Runaway Winners: McNeese State Cowboys Dominate Southland Competition
Seven years ago, Virginia became the first ACC member since Duke in 1999-00 to win the regular-season league title by as many as four games in final standings. The most dominant club in conference competition this season was McNeese State (won Southland Conference by five games with 19-1 mark). The Will Wade-coached Cowboys' lone league loss was against Nicholls.
Duke (ACC) and Houston (Big 12) posted gaudy 19-1 records this season but no power league in the last 11 years has had a team finish atop conference standings by at least five games. Colgate was the first school to be so dominant in back-to-back regular-season conference competition (2022-23 and 2023-24) since Stephen Curry-led Davidson to Southern Conference crown by six games in 2007-08. Following is a list of most dominant league titlists in that span finishing at least six games ahead in standings (listed in reverse order):
Season | League Champion (Coach) | Conference | Mark | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023-24 | Colgate (Matt Langel) | Patriot League | 16-2 | +6 |
2022-23 | Colgate (Matt Langel) | Patriot League | 17-1 | +6 |
2021-22 | Longwood (Griff Aldrich) | Big South/North | 15-1 | +7 |
2021-22 | Vermont (John Becker) | America East | 17-1 | +6 |
2020-21 | Navy (Ed DeChellis) | Patriot League/South | 12-1 | +6 |
2019-20 | New Mexico State (Chris Jans) | Western Athletic | 16-0 | +6 |
2017-18 | Buffalo (Nate Oats) | Mid-American/East | 15-3 | +6 |
2014-15 | Murray State (Steve Prohm) | Ohio Valley/West | 16-0 | +6 |
2013-14 | Wichita State (Gregg Marshall) | Missouri Valley | 18-0 | +6 |
2013-14 | Florida (Billy Donovan) | SEC | 18-0 | +6 |
2011-12 | Kentucky (John Calipari) | SEC | 16-0 | +6 |
2011-12 | Middle Tennessee State (Kermit Davis) | Sun Belt/East | 14-2 | +6 |
2009-10 | Butler (Brad Stevens) | Horizon League | 18-0 | +6 |
2007-08 | Davidson (Bob McKillop) | Southern/South | 20-0 | +7 |