The men's basketball team of Le Moyne College is referred to as the Le Moyne Dolphins, and they play in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Dolphins have played their home games on Ted Grant Court at the Le Moyne Events Center in DeWitt, New York since 1961.

The Dolphins played their first basketball game at home against Siena in 1948, a 41–39 loss for Le Moyne.[1] Le Moyne's first victory came on the road at Hobart in the Dolphins' second game.[1]

In 1950, Le Moyne became a charter member of the Eastern Catholic Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (ECIAC).[2] The conference lasted only one season before dissolving.

In 1955, Le Moyne became a charter member of the new Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA).[3] The MECAA included teams that were also members of other conferences, a practice not uncommon at the time. When the NCAA split its members into the College Division and University Division in 1956,[4] the MECAA included four teams (St. Francis (NY), Iona, St. Bonaventure and Siena) that were placed into the University Division, while Le Moyne and Saint Peter's were placed into the College Division. St. Francis was also a member of the Metropolitan New York Conference, and St. Bonaventure was also a member of the Western New York Little Three Conference. Nevertheless, all six schools initially continued their affiliation with the MECAA after the split. Le Moyne remained a member of the MECAA, until it was dissolved following the 1975–76 season. The MECAA awarded its championship based on regular-season winning percentage and did not conduct a post-season tournament. The Dolphins took the title six times during their 21 seasons of membership, the most championships of any conference member. Since conference membership crossed NCAA divisions, the MECAA champion was not awarded an automatic bid to any NCAA tournament. In December 1960, the MECAA conducted an in-season Christmas tournament that included its five teams as well as three non-members. Le Moyne defeated Saint Peter's, Iona and Long Island to win the tournament title.

Le Moyne became a Division II institution, when the College Division was split in 1973. Following the dissolution of the MECAA, the Dolphins played as an independent until joining the Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC) in 1983, and remained a member of that conference, until it dissolved in 1991. Le Moyne won two MECC regular-season titles and one conference tournament during their eight years in the league.

After playing the 1991–92 season as an independent, Le Moyne joined the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 1992. The Dolphins won the NECC tournament in 1996, their final season in the league.

In 1996, the Dolphins joined the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10), where they remained until beginning reclassification to Division I as a member of the NEC in 2023. During their 26 seasons over a span of 27 years in the NE10 (the 2020–21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Le Moyne won four regular-season conference championships and two conference tournaments.

