University Long Island University Nickname Blackbirds Home Away Arena/Stadium Steinberg Wellness Center Head coach Jack Perri | Location Brooklyn, NY Colors Black and Silver Division Division I (NCAA) Conference Northeast Conference | |
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The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds men's basketball team represents Long Island University, located in Brooklyn, New York in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They play their home games at the Steinberg Wellness Center, formerly known as the Wellness, Recreation & Athletics Center, and are members of the Northeast Conference. Their current head coach is Jack Perri, who rose up from associate head coach in 2012 when Jim Ferry left for Duquesne after 10 years as the Blackbirds' head coach. On March 12, 2013, the team achieved what was the greatest run in Northeast Conference history with a third straight NCAA Tournament bid.
Contents
- History
- NCAA Division I Tournament results
- NCAA Division II tournament results
- NIT results
- Rivalry
- References
History
LIU was a national powerhouse in the 1930s and 1940s under Clair Bee, who compiled the highest winning percentage in major college basketball history. The Blackbirds were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA Tournament national champion for the 1935–36 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. However, after several players were implicated in the point-shaving scandal of 1951, LIU shuttered its entire athletic program. It returned to the College Division (now Division II) in 1957, and only returned to Division I in the 1980s.
NCAA Division I Tournament results
The Blackbirds have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament six times. Their combined record is 0–6.
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Blackbirds have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament three times. Their combined record is 6–3.
NIT results
The Blackbirds have appeared in National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 7–8 and they were NIT champions in 1939 and 1941.
Rivalry
Beginning in the 1975–1976 season, an annual Battle of Brooklyn game was dedicated to tribute William Lai and Daniel Lynch, former athletic directors at Long Island University and St. Francis College, respectively. The Battle of Brooklyn has been a tradition between the basketball programs for 40 years. Each year the most valuable player of the game is given the Lai-Lynch Trophy in memory of the two ADs. Long Island now has a Battle record of 23–17 against St. Francis.
