LAS VEGAS. After a pair of one-point victories including an improbable 23-point comeback, the Southern Utah men's basketball team is set to face Grand Canyon in the Western Athletic Conference this evening. The contest is set to take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas at 9:30 p.m. MT.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah vs. Grand Canyon
Date: Saturday, March 11
Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. MT
PREVIEW
Conference Tournament Coaching Records
Todd Simon stands just one win behind Bill Evans for the most conference tournament wins, (10-9).
Coach, Conference Tournament Record
Bill Evans: 10-9
Todd Simon: 9-5
Roger Reid: 2-4
Nick Robinson: 0-2
Conference Finals History
The Thunderbirds have been largely successful in their history when they reached a conference tournament finale. Overall. Southern Utah is 3-1 in conference tournament finals with all four occurring with Bill Evans at the helm.
The T-Birds captured both iterations of the short-lived American West Conference titles in 1994-95 and 1995-96 with wins against Cal State Northridge (83-82) and Cal Poly (55-53) respectively.
Southern Utah's lone loss occurred in the 1999-00 Mid-Continent Conference season against Valparaiso (71-62) before claiming some vengeance the following year with a 62-59 triumph against Valpo to claim the school's lone NCAA Tournament entry.
Conference Finals Games
1994-95
Conference: American West
March 11, Southern Utah 83, Cal State Northridge 82, Final
Recap:
Sean Allen led the Thunderbirds in an exciting 83-82 victory as Allen tallied 20 points from the center position. He nearly notched a double-double with eight rebounds, while Reggie Ingram put up 17 points. Vic Saunders also broke double digits in scoring with 11 points.
1995-96
Conference: American West
March 2, Southern Utah 55, Cal Poly, 53, Final
Recap:
Jon Gaines (18) and Jim Crosbie (15) paced the T-Birds in scoring in SUU's back-to-back championship victory against Cal Poly. Russ Caton set the then-school record for rebounds in a conference tournament game by corralling 12 caroms. That record has since been broken by Will Joyce with 15 rebounds against Montana State in 2017.
1999-00
Conference: Mid-Continent
March 7, Valparaiso 71, Southern Utah 62, Final
Recap:
Fred House (12), Justin Sant (12) and Jeff Monaco (11) claimed some valuable experience in the 2000 Mid-Continent Conference championship loss to Valparaiso (71-62) with all three scoring in double figures. House (5) and Monaco (5) led the squad in rebounding, similar to another forward/guard duo of Harrison Butler and Maizen Fausett on this year's squad.
2000-01
Conference: Mid-Continent
March 6, Southern Utah 62, Valparaiso 59, Final
Recap:
Fred House (24) and Jeff Monaco (17) led the Thunderbirds in scoring en route to their first and only NCAA Tournament trip in 2001. Meanwhile, Dan Beus also scored in double digits with 11 points. Beus nearly posted a double-double with seven rebounds, while House and Monaco each collected five rebounds. Justin Sant led the team with six assists.
Road to The Finals
Southern Utah Conquers Utah Tech in Exciting WAC Tournament Opener, 76-75
Tevian Jones Four-Point Play Completes Epic 23-Point Comeback; Southern Utah Downs Utah Valley in WAC Semifinal, 89-88
Additional Links
Full Conference Tournament Preview
Full Conference Tournament Record Book
