The UNT men's basketball team will play in the 2024 NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament hosted at the State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida Nov. 28-29.
Along with the Mean Green, the four-team field includes Northern Iowa, St. Bonaventure and Utah State. UNT beat UNI last year in the season opener, 83-77 (OT). The Mean Green and Utah State used to be conference mates in the Big West from 1996-2000. UNT and St. Bonaventure have met twice before but not since 2003.
North Texas is entering its second season under head coach Ross Hodge who led the Mean Green to a 19-win season last year and the second round of the 2024 NIT. In what was UNT's first season in the American Athletic Conference, the Mean Green won 10 league games last year, which was the most conference wins by first-year North Texas men's basketball head coach.
After the season Hodge was named a 2024 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award finalist for top rookie NCAA coach. UNT was the only team to reach either the NIT or NCAA Tournament with a rookie head coach.
The Mean Green are just one of seven teams in the country who have won a NCAA national postseason game in each of the last four season.