Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball

The Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team is the college basketball team that represents University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan, and competes in NCAA Division I men's basketball as a member of the Horizon League. Traditionally, the Titans have been a fair "mid-major" program, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1977 and to the Round of 32 in 1998 and 1999. The Titans have appeared in the NCAA Tournament six times, most recently in 2012. The Titans are currently coached by Mike Davis, who was hired on June 13, 2018.[2] The Titans play their home games at Calihan Hall on the school's McNichols Campus.

Detroit Mercy Titans
2023–24 Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Detroit Mercy
Head coachVacant
ConferenceHorizon League
LocationDetroit, Michigan
ArenaCalihan Hall
(Capacity: 8,295)
NicknameTitans
ColorsRed, white, and blue[1]
     
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1977
NCAA tournament round of 32
1977, 1998, 1999
NCAA tournament appearances
1962, 1977, 1979, 1998, 1999, 2012
Conference tournament champions
1994, 1999, 2012
Conference regular season champions
1998, 1999

Season by season records edit

  • NOTE: The Titans did not field a basketball team in 1907–08 and 1908–09.
Season Team Overall record Pct. Conf. record Postseason
Independent
1905–06 Detroit 3–1 .750
1906–07 Detroit 1–3 .250
1909–10 Detroit 2–3 .400
1910–11 Detroit 6–0 1.000
1911–12 Detroit 6–5 .545
1912–13 Detroit 13–0 1.000
1913–14 Detroit 6–3 .667
1914–15 Detroit 3–5 .375
1915–16 Detroit 7–3 .700
1916–17 Detroit 5–4 .556
1917–18 Detroit 13–5 .722
1918–19 Detroit 4–5 .444
1919–20 Detroit 12–7 .632
1920–21 Detroit 10–8 .556
1921–22 Detroit 2–13 .133
1922–23 Detroit 9–7 .563
1923–24 Detroit 9–8 .529
1924–25 Detroit 6–6 .500
1925–26 Detroit 13–6 .684
1926–27 Detroit 8–9 .471
1927–28 Detroit 11–4 .733
1928–29 Detroit 4–11 .267
1929–30 Detroit 10–9 .526
1930–31 Detroit 10–9 .526
1931–32 Detroit 8–8 .500
1932–33 Detroit 12–5 .706
1933–34 Detroit 7–8 .467
1934–35 Detroit 4–10 .286
1935–36 Detroit 12–5 .706
1936–37 Detroit 11–5 .688
1937–38 Detroit 16–4 .800
1938–39 Detroit 15–5 .750
1939–40 Detroit 14–9 .609
1940–41 Detroit 11–10 .524
1941–42 Detroit 13–8 .619
1942–43 Detroit 15–5 .750
1943–44 Detroit 13–7 .650
1944–45 Detroit 8–12 .400
1945–46 Detroit 15–8 .652
1946–47 Detroit 12–13 .480
1947–48 Detroit 7–15 .318
1948–49 Detroit 12–10 .545
Missouri Valley Conference
1949–50 Detroit 20–6 .769 7–5
1950–51 Detroit 17–14 .548 7–7
1951–52 Detroit 14–12 .538 4–6
1952–53 Detroit 12–14 .462 4–6
1953–54 Detroit 11–17 .393 1–9
1954–55 Detroit 15–11 .577 2–8
1955–56 Detroit 13–12 .520 3–9
1956–57 Detroit 11–15 .423 5–9
Independent
1957–58 Detroit 13–12 .520
1958–59 Detroit 11–14 .440
1959–60 Detroit 20–7 .741 NIT 1st Round
1960–61 Detroit 18–9 .667 NIT 1st Round
1961–62 Detroit 15–12 .556 NCAA 1st Round
1962–63 Detroit 14–12 .538
1963–64 Detroit 14–11 .560
1964–65 Detroit 20–8 .714 NIT Quarterfinals
1965–66 Detroit 17–8 .680
1966–67 Detroit 10–15 .400
1967–68 Detroit 13–12 .520
1968–69 Detroit 16–10 .615
1969–70 Detroit 7–18 .280
1970–71 Detroit 14–12 .538
1971–72 Detroit 18–6 .750
1972–73 Detroit 16–9 .640
1973–74 Detroit 17–9 .654
1974–75 Detroit 17–9 .654
1975–76 Detroit 19–8 .704
1976–77 Detroit 26–3 .897 NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1977–78 Detroit 25–4 .862 NIT Quarterfinals
1978–79 Detroit 22–6 .786 NCAA 1st Round
1979–80 Detroit 14–13 .519
Midwestern City Conference
1980–81 Detroit 9–18 .333 1–5
1981–82 Detroit 10–17 .370 6–6
1982–83 Detroit 12–17 .414 6–8
1983–84 Detroit 8–20 .286 4–10
Midwestern Collegiate Conference
1984–85 Detroit 16–12 .571 8–6
1985–86 Detroit 14–15 .483 7–5
1986–87 Detroit 7–21 .250 2–10
1987–88 Detroit 7–23 .233 2–8
1988–89 Detroit 7–21 .250 4–8
1989–90 Detroit 10–18 .357 3–11
1990–91 Detroit 9–19 .321 2–12
1991–92 Detroit 12–17 .414 1–9
1992–93 Detroit 15–12 .556 7–7
1993–94 Detroit 16–13 .552 5–5
1994–95 Detroit 13–15 .464 9–5
1995–96 Detroit 18–11 .621 8–8
1996–97 Detroit 16–13 .552 11–5
1997–98 Detroit 25–6 .802 12–2 NCAA 2nd Round
1998–99 Detroit 25–6 .802 12–2 NCAA 2nd Round
1999–2000 Detroit 20–12 .625 8–6
2000–01 Detroit 25–12 .676 10–4 NIT 4th place
Horizon League
2001–02 Detroit 18–13 .581 11–5 NIT Opening Round
2002–03 Detroit 18–12 .600 9–7
2003–04 Detroit 19–11 .633 10–6
2004–05 Detroit 14–16 .467 9–7
2005–06 Detroit 16–16 .500 8–8
2006–07 Detroit 11–19 .367 6–10
2007–08 Detroit 7–23 .233 3–15
2008–09 Detroit 7–23 .233 2–16
2009–10 Detroit 20–14 .588 9–9
2010–11 Detroit 17–16 .515 10–8
2011–12 Detroit 22–13 .629 11–7 NCAA 1st Round
2012–13 Detroit 20–13 .606 12–4 NIT 1st Round
2013–14 Detroit 13–19 .406 6–10
2014–15 Detroit 15–18 .455 7–9
2015–16 Detroit 16–15 .516 9–9
2016–17 Detroit 8–23 .258 5–12
2017–18 Detroit 8–24 .250 4–14
2018–19 Detroit 11–20 .355 8–10
2019–20 Detroit 8–23 .258 6–12
2020–21 Detroit 12–10 .545 10–6
2021–22 Detroit 14–16 .467 10–7 TBC 1st Round
2022–23 Detroit 14–19 .424 9–11
2023–24 Detroit 1–31 .031 1–19
Totals 1,440–1,247 .536

