The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 343 is Sacred Heart basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Sacred Heart basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 0
- Bids: 0
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 12
- Bids per season: 0
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 1
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 0
- Conference tournament titles: 0
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Sacred Heart basketball
Storrs, CT, may be the Basketball Capital of the World, but in Southern Connecticut, Sacred Heart is the polar opposite. The Pioneers have never been to an NCAA Tournament, and compared to their bigger brother, UConn, are miles away.
Of course, SHU is at the mid-major level, and no one is expecting that comparison, but it’s actually surprising they haven’t made the big dance yet. The Pioneers have had four winning seasons and another .500 campaign across 27 tries. In the early 2000s, they actually had a streak of three straight winning seasons, combining for a 53-42 record and 37-17 in conference from 2006-09.
Then, in 2019-20, the Pioneers had their first 20-win season. COVID canceled the NCAA Tournament, but SHU was bounced before that in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament, ending their chances anyway.
They’ve had some interesting history – Shane Gibson scored over 2,000 points in the program, and recently, Nico Galette was a top guy in the NEC for a couple of seasons. And in 2016, sophomore standout Cane Broome won Conference Player of the Year, averaging 23.1 points per game.
But the highlight of Sacred Heart basketball? Cameron Parker, who played point guard with the program from 2018-20, had 24 assists in a game against Pine Manor. It remains the record for assists in a single game in college basketball history.
For Sacred Heart basketball, there might not be an NCAA Tournament appearances, but there’s been some solid seasons and history to boast about.