DePauw University

The 1983-84 men’s basketball season was a campaign of many firsts and records as the Tigers won a school-record 25 games on the way to a 25-5 finish under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Steele. They earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship and advanced to the national semifinals before placing third in the nation. After finishing the previous season with 11 straight wins and a school-record 18 victories and narrowly missing a trip to the postseason, the Tigers opened the 1983-84 year with a pair of wins before falling to Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse. A four-game win streak started with a win at preseason fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan. The Tigers’ second loss came by two points at Division I Valparaiso as the Crusaders hit two free throws with two seconds left. DePauw ran its record to 13-2 after capturing the DePauw Invitational. DePauw rattled off eight straight wins before finishing the regular season with a 21-4 record.

Not only did the Tigers earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, but they were selected as the Great Lakes Region host. In a packed Neal Fieldhouse, DePauw defeated Capital 62-60 and Heidelberg 54-53 in overtime to advance to the national quarterfinals. The Tigers again were selected as a quarterfinal host and entertained Lemoyne-Owen of Memphis, Tenn. DePauw had little trouble in advancing to the national semifinals following a 98-49 win. That victory wrapped up a perfect 15-0 home record for the season. A trip to Calvin College followed and the Tigers fell to eventual Division III champion Wisconsin-Whitewater in the semifinals but came back the next night to top Upsala and finish third in the country.

Dave Hathaway led the Tigers in scoring with 16.0 points per game and earned third team all-America honors from the National Basketball Coaches Association. Phil Wendel broke the single-season school record with 178 assists, a mark that stood for 18 years. The team also established school records for free throws made (521) and attempted (685), both of which still stand.