was named to the Honorable Mention team. It marked just the second time in program history that the Thunderbirds put multiple student-athletes on the Big Sky All-Conference teams.

“We have some great players, guys that really want to be good and committed to the process every day," head coach Todd Simon said. "They are an incredible group of individuals that make it a lot of fun. Our environment has really led to wins on our end and fortunately those accolades come with those wins, but it really starts with our players.”

On the court, the Thunderbirds added six new faces, two transfers and four freshmen. Malik Muhammad joined the T-Birds from Central Michigan where he led the Chippewas in blocked shots and was second in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 1.4 blocks per game. Amound Anderson transferred to Southern Utah from CSUN where he averaged 5.4 points per game for the Matadors. Anderson was a 247sports.com three-star prospect at Leuzinger High School before joining the Matadors.

Four new freshmen have also joined the team in Anthony Swift, Josh Valentine, Andrew Marshall, and Parsa Fallah. Swift and Marshall are from Las Vegas, Valentine is from Pleasanton, California, and Fallah is from Amol, Iran.

Preseason Hype

The Thunderbirds have received plenty of preseason recognition ahead of the 2021-22 season. Two weeks ago Southern Utah was picked to repeat as conference champions by both the league’s coaches and the media. It was the first time since Southern Utah joined the Big Sky in 2012 that they have been picked at the top of both polls and it was also their highest preseason ranking since the 2019-20 season when they were picked fourth in the coaches’ poll and fifth in the media poll.

One week later Tevian Jones was named the Big Sky Men’s Basketball Preseason Most Valuable Player, becoming the first Thunderbird to earn the recognition. John Knight III and Maizen Fausett were both named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as well, marking the first time in program history that the Thunderbirds have had a representative on the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team.

“We have a ton of experience. We’re deep and talented at a lot of positions and we have 15 guys that can step in and play," Simon said. "We also have the right leadership guys like Dre, John, Tevian, and Maizen that are going to be vocal and lead by example. The maturity and leadership are really going to be the difference for us this year. These guys know what it is going to take.”

Jones was also named to the watch list for the 2021-22 Lou Henson National Player of the Year award. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I.

The Thunderbirds have also earned preseason recognition on a national level. They were ranked as the No. 23-ranked team in the country in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, the fourth-best team in the state of Utah by CBS Sports, and the 120th-ranked team in Division I by Sports Illustrated.

Scouting Report: Bethesda University Flames (0-5)

The Flames are already five games into their 2021-22 season, but have dropped all five contests. Their most recent loss came at the hands of Antelope Valley on Wednesday November 3.

They have also played an exhibition game against CSU Fullerton, losing to the Titans 105-46.

The Flames will play a game against Embry Riddle on Friday November 5 before coming to Cedar City to take on the Thunderbirds on Tuesday.

Game Day Information

Tuesday’s season opener against the Flames is set to tip-off at 7:00 p.m. inside the America First Event Center.

Prior to the start of the game, a championship banner reveal ceremony will take place, honoring last season’s championship team. Immediately following the completion of the game, redshirt senior Dre Marin will be recognized for crossing the 1,000-point mark last season in the final home game against Northern Arizona.

The game can be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at suutbirds.com.

Tickets

Southern Utah men’s basketball season tickets and single game tickets can now be purchased for the 2021-22 season at tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center box office.

Individual and group tickets for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off are now available to purchase through fortmyerstipoff.com/tickets or by calling (239) 481-4849. The Thunderbirds will be competing in the Palms Division of the tournament on November 23 and 24 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Follow Us

Stay up to date during the 2021-22 Southern Utah Men’s Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.