1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team

The 1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 1988-89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Les Robinson. The Bucs finished the season 20–11 and 7–7 in Southern Conference play to finish in fourth place. They won the Southern Conference tournament championship in Asheville to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the Southeast region. They lost to No. 1 seed Oklahoma, 72–71 in the first round – the second game of the tournament between No. 1 and No. 16 seeds decided by a single point (Georgetown vs. Princeton). This was the first of four consecutive seasons where ETSU qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record20–11 (7–7 SoCon)
Head coach
Assistant coachAlan LeForce
Home arenaETSU/Mountain States Health
Alliance Athletic Center
Seasons
1988–89 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Chattanooga 10 4   .714 18 12   .600
Furman 9 5   .643 17 12   .586
Appalachian State 8 6   .571 20 8   .714
East Tennessee State 7 7   .500 20 11   .645
The Citadel 7 7   .500 16 12   .571
Marshall 6 8   .429 15 15   .500
VMI 5 9   .357 11 17   .393
Western Carolina 4 10   .286 12 16   .429
1989 SoCon Tournament winner
As of April 30, 1988
Rankings from AP poll

Roster

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1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
C 11 Greg Dennis 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
So
PG 22 Keith Jennings 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So Culpeper, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Alan LeForce

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Source[1]

Source[2]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Dec 2, 1988*
at No. 4 Syracuse
Carrier Classic
L 81–120  2–1
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 3, 1988*
vs. Miami (OH)
Carrier Classic
W 79–78  3–1
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 6, 1988*
Mississippi State W 91–82  4–1
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, Tennessee
Dec 10, 1988*
Tennessee State W 70–69  5–1
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, Tennessee
Dec 16, 1988*
vs. Pacific
Sacramento Holiday Classic
W 88–86  6–1
Hornets Nest 
Sacramento, California
Dec 17, 1988*
at Sacramento State
Sacramento Holiday Classic
W 88–86  7–1
Hornets Nest 
Sacramento, California
Dec 29, 1988*
vs. Southwest Missouri State
BMA Holiday Classic
L 68–72  7–2
Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, Missouri
Dec 30, 1988*
vs. Iona
BMA Holiday Classic
W 92–88  8–2
Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, Missouri
Jan 8, 1989
Western Carolina W 83–74  9–2
(1–0)
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 9, 1989
Chattanooga L 82–86  9–3
(1–1)
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 14, 1989
at Furman L 86–90  9–4
(1–2)
Greenville Memorial Auditorium 
Greenville, South Carolina
Jan 21, 1989
Appalachian State L 70–91  9–5
(1–3)
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 25, 1989
at The Citadel W 79–70  10–5
(2–3)
Deas Hall 
Charleston, South Carolina
SoCon tournament
Mar 3, 1989*
(4) vs. (5) The Citadel
SoCon Tournament Quarterfinal
W 93–89  18–10
Asheville Civic Center 
Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 4, 1989*
(4) vs. (1) Chattanooga
SoCon Tournament Semifinal
W 76–73  19–10
Asheville Civic Center 
Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 5, 1989*
(4) vs. (6) Marshall
SoCon tournament championship
W 96–73  20–10
Asheville Civic Center 
Asheville, North Carolina
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 1989*
(16 SE) vs. (1 SE) No. 4 Oklahoma
First Round
L 71–72[3]  20–11
Memorial Gymnasium 
Nashville, Tennessee
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=Southeast.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[2][4]

References

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  1. ^ "1988-89 ETSU Buccaneers Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  2. ^ a b "1988-89 ETSU Buccaneers Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "No. 1-Seeded Sooners Struggle Past East Tennessee St., 72-71". March 17, 1989. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "2019–20 ETSU Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). ETSU Athletics. Retrieved April 11, 2020.