Postseason edit

NCAA tournament results edit

The Titans have appeared in six NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–6.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1962 First Round Western Kentucky L 90–81
1977 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Middle Tennessee State
Michigan
W 93–76
L 86–81
1979 #7 First Round #10 Lamar L 95–87
1998 #10 First Round
Second Round
#7 St. John's
#2 Purdue
W 66–64
L 80–65
1999 #12 First Round
Second Round
#5 UCLA
#4 Ohio State
W 56–53
L 75–44
2012 #15 First Round #2 Kansas L 65–50

NIT Results edit

The Titans have appeared in seven National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 5–8.

Year Round Opponent Result
1960 First Round Villanova L 88–86
1961 First Round Holy Cross L 86–82
1965 First Round
Quarterfinals
La Salle
NYU
W 93–86
L 87–76
1978 First Round
Quarterfinals
VCU
North Carolina State
W 94–86
L 84–77
2001 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Bradley
Connecticut
Dayton
Alabama
Memphis
W 68–49
W 67–61
W 59–42
L 74–63
L 86–71
2002 Opening Round Dayton L 80–69
2013 First Round Arizona State L 83–68

The Basketball Classic results edit

The Titans have appeared in The Basketball Classic one time. Their record is 0–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2022 First Round Florida Golf Coast L 79–95

Players edit

Retired numbers edit

Detroit Mercy has retired 11 jerseys in program history.

Detroit Mercy Titans retired jerseys
No. Player Career Ref.
0 Antoine Davis 2018–2023 [3]
3 Rashad Phillips 1997–2001 [4]
17 Bob Calihan 1937–1940 [4]
22 Dave DeBusschere 1959–1962 [4]
24 Earl Cureton 1978–1980 [4]
32 Eli Holman 2009–2012 [5]
34 Willie Green 1999–2003 [4]
42 Terry Duerod 1975–1979 [4]
44 Terry Tyler 1974–1978 [4]
45 Spencer Haywood 1968–1969 [4]
50 John Long 1974–1978 [4]

Titans in the NBA edit

23 Detroit alumni have gone on to play in the NBA. They include:

In the late seventies, Coach Dick Vitale led the Titans to two NCAA tournament appearances before heading the Detroit Pistons and later embarking on a broadcasting career that would put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Alumni who played in the NBA G League:

References edit

  1. ^ "University of Detroit Mercy Brand Standards Guide" (PDF). September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mike Davis hired by Detroit Mercy; press conference Thursday". Detroit News. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  3. ^ "Titans open Horizon tourney with win, Davis (38 points) on brink of record". detroitnews.com. February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023. Davis, the fifth-year senior guard whose No. 0 was hanging in the rafters at Calihan Hall for the first time for all to see Tuesday – it was retired by Detroit Mercy following the final regular-season game – made back-to-back 3's about 12 minutes into the game, opening up a 24-16 lead. He had 15 points at that point.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "University of Detroit retires jersey of Earl 'The Twirl' Cureton". spinalcolumnonline.com. January 26, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Men's Basketball To Retire Eli Holman's Jersey On Jan. 25 at detroittitans.com, 14 Jan 2020

External links edit