NEW ORLEANS – Postseason action gets underway for the University of New Orleans Privateers (18-13, 10-4 Southland) basketball team when they make the 2,500-mile trip to Portland, Ore to face the West Coast Conference’s Portland Pilots (18-14, 7-7 West Coast Conference) on Saturday at 9:00 p.m.
UNO enters The Basketball Classic (formerly the CIT) following a semifinal round loss in the Southland Conference Tournament to No. 2 seed Southeastern last Friday. The Pilots made it to the West Coast Conference quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed before losing to the No. 3 seed Santa Clara last weekend.
POSTSEASON PRIVATEERS
New Orleans is participating in it’s 14th national postseason in program history. The Privateers made the NCAA Tournament in 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 2017 – the NIT in 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, and 1997 and have one appearance each in the CBI (2018) and CIT (2019). Head Coach Mark Slessinger has taken the Privateers to the postseason in four of the last six seasons.
ALL-SOUTHLAND GUARDS LEAD PRIVATEERS
First-Team All-Southland selection Troy Green has written his name all over the UNO record books. Troy has played the most games in school history – 149 – and currently ranks second in free throws made with 525, and steals with 193, third in points scored with 1,807, and 5th in career assists with 384.
Green is one of just four Privateers with 1,600 career points, one of just three with 1,700 career points, and one of just with 1,800 career points. He is also one of just two with 500+ made free throws in a career.
Derek St. Hilaire – also a First-Team All-Southland selection – has been one of the most prolific scorers in the country this season. The Atlanta native is averaging 20.3 points per game – second in the Southland and 16th in the NCAA this season. The graduate student has Three 30-point games in his career, including a career-best 34 at HBU back in January. He also has 22 games of 20 or more points in his career with 18 of them coming this season – and has scored in double-figures in 43 of his 55 games played at UNO.
Derek has been named the Southland Player of the Week twice this year (Nov. 29 and Jan. 31), the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association Player of the Month for November, and Player of the Week twice (Jan. 24 and Jan. 31). He was recently named the Allstate Sugar Bowl Amateur Athlete of the Month for January – the first men’s basketball student-athlete from UNO to earn the distinction since Erik Thomas in 2017.
St. Hilaire was named All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches earlier this week – the fifth Privateer to earn that distinction under Coach Slessinger. Green earned the distinction last season.
Green and St. Hilaire are the first Privateer pair to be selected to the All-Southland team in the same season, and the first time in program history with two All-Conference selections in the same season. They are the seventh and eighth Privateers to be named All-Southland since UNO joined the league for the 2013-2014 season.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
Portland finished the regular season with an 18-14 record, including a 7-7 mark in West Coast Conference play under first year head coach Shantay Legans. Their 18 wins are the most by Pilots team since 2010-2011, and this season marked their first .500 record in league play since that same season. The seven conference wins matched the Pilots’ combined total from the previous five seasons.
By the end of the season Portland’s rotation featured all freshman, and sophomores. They are led on the floor by All-WCC Second-Teamer Tyler Robertson who averages 14.4 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game. Robertson had a remarkable 31 points, 11 rebound, 11 assist triple-double earlier this season against Loyola Marymount.
Portland has made seven Div. I postseason appearances in their history without a victory. They have played in a pair of NCAA Tournaments (1959, 1996) and five CITs (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2022).
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
Fans can watch all games in The Basketball Classic on ESPN+. Jude Young will have the call of all Privateer games on NASH 106.1 FM with pregame set for 15 minutes before tip-off.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, @PrivateersMBB on Instagram, like /PrivateersMBB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.