Peaks & Valleys: McNeese State's Stunning 19-Game Improvement in 1 Year
Under the best of circumstances, it usually takes at least multiple seasons to turn around a program coming off a 20-loss season. That fact is what makes McNeese State's stunning 19-game turnaround under new coach Will Wade so improbable when the Cowboys went from their all-time most defeats in a single year (11-23 in 2022-23) to all-time winningest campaign (30-4).
No school had more of a roller coaster ride earlier this century than Siena, which went from a 6-24 record in 2004-05 to 27-8 in 2008-09 before going from 27-7 in 2009-10 to 8-24 in 2012-13. In the last decade, Tennessee State traveled a similar turbulent path in short span going from 20-13 in 2011-12 to 5-26 in 2014-15 to 20-11 in 2015-16.
There is a normal ebb and flow (good/bad/ugly) to a basketball game and season. But what is rare is Kennesaw State's wild-swing achievement two seasons ago when the Owls reached the NCAA playoffs with a 26-win team only three years removed from a dreadful 1-28 ledger. Kennesaw's difference in games from worst to winningest NCAA Division I season (+22) tied Toledo and Towson with Towson achieving outhouse-to-penthouse feat only two campaigns removed from woeful 1-31 worksheet.
Clearly, there is more short-term seasonal stability among power-conference members. Colorado was the only power-league member among schools posting their existing DI best/worst seasons in a span of fewer than four years until South Carolina's 14-game improvement last season.
What goes up like McNeese State must come down on college hoopdom's elevator ride. Central Michigan incurred the most dramatic single-season downfall after center Chris Kaman left school early to become the sixth pick overall in 2003 NBA draft and have a 13-year pro career. Following is a DI level summary of the best to worst or vice versa in a stretch of fewer than four seasons (all this century at least in part):
SHORT RIDE GOING UP
| DI School | Most DI Defeats Before Winningest Season | Games Improved |
|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 1-28 in 2019-20 to 26-9 in 2022-23 | +22 |
| Toledo | 4-28 in 2010-11 to 27-7 in 2013-14 | +22 |
| Towson | 1-31 in 2011-12 to 25-11 in 2013-14 | +22 |
| Wagner | 5-26 in 2009-10 to 25-6 in 2011-12 | +20 |
| UC Davis | 5-26 in 2011-12 to 25-7 in 2014-15 | +19 1/2 |
| McNeese State | 11-23 in 2022-23 to 30-4 in 2023-24 | +19 |
| Maryland-Baltimore County | 4-26 in 2014-15 to 25-11 in 2017-18 | +18 |
| UCF | 8-23 in 2000-01 to 25-6 in 2003-04 | +17 |
| Albany | 7-25 in 2009-10 to 24-11 in 2012-13 | +15 1/2 |
| Lipscomb | 12-21 in 2015-16 to 29-8 in 2018-19 | +15 |
| Tennessee State | 5-26 in 2014-15 to 20-11 in 2015-16 | +15 |
| Northern Kentucky | 9-21 in 2015-16 to 26-9 in 2018-19 | +14 1/2 |
| South Carolina | 11-21 in 2022-23 to 26-8 in 2023-24 | +14 |
| South Florida | 8-25 in 2015-16 to 24-14 in 2018-19 | +13 1/2 |
| Utah Valley | 11-19 in 2019-20 to 28-9 in 2022-23 | +13 1/2 |
| Boise State | 13-20 in 2018-19 to 27-8 in 2021-22 | +13 |
| Central Arkansas | 2-27 in 2014-15 to 18-17 in 2017-18 | +13 |
| Norfolk State | 12-20 in 2010-11 to 26-10 in 2011-12 | +12 |
| Wright State | 11-20 in 2014-15 to 25-10 in 2017-18 | +12 |
| Colorado | 9-22 in 2008-09 to 24-14 in 2010-11 | +11 1/2 |
SHORT RIDE GOING DOWN
| DI School | Winningest DI Season Before Most Defeats | Games Declined |
|---|---|---|
| Marist | 25-9 in 2006-07 to 1-29 in 2009-10 | -22 |
| Little Rock | 30-5 in 2015-16 to 7-25 in 2017-18 | -21 1/2 |
| Binghamton | 23-9 in 2008-09 to 2-29 in 2011-12 | -20 1/2 |
| Middle Tennessee State | 31-5 in 2016-17 to 8-23 in 2019-20 | -20 1/2 |
| Central Michigan | 25-7 in 2002-03 to 6-24 in 2003-04 | -18 |
| Siena | 27-7 in 2009-10 to 8-24 in 2012-13 | -18 |
| Boston University | 25-5 in 1996-97 to 7-22 in 1999-00 | -17 1/2 |
| Fairfield | 25-8 in 2010-11 to 7-25 in 2013-14 | -17 1/2 |
| Tennessee-Martin | 22-10 in 2008-09 to 4-27 in 2011-12 | -17 1/2 |
| St. Francis (N.Y.) | 23-12 in 2014-15 to 4-27 in 2016-17 | -17 |
| Gardner-Webb | 23-9 in 2001-02 to 5-24 in 2002-03 | -16 1/2 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 26-8 in 2016-17 to 10-22 in 2019-20 | -15 |
| Northern Arizona | 23-15 in 2014-15 to 5-27 in 2017-18 | -15 |
| Omaha | 21-11 in 2018-19 to 5-25 in 2021-22 | -15 |
| Tennessee State | 20-13 in 2011-12 to 5-26 in 2014-15 | -14 |
| Bellarmine | 20-13 in 2021-22 to 8-23 in 2023-24 | -11 |
NOTE: St. Francis (N.Y.) dropped all sports following this past season.