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Name: Houston Baptist University
Location: Houston, TX
Founded: 1960
What, really? Only 56 years ago? Actually, only 53 years ago.
How the hell does that work? After eight years of preparatory work, including finding the land for the university, the Baptist General Convention of Texas elected the Board of Trustees of HBU in 1960. The trustees then convened and approved the school’s first charter on November 15, 1960. They didn’t actually start teaching anyone until September of 1963 when they admitted their first freshman class, and didn’t have four classes of students on campus at once until September 1966.
Enrollment: 3,160 students with 2,235 undergraduates
Nickname: Huskies
Why “Huskies?” No idea. Given how relatively new the school is, I presume that the students all voted on it at some point.
The Second Time Around: This is actually HBU’s second tenure as a part of Division 1. They dropped down to an NAIA school in 1990. In 2007, the Huskies began their move back to NCAA Division 1 and have been a full member of the NCAA since 2011.
Notable Alumni: Professional golfer Colin Montgomerie. That’s it. That’s the list. I found some other names, but if I’ve never heard of you, you can’t be that great.
An Unexpected Marquette Connection: Have you ever heard of the documentary Hoop Dreams? It dives into the lives of two Chicago area high school basketball players. One of them, William Gates, ended up playing his college ball at Marquette. Both of his sons, William Jr. and Jalon, play for HBU.
Hoop Dreams star William Gates with his two sons -- Houston Baptist's William Jr. and Jalon. Play at Marquette (Gates alma mater) next Sat. pic.twitter.com/zKtcuXI9q4
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) November 19, 2016
Last Season: 13-17 against Division 1 foes, 10-8 in the Southland Conference. They ended up earning a bid to the CBI, but lost to UNC Greensboro in the first round.
This Season: 0-2 against Division 1 opponents, with two wins against non-D1 teams.
Final 2015-16 KenPom Ranking: #277
Current KenPom Ranking: #302
Stat Leaders
Points: Colter Lasher, 14.8 ppg
Rebounds: Josh Ibarra, 5.8 rpg
Assists: Colter Lasher, 3.5 apg
Head Coach: Ron Cottrell, in his 26th season overall and at HBU. He has a record of 452-350 overall and 96-184 since HBU moved to Division 1.
All Time Series: Marquette has a 1-0 lead after a 95-64 victory on November 14, 2008.