UTEP Miners basketball

UTEP Miners

University University of Texas at El Paso
Conference C-USA
Location El Paso, TX
Head coach Tim Floyd (1st year)
Arena Don Haskins Center
(Capacity: 12,222)
Nickname Miners
Student section Miner Maniacs
Colors Orange and Blue

             

Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
NCAA Tournament champions
1966
NCAA Tournament Final Four
1966
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1964, 1966, 1967, 1992
NCAA Tournament appearances
1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2010
Conference tournament champions
1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, 2005 WAC
Conference regular season champions
WAC 1970, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 2004 C-USA 2010

The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.

Contents

Don Haskins Center

The Don Haskins Center (Capacity 12,222), the home of UTEP Miners basketball. With fans seated extremely close to the playing floor and the UTEP student section located near the opponent's bench, "The Don" is so notorious as a tough place for opponents to win that UTEP has historically had difficulty convincing top-rated teams to play there. The Don is the home of the UTEP Miners who are the only Division 1 Men's National Basketball Champions in the State of Texas (1966).

1966 Texas Western basketball team

As Texas Western, the Miners won the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The 72–65 victory over Kentucky in College Park, Maryland is considered one of the most important in the history of college basketball, as it marked the first time that a team with five African-American starters won a title game. It came against a Kentucky team that had no African-American players, during the period of the Civil Rights Movement.

The title team has been chronicled throughout the American media, including the book When the Walls Came Tumbling Down by Frank Fitzpatrick and the 2006 Disney movie Glory Road.

The team was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

NCAA Tournament Results

The Miners have appeared in seventeen NCAA Tournaments and were the 1966 National Champions. Their combined record is 14–16.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score
1963 First Round Texas L 65–47
1964 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Third Place Game
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Creighton
W 68–62
L 64–60
W 63–52
1966 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Championship Game
Oklahoma City
Cincinnati
Kansas
Utah
Kentucky
W 89–74
W 78–76
W 81–80
W 85–78
W 72–65
1967 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Third Place Game
Seattle
Pacific
Wyoming
W 62–54
L 72–63
W 69–67
1970 First Round Utah State L 91–81
1975 First Round Indiana L 78–53
1984* Second Round UNLV L 73–60
1985 First Round
Second Round
Tulsa
North Carolina State
W 79–75
L 86–73
1986 First Round Bradley L 83–65
1987 First Round
Second Round
Arizona
Iowa
W 98–91 OT
L 84–82
1988 First Round Seton Hall L 80–64
1989 First Round
Second Round
LSU
Indiana
W 85–74
L 92–69
1990 First Round Minnesota L 64–61 OT
1992 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Evansville
Kansas
Cincinnati
W 55–50
W 66–60
L 69–67
2004 First Round Maryland L 86–83
2005 First Round Utah L 60–54
2010 First Round Butler L 77–59

NIT Results

The Miners have appeared in nine National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–9.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score
1965 First Round Manhattan L 71–53
1972 First Round Niagara L 76–57
1980 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Wichita State
Michigan
W 58–56
L 75–65
1981 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
San Jose State
Tulsa
W 57–53
L 76–72
1993 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Houston
Georgetown
W 67–61
L 71–44
1995 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Montana
New Mexico State
W 90–60
L 92–89
2001 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
McNeese State
Memphis
W 84–74
L 90–65
2006 Opening Round
First Round
Lipscomb
Michigan
W 85–66
L 82–67
2011 First Round New Mexico L 69–57

CBI Results

The Miners have appeared in two College Basketball Invitationals. Their combined record is 4–3.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score
2008 First Round Utah L 81–69
2009 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals Game 1
Finals Game 2
Finals Game 3
Nevada
Northeastern
Richmond
Oregon State
Oregon State
Oregon State
W 79–77
W 75–66
W 81–69
L 75–69
W 70–63
L 81–73

Notable players

Retired Jersey Numbers

Basketball Hall Of Fame

National Rankings

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll 1. 2009-2010: The Miners cracked the rankings in Week 15 (February 22, 2010). They stayed in the rankings for four consecutive weeks and peaked at #21 in Week 17 (March 8, 2010).

AP Poll 1. 2009-2010: UTEP cracked the AP Top 25 in Week 16 at #24 (March 1, 2010) and remained in the rankings for two weeks. The Miners peaked at #24 before falling out in the post-season rankings.

External links