Season results

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Tommy Niland (Independent) (1948–1950)
1948–49 Tommy Niland 12–7
1949–50 Tommy Niland 10–12[lower-alpha 1]Utica Optimist Club Tournament champion
Tommy Niland (Eastern Catholic Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1950–1951)
1950–51 Tommy Niland 17–7[lower-alpha 2]5–4National Catholic Invitational third place
Utica Optimist Club Tournament champion
Tommy Niland (Independent) (1951–1955)
1951–52 Tommy Niland 8–15National Catholic Invitational quarterfinalist
Utica Optimist Club Tournament champion
1952–53 Tommy Niland 12–8[lower-alpha 3]
1953–54 Tommy Niland 10–6
1954–55 Tommy Niland 11–8[lower-alpha 4]
Tommy Niland (Middle Eastern College Athletic Association) (1955–1973)
1955–56 Tommy Niland 15–64–2T–2nd
1956–57 Tommy Niland 10–93–44th
1957–58 Tommy Niland 11–112–55th
1958–59 Tommy Niland 18–64–12ndNCAA College Division Sweet 16
1959–60 Tommy Niland 13–54–11stNCAA College Division Regional fourth place
1960–61 Tommy Niland 16–72–23rd1960 MECAA Christmas Tournament champion[lower-alpha 5]
1961–62 Tommy Niland 13–94–11st
1962–63 Tommy Niland 12–103–2T–3rd
1963–64 Tommy Niland 18–64–11stNCAA College Division Sweet 16
1964–65 Tommy Niland 18–54–11stNCAA College Division Regional fourth place
1965–66 Tommy Niland 16–64–12ndNCAA College Division Regional fifth place
1966–67 Tommy Niland 11–101–46th
1967–68 Tommy Niland 14–82–3T–3rdNCAA College Division Regional seventh place
1968–69 Tommy Niland 15–84–11st[lower-alpha 6]
1969–70 Tommy Niland 11–102–2
1970–71 Tommy Niland 9–122–3
1971–72 Tommy Niland 13–102–3T–3rd
1972–73 Tommy Niland 13–95–01st
Tommy Niland (Pre-division NCAA): 95–69 (.579)9–6 (.600)
Tommy Niland (College Division): 231–141 (.621)52–35 (.598)
Tommy Niland: 326–210 (.608)61–41 (.598)
Thomas Cooney (Middle Eastern College Athletic Association) (1973–1976)
1973–74 Thomas Cooney 14–102–3T–4th
1974–75 Thomas Cooney 14–112–3
1975–76 Thomas Cooney 12–121–46th
Thomas Cooney (Independent) (1976–1979)
1976–77 Thomas Cooney 15–7
1977–78 Thomas Cooney 13–13
1978–79 Thomas Cooney 13–10
Thomas Cooney: 81–63 (.563)5–10 (.333)
Michael Lee (Independent) (1979–1983)
1979–80 Michael Lee 6–19
1980–81 Michael Lee 5–21
1981–82 Michael Lee 10–15
1982–83 Michael Lee 13–12
Michael Lee: 34–67 (.337)–
John Beilein (Mideast Collegiate Conference) (1983–1991)
1983–84 John Beilein 20–85–01st
1984–85 John Beilein 19–104–6
1985–86 John Beilein 14–155–7
1986–87 John Beilein 20–108–4
1987–88 John Beilein 24–610–2T–1stNCAA Division II Regional third place
1988–89 John Beilein 15–126–6
1989–90 John Beilein 17–125–7
1990–91 John Beilein 19–106–4
John Beilein (Independent) (1991–1992)
1991–92 John Beilein 15–11
John Beilein: 163–94 (.634)49–36 (.576)
Scott Hicks (New England Collegiate Conference) (1992–1996)
1992–93 Scott Hicks 18–107–7
1993–94 Scott Hicks 16–1111–5
1994–95 Scott Hicks 16–129–7
1995–96 Scott Hicks 24–616–4NCAA Division II first round
Scott Hicks (Northeast-10 Conference) (1996–1997)
1996–97 Scott Hicks 13–177–117thNCAA Division II first round
Scott Hicks: 87–56 (.608)50–34 (.595)
Dave Paulsen (Northeast-10 Conference) (1997–2000)
1997–98 Dave Paulsen 20–814–6T–1st[lower-alpha 7]
1998–99 Dave Paulsen 13–148–10T–6th
1999–00 Dave Paulsen 9–172–1610th
Dave Paulsen: 42–39 (.519)24–32 (.429)
Steve Evans (Northeast-10 Conference) (2000–2015)
2000–01 Steve Evans 5–212–2015th
2001–02 Steve Evans 11–167–15T–11th
2002–03 Steve Evans 17–1212–10T–6th
2003–04 Steve Evans 17–1114–8T–4th
2004–05 Steve Evans 11–179–13T–9th
2005–06 Steve Evans 12–167–1512th
2006–07 Steve Evans 14–1510–12T–9th
2007–08 Steve Evans 15–1412–10T–5th
2008–09 Steve Evans 20–1113–96th
2009–10 Steve Evans 18–1014–8T–4th
2010–11 Steve Evans 12–1510–12T–8th
2011–12 Steve Evans 12–148–14T–13th
2012–13 Steve Evans 13–1410–12T–8th
2013–14 Steve Evans 17–1213–73rd
Southwest		NCAA Division II first round
2014–15 Steve Evans 16–1310–10T–3rd
Southwest
Steve Evans: 210–211 (.499)151–175 (.463)
Patrick Beilein (Northeast-10 Conference) (2015–2019)
2015–16 Patrick Beilein 10–177–13T–4th
Southwest
2016–17 Patrick Beilein 22–716–41st[lower-alpha 8]
Southwest		NCAA Division II first round
2017–18 Patrick Beilein 27–718–21st[lower-alpha 8]
Southwest		NCAA Division II Elite Eight
2018–19 Patrick Beilein 18–1014–61st
Southwest		NCAA Division II first round
Patrick Beilein: 77–41 (.653)55–25 (.688)
Nate Champion (Northeast-10 Conference) (2019–2023)
2019–20 Nate Champion 19–915–41st[lower-alpha 8]
Southwest		No postseason held (COVID-19 pandemic).
