La Salle Explorers men's basketball


The La Salle Explorers men's basketball program represents La Salle University in college basketball.

Rivalries

The Explorers, a member of the Big 5, have long-standing rivalries with multiple institutions including Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University, and Villanova University. Another major rival is Drexel University who is a member of the City 6.

History

The program has been rated the 53rd "Greatest College Basketball Program of All-Time" by Street & Smith's magazine and 71st by the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia.
La Salle has won one National Championship, one National Invitation Tournament Championship, and advanced to two Final Fours. The Explorers have also made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, won eight Philadelphia Big 5 city championships, and four Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships. The program is one of only two schools to have two players in the top 25 in all-time NCAA scoring – Lionel Simmons and Michael Brooks. It's also had three National Players of the Year.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Explorers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 14–11. They were National Champions in 1954.
YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
1954First round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship		Fordham
NC State
Navy
Penn State
Bradley		W 76–74OT
W 88–81
W 64–48
W 69–54
W 92–76
1955First round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship		West Virginia
Princeton
Canisius
Iowa
San Francisco		W 95–61
W 73–46
W 99–64
W 73–76
L 63–77
1968First roundColumbiaL 69–83
1975First roundSyracuseL 83–87OT
1978First roundVillanovaL 97–103
1980No. 11First roundNo. 6 PurdueL 82–90
1983No. 12Preliminary Round
First Round		No. 12 Boston University
  1. 5 VCU
W 70–58L 67–76
1988No. 13First roundNo. 4 Kansas StateL 53–66
1989No. 9First roundNo. 8 Louisiana TechL 74–83
1990No. 4First round
Second Round		No. 13 Southern Miss
  1. 5 Clemson
W 79–63L 75–79
1992No. 13First roundNo. 4 Seton HallL 76–78
2013No. 13First Four
Second Round
Third Round
Sweet Sixteen		No. 13 Boise State
  1. 4 Kansas State
  2. 12 Ole Miss
  3. 9 Wichita State
W 80–71W 63–61
W 76–74
L 58–72

NIT results

The Explorers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 9–11. They were NIT champions in 1952.
YearRoundOpponentResult
1948Quarter-finalsWKUL 61–68
1950First round
Quarterfinals		Arizona
Duquesne		W 72–66
L 47–49
1951First roundSaint LouisL 61–73
1952First round
Quarterfinals
Semi-finals
Finals		Seton Hall
St. John's
Duquesne
Dayton		W 80–76
W 51–45
W 59–46
W 75–64
1953Quarter-finalsSt. John'sL 74–75
1963First roundSaint LouisL 61–63
1965First roundDetroitL 86–93
1971First roundGeorgia TechL 67–70
1984First roundPittsburghL 91–95
1987First round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semi-finals
Finals		Villanova
Niagara
Illinois State
Arkansas–Little Rock
Southern Miss		W 86–84
W 89–81
W 70–50
W 92–73
L 80–84
1991First roundMassachusettsL 90–93
2012First roundMinnesotaL 61–70

Explorers in the NBA

La Salle has an extensive history of players who played professional basketball, including:

Retired numbers

Coaches

Previous head coach Dr. John Giannini previously coached at Rowan College, where he won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1996, and the University of Maine, where he left with the Black Bears' best winning percentage in school history.
On April 8, 2018, La Salle announced Ashley Howard as the next head coach of the Explorers. Howard previously served as an assistant coach under Jay Wright at Villanova University. As assistant coach, he helped lead the Wildcats to two NCAA Division 1 basketball championships.
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Past head coaches

Year-by-Year Records