Heartland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

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Heartland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (defunct)
Conference Basketball Championship
SportBasketball
ConferenceHeartland Conference
Number of teams8
FormatSingle-elimination tournament
Current stadium
Current locationTulsa, OK
Played2003–2019
Final championSt. Edward's (3)
Most championshipsSt. Mary's (TX) (6)
Official websiteHeartland men's basketball

The Heartland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the annual event that concluded the men's basketball season of the Heartland Conference, an NCAA Division II league that began play in 1999 and disbanded after the 2018–19 school year. The tournament, first held in 2003 and continuing through the conference's final basketball season of 2018–19, was a single-elimination tournament, with seeding based on regular-season records.[1]

The winner, declared conference champion, received the Heartland's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.

Following the 2018–19 school year, seven of the nine Heartland members joined the Lone Star Conference, with the other two joining the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Tournament format[]

From its establishment in 2003, the Heartland Conference tournament typically featured a simple four-team single-elimination tournament featuring the top four teams from the conference regular season standings. An additional opening round game, featuring the fourth and fifth best teams, was played only in 2006 and 2012. In 2010, two opening round games were played, with the third-seed playing the sixth-seed and the fourth-seed playing the fifth-seed.

In most years, the tournament was held in a gymnasium on the campus of one of the Heartland Conference member schools. The only exceptions were the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, played in the home arena of North Texas from Division I.

Results[]

Year Champions Score Runner-Up Venue
2003 St. Mary's (TX) 57–47 Incarnate Word Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2004 Drury 62–58 St. Mary's (TX) O'Reilly Family Event Center (Springfield, MO)
2005 St. Mary's (TX) 59–52 Rockhurst Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2006 St. Edward's 83–77 Montana State–Billings Recreation and Convocation Center (Austin, TX)
2007 St. Edward's 85–73 Incarnate Word UNT Coliseum (Denton, TX)
2008 St. Mary's (TX) 79–70 OT St. Edward's UNT Coliseum (Denton, TX)
2009 Incarnate Word 67–55 Dallas Baptist Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2010 Incarnate Word 65–63 St. Mary's (TX) Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2011 Texas A&M International 86–67 Texas–Permian Basin Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2012 St. Mary's (TX) 84–70 Arkansas–Fort Smith Kinesiology and Convocation Building (Laredo, TX)
2013 St. Mary's (TX) 85–76 Arkansas–Fort Smith Stubblefield Center (Fort Smith, AR)
2014 Texas A&M International 76–72 Texas–Permian Basin Stubblefield Center (Fort Smith, AR)
2015 St. Mary's (TX) 63–60 St. Edward's Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio, TX)
2016 Dallas Baptist 95–87 (OT) Arkansas–Fort Smith Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, OK)
2017 Arkansas–Fort Smith 68–59[2] Dallas Baptist Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, OK)
2018 Dallas Baptist 77–57 Oklahoma Christian Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, OK)
2019 St. Edward's 69–59 Dallas Baptist Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, OK)

Championship appearances by school[]

School Finals Record Finals Appearances Years
St. Mary's (TX) 6–2 8 2003, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015
Texas A&M International 2–0 2 2011, 2014
St. Edward's 3–2 5 2006, 2007, 2019
Incarnate Word 2–2 4 2009, 2010
Dallas Baptist 2–3 5 2016, 2018
Arkansas–Fort Smith 1–3 4 2017
Drury 1–0 1 2004
Texas–Permian Basin 0–2 2
Oklahoma Christian 0–1 1
Montana State–Billings 0–1 1
Rockhurst 0–1 1
  • Among the nine final members of the Heartland Conference, Lubbock Christian, Newman, and Rogers State never reached the tournament final.
  • Among teams that left before the league's final 2018–19 season, Lincoln (MO), McMurry, Oklahoma Panhandle State, and Western New Mexico never reached the finals of the Heartland Conference tournament before departing the league.
  • Schools highlighted in red left the Heartland Conference prior to its final 2018–19 season.

References[]

  1. ^ "Heartland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament History" (PDF). Year-by-year records. Heartland Conference. 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "UA Fort Smith claims first Heartland Tournament title". Heartland Conference. 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
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