2020–21 Nate Champion 0–00–0Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic).
2021–22 Nate Champion 12–158–115th
Southwest
2022–23 Nate Champion 15–1511–9T–5th
Nate Champion (Northeast Conference) (2023–present)
2023–24 Nate Champion 0–00–0
Nate Champion (Division II): 46–39 (.541)34–24 (.586)
Nate Champion (Division I): 0–0 (–)0–0 (–)
Nate Champion: 46–39 (.541)34–24 (.586)
ECIAC: 5–4 (.556)
MECAA: 61–47 (.565)
MECC: 49–36 (.576)
NECC: 43–23 (.652)
NE10: 271–267 (.504)
NEC: 0–0 (–)
Pre-division NCAA: 95–69 (.579)9–6 (.600)
Division II[lower-alpha 9]: 971–751 (.564)420–371 (.531)
Division I: 0–0 (–)0–0 (–)
Major program[lower-alpha 10]: 95–69 (.579)9–6 (.600)
Total:1,066–820
(.565)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Notes
  1. ↑ Excludes 75–72 loss at New York Athletic Club on February 10, 1950, which is included in the official Le Moyne College all-time game results,[1] because the so-called Bevo Francis rule, ratified by the NCAA in 1953, defines collegiate contests as including only games between varsity teams of four-year degree-granting institutions and instructs the NCAA Statistics Service to retroactively remove all games that do not qualify as collegiate contests from official statistics back to 1948.[5]
  2. ↑ Excludes 74–68 loss at New York Athletic Club on December 1, 1950, which is included in the official Le Moyne College all-time game results,[1] because the so-called Bevo Francis rule, ratified by the NCAA in 1953, defines collegiate contests as including only games between varsity teams of four-year degree-granting institutions and instructs the NCAA Statistics Service to retroactively remove all games that do not qualify as collegiate contests from official statistics back to 1948.[5]
  3. ↑ Excludes 74–67 loss vs. Marine Corps Base Quantico on February 19, 1953, which is included in the official Le Moyne College all-time game results,[1] because the so-called Bevo Francis rule, ratified by the NCAA in 1953, defines collegiate contests as including only games between varsity teams of four-year degree-granting institutions and instructs the NCAA Statistics Service to retroactively remove all games that do not qualify as collegiate contests from official statistics back to 1948.[5]
  4. ↑ Excludes 85–77 loss at New York Athletic Club on February 25, 1955, which is included in the official Le Moyne College all-time game results,[1] because the so-called Bevo Francis rule, ratified by the NCAA in 1953, defines collegiate contests as including only games between varsity teams of four-year degree-granting institutions.[5]
  5. ↑ Up to the 1959–60 season, some MECAA teams did not play full round-robin conference schedules, and others played each conference opponent with home-and-home series versus some but not all conference members. The uneven scheduling created controversy about which team deserved the league's championship, in cases in which the title had been decided in favor of a team that had scheduled one extra or one fewer game, since the conference champion was the team with the best winning percentage against conference opponents.[6] This tournament was originally planned to be held annually in December to determine a champion with all conference teams on equal footing. Since the MECAA had five members at the time (Le Moyne, St. Francis (NY), Iona, Saint Peter's and Siena), three other teams (Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island and Wagner) were invited to create a full eight-team bracket and ensure the tournament champion would need to win three games.[7] Despite the initial plans, the 1960 Christmas tournament was the only tournament the MECAA ever held. The tournament was unique, because it can be differentiated from a conference tournament, since it was not held at the end of the season and included non-member teams. It also does not resemble an in-season multiple-team event, since all MECAA teams participated rather than limiting tournament entries to one team per conference.
  6. ↑ Finished tied for first place with Saint Peter's, but was awarded championship based on 81–80 victory in head-to-head matchup on December 3, 1968.
  7. ↑ Finished tied with Assumption and Stonehill and were seeded third in conference tournament based on tiebreaker procedure. The NE10 recognizes all three teams as regular-season conference co-champions.
  8. 1 2 3 Had best regular-season conference record of all NE10 teams, regardless of division.
  9. ↑ Includes College Division from 1956 to 1973.
  10. ↑ Includes pre-division NCAA seasons through 1955–56 and Division I seasons.

