The Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represents Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The school's team currently competes in the NCAA Division I's Ohio Valley Conference. They play their home games at the Gentry Complex and are led by first-year head coach Nolan Smith.

While they were a member of the NAIA, they were three time national champions (1957, 1958, 1959). TSU was the first team to win three consecutive basketball national championships at any level of college basketball – a feat only repeated by UCLA (seven straight championships from 1967–1973) and Kentucky State (1970, 1971, 1972). The 1957 championship made TSU the first historically black college to win a national championship. The team was coached by Harold Hunter from 1960 to 1968. Hunter still holds the record as the second-winningest men's basketball coach in Tennessee State's history. Hunter had succeeded outgoing coach John McLendon, who left in 1959.

The Tigers joined NCAA Division I for the 1977–78 season and joined the OVC for the 1986–87 season. Since joining Division I, Tennessee State has appeared three times in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2026.

Seventeen former Tennessee State Tigers have played in the NBA; the best known are Ben Warley, Robert Covington, Dick Barnett, John Barnhill, Truck Robinson, Anthony Mason and Carlos Rogers.

Postseason results

NCAA Division I Tournament results The Tigers have appeared in three NCAA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 0–3.

1993 First round Seton Hall L 59–81 1994 First round Kentucky L 70–83 2026 First RoundIowa State L 74–108

NCAA Division II Tournament results The Tigers have appeared in seven NCAA Division II Tournaments. Their record is 18–8.

1967 Regional SemifinalsRegional Third Place South Carolina StateStetson L 59–66W 65–53 1970 Regional SemifinalsRegional FinalsElite EightFinal FourNational Championship Game BellarmineKentucky WesleyanSouth Dakota StateBuffalo StatePhiladelphia W 82–77W 75–73W 92–89W 101–80L 65–76 1971 Regional SemifinalsRegional Finals Louisiana TechLouisiana–Lafayette W 92–91 OTL 82–86 1972 Regional SemifinalsRegional FinalsElite EightFinal FourNational Third Place game New OrleansDelta StateSouthamptonAkronEastern Michigan W 80–79W 79–73W 95–55L 69–71 OTW 107–82 1973 Regional SemifinalsRegional FinalsElite EightFinal FourNational Championship Game TransylvaniaSoutheastern LouisianaAkronAssumptionKentucky Wesleyan W 53–45W 62–54 OTW 54–50W 106–76L 76–78 OT 1974 Regional SemifinalsRegional Third Place FiskSouthern L 54–65W 98–88 1975 Regional SemifinalsRegional FinalsElite EightFinal FourNational Third Place Armstrong Atlantic StateChattanoogaAkronOld DominionAssumption W 63–53W 82–81W 72–69L 60–77L 80–88

NAIA Tournament results The Tigers have appeared in seven NAIA Tournaments. Their combined record is 23–4 and are three time national champions (1957, 1958, 1959). Those same teams were later announced as inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2019, with those teams being "the first collegiate team to win back-to-back-to-back championships."

1953 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinals GenevaBenedictine (KS)Texas A&M–Commerce W 89–88W 79–56L 67–72 1954 First round Regis (CO) L 58–61 1956 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinals IndianapolisWisconsin-Eau ClaireMcNeese State W 84–76W 62–61L 68–76 1957 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game AdrianPortlandWestern IllinoisPacific LutheranSoutheastern Oklahoma State W 87–69W 87–70W 90–88W 71–70W 92–73 1958 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Northern MichiganAnderson (IN)Texas A&M-CommerceTexas SouthernWestern Illinois W 113–45W 77–56W 81–62W 110–85W 85–73 1959 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Nebraska WesleyanYoungstown StateIllinois StateTexas StatePacific Lutheran W 75–57W 89–80W 131–74W 64–62W 97–87 1960 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational 3rd-place game Midwestern StateWest Virginia WesleyanWoffordWestminster (PA)William Jewell W 102–83W 84–79W 75–60L 38–39W 100–65

CIT results The Tigers have appeared in three CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments (CIT). Their combined record is 0–3. They accepted an invitation to the 2020 CIT before it was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2012 First round Mercer L 60–68 2013 First round Evansville L 72–84 2016 First round Ball State L 73–78 2OT 2020 First round Cancelled

References

External links