| 1997–98 Detroit Titans men's basketball | |
|---|---|
![]()  | |
Midwestern Collegiate Conference Regular season champions  | |
NCAA tournament, second round  | |
| Conference | Midwestern Collegiate Conference | 
| Record | 25–6 (12–2 MCC) | 
| Head coach | 
  | 
| Home arena | Calihan Hall | 
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | 12 | – | 2 | .857 | 25 | – | 6 | .806 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UIC | 12 | – | 2 | .857 | 22 | – | 6 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler † | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | 17 | – | 12 | .586 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 12 | – | 15 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola Chicago | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 15 | – | 15 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State | 3 | – | 11 | .214 | 10 | – | 18 | .357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 2 | – | 12 | .143 | 3 | – | 24 | .111 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1998 MCC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1997–98 Detroit Titans men's basketball team represented the University of Detroit Mercy in the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by coach Perry Watson, the Titans played their home games at Calihan Hall as members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. They finished the season 25–6 overall, 12–2 in MCC play to win the regular season league title.
Playing in the MCC tournament as the No. 1 seed, they defeated UW-Milwaukee in the quarterfinals before losing to Green Bay in the semifinals. Despite the early exit, Detroit received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 10 seed in the Midwest region. The Titans beat No. 7 seed St. John's in the opening round[1] before losing to No. 2 seed Purdue in the second round.[2]
This 1997–98 team, which tied the school record with 25 wins and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1979, was honored 20 years later.[3]
Roster
| 1997–98 Detroit Titans men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | 
 
 
 
 
  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date time, TV  | 
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site   city, state  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| Nov 17, 1997* | 
at Cincinnati | L 66–76 | 0–1 | 
Fifth Third Arena  Cincinnati, Ohio  | |||||||
| Nov 25, 1997* | 
Wayne State | W 95–59 | 1–1 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Nov 30, 1997* | 
Michigan | L 53–54 | 1–2 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Dec 3, 1997* | 
Bowling Green | W 73–52 | 2–2 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Dec 6, 1997* 2:00 pm  | 
Western Michigan | W 77–59 | 3–2 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Dec 13, 1997* 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus  | 
at Michigan State | W 68–65 | 4–2 | 
Breslin Student Events Center  East Lansing, Michigan  | |||||||
| Dec 16, 1997* | 
Central Michigan | W 77–53 | 5–2 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Dec 18, 1997* | 
at Georgia State | W 74–64 | 6–2 | 
GSU Sports Arena  Atlanta, Georgia  | |||||||
| Dec 20, 1997* | 
vs. Grambling State  ISU Holiday Challenge  | 
W 74–52 | 7–2 | 
Hilton Coliseum  Ames, Iowa  | |||||||
| Dec 21, 1997* 9:00 pm, CTN  | 
at Iowa State  ISU Holiday Challenge  | 
W 67–56 | 8–2 | 
Hilton Coliseum (8,026) Ames, Iowa  | |||||||
| Dec 27, 1997* | 
at Texas Southern | W 90–75 | 9–2 | 
Health and Physical Education Arena  Houston, Texas  | |||||||
| Dec 31, 1997* | 
at Bethune–Cookman | W 79–65 | 10–2 | 
Moore Gymnasium  Daytona Beach, Florida  | |||||||
| Jan 3, 1998 | 
UW-Milwaukee | W 83–56 | 11–2 (1–0)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Jan 5, 1998 | 
Green Bay | W 58–41 | 12–2 (2–0)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Jan 11, 1998 | 
at Illinois-Chicago | L 83–88 | 12–3 (2–1)  | 
UIC Pavilion  Chicago, Illinois  | |||||||
| Jan 15, 1998 | 
Wright State | W 80–75 | 13–3 (3–1)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Jan 17, 1998 | 
Butler | W 78–67 | 14–3 (4–1)  | 
Cobo Arena (4,076) Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Jan 19, 1998 | 
at Loyola (IL) | W 76–71 | 15–3 (5–1)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, Illinois  | |||||||
| Jan 24, 1998 | 
Cleveland State | W 84–70 | 16–3 (6–1)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Jan 29, 1998 | 
at UW-Milwaukee | W 83–68 | 17–3 (7–1)  | 
Wisconsin Center Arena  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  | |||||||
| Jan 31, 1998 | 
at Green Bay | W 67–64 OT | 18–3 (8–1)  | 
Brown County Arena  Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin  | |||||||
| Feb 5, 1998 | 
Loyola (IL) | W 94–65 | 19–3 (9–1)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Feb 7, 1998 | 
Illinois-Chicago | W 76–58 | 20–3 (10–1)  | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Feb 12, 1998 | 
at Butler | W 54–51 | 21–3 (11–1)  | 
Hinkle Fieldhouse (4,213) Indianapolis, Indiana  | |||||||
| Feb 14, 1998 | 
at Wright State | W 68–60 | 22–3 (12–1)  | 
Ervin J. Nutter Center  Fairborn, Ohio  | |||||||
| Feb 18, 1998* 7:05 pm  | 
Oakland | W 110–61 | 23–3 | 
Cobo Arena  Detroit, Michigan  | |||||||
| Feb 21, 1998 | 
at Cleveland State | L 57–60 | 23–4 (12–2)  | 
Henry J. Goodman Arena  Cleveland, Ohio  | |||||||
| MCC tournament | |||||||||||
| Feb 28, 1998 | 
(1) | vs. (8) UW-Milwaukee  Quarterfinals  | 
W 74–60 | 24–4 | 
Brown County Arena  Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin  | ||||||
| Mar 1, 1998 | 
(1) | at (4) Green Bay  Semifinals  | 
L 65–68 | 24–5 | 
Brown County Arena  Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin  | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 13, 1998* | 
(10 MW) | vs. (7 MW) St. John's  First Round  | 
W 66–64 | 25–5 | 
United Center  Chicago, Illinois  | ||||||
| Mar 15, 1998* | 
(10 MW) | vs. (2 MW) No. 11 Purdue  Second Round  | 
L 65–80 | 25–6 | 
United Center  Chicago, Illinois  | ||||||
*Non-conference game.  #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.  MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time.  | |||||||||||
References
- ↑ "St. John's Falls to Detroit". The New York Times. March 14, 1998. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
 - ↑ "Purdue Blasts Detroit and Rolls Into St. Louis". The New York Times. March 16, 1998. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
 - ↑ "No Longer A Dream, The 1997-98 Titans Made It A Reality". University of Detroit Mercy. January 22, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
 