Postseason results

The NCAA tournament started in 1939, and the number of teams invited to participate has expanded a number of times over the years. Between 1939 and 1950, the tournament had only eight teams, and then, between 1951 and 1956, the number of participants varied between 16 and 25 teams. Le Moyne was never selected to participate in the tournament prior to the split of the NCAA into divisions.

The first College Division tournament was held in 1957, and Le Moyne was first selected to participate in 1959. The College Division tournament became the Division II tournament in 1974. Le Moyne participated in the tournament 13 times between 1957 and 2023.

Since Le Moyne started its transition to Division I in 2023, it will be eligible to be selected or qualify for the Division I tournament starting in 2028, after its four-year transition period has been completed. As of 2024, 68 teams participate in the tournament each year.

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT), meanwhile, began in 1938, with only six teams. By 1949, the tournament had expanded to include 12 teams. Le Moyne was never selected to participate in the NIT between 1949 and 1956, when it was previously eligible. The Dolphins may not be selected to play in the NIT until 2028, when their transition period will have been completed. The NIT includes 32 teams per tournament as of 2024.

Tournament Seed Results Ref.
1950
Utica Optimist Club tournament		 Utica Optimist Club champion
Won Semifinal vs. Brockport State, 67–60
Won Final vs. Utica, 59–57		 [1][8]
1951
Utica Optimist Club tournament		 Utica Optimist Club champion
Won Semifinal vs. Utica, 86–69
Won Final vs. Hartwick, 86–65		 [1][9]
1951
National Catholic Invitational tournament		 National Catholic Invitational third place
Won First Round vs. Saint Michael's, 95–57
Won Quarterfinal vs. Siena, 57–53
Lost Semifinal vs. St. Francis (NY), 66–84
Won Third-Place Game vs. Mount St. Mary's, 63–61		 [1][10]
1952
Utica Optimist Club tournament		 Utica Optimist Club champion
Won Semifinal vs. Utica, 72–42
Won Final vs. Hartwick, 72–61		 [1][11]
1952
National Catholic Invitational tournament		 National Catholic Invitational quarterfinalist
Won First Round vs. Providence, 67–63
Lost Quarterfinal vs. St. Francis (NY), 61–75		 [1][12]
1959
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Sweet 16
Won Regional Semifinal vs. Williams, 72–66
Lost Sweet 16 vs. Saint Michael's, 70–71		 [1][13]: 26 
1960
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Regional fourth place
Lost Regional Semifinal vs. St. Anselm, 75–108
Lost Regional Third-Place Game vs. Assumption, 68–94		 [1][13]: 26 
1964
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Sweet 16
Won Regional Semifinal vs. Youngstown State, 64–53
Lost Sweet 16 vs. Akron, 38–62		 [1][13]: 26 
1965
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Regional fourth place
Lost Regional Semifinal vs. Assumption, 58–76
Lost Regional Third-Place Game vs. Hartwick, 68–70		 [1][13]: 26 
1966
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Regional fifth place
Lost First Round vs. Philadelphia Textile, 61–83
Won Consolation Game vs. Potsdam State, 86–63		 [1][13]: 26 
1968
NCAA College Division tournament		 NCAA College Division Regional seventh place
Lost First Round vs. Buffalo State, 66–83
Lost Consolation Game vs. Northeastern, 54–67		 [1][13]: 27 
1988
NCAA Division II tournament		 NCAA Division II Regional third place
Lost Regional Semifinal vs. California (PA), 88–91
Won Regional Third-Place Game vs. Kutztown, 89–81		 [1][13]: 29 
1996
NCAA Division II tournament		 5 NCAA Division II first round
Lost First Round vs. Franklin Pierce, 53–83		 [1][13]: 29 
1997
NCAA Division II tournament		 6 NCAA Division II first round
Lost First Round vs. Saint Rose, 76–92		 [1][13]: 30 
2014
NCAA Division II tournament		 6 NCAA Division II first round
Lost First Round vs. Saint Anselm, 62–73		 [1]
2017
NCAA Division II tournament		 1 NCAA Division II first round
Lost First Round vs. Merrimack, 68–72OT		 [1]
2018
NCAA Division II tournament		 1 NCAA Division II Elite Eight
Won First Round vs. Jefferson, 75–57
Won Regional Semifinal vs. Saint Rose, 67–63
Won Sweet 16 vs. Bloomfield, 75–59
Lost Elite Eight vs. West Texas A&M, 73–87		 [1]
2019
NCAA Division II tournament		 3 NCAA Division II first round
Lost First Round vs. St. Thomas Aquinas, 59–61		 [1]

References

General
  • "NE10 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Northeast-10 Conference. 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  • "Siena Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Siena College. 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2024.</ref>
Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Le Moyne College Men's Basketball All-time Game Results". Le Moyne Dolphins. December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Le Moyne is Founder-Member of E.C.I.A.C. As 1950–51 Conference Plans are Charted" (PDF). The Dolphin. September 20, 1950. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ "New Loop". Daily News. New York. June 4, 1955. p. 37. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Hicks, Jay (August 20, 1956). "NCAA Group Opens Talks on Money Aid to Players". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. p. 7. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Van Valkenberg, James M. (March 4, 1992). "The Bevo Francis Rule" (PDF). The NCAA News. p. 11. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Smith, Stanley are Named for All-Star Squad". Kingston Daily Freeman. Kingston, New York. March 16, 1961. p. 34. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ Gavin, Jack (December 16, 1960). "Preenings". Saint Peter's College Pauw Wow. p. 7. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Varsity Climaxes Season with Tourney Victory at Utica" (PDF). The Dolphin. March 22, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ Hickey, Bill (March 21, 1951). "Dolphin Sportlights" (PDF). The Dolphin. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Dolphins Place Third in Catholic Tourney" (PDF). The Dolphin. March 21, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Dolphins Win Utica Tourney" (PDF). The Dolphin. March 13, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Terriers Top Dolphins in NCIT" (PDF). The Dolphin. March 28, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Division II Men's Basketball Championship (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2010. pp. 26–27, 29–30. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
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