Since beginning both men's and women's basketball in 1981 UTSA has seen both teams make a few trips to the NCAA tournaments. While they haven't had a lot of success beyond conference tournaments the Roadrunners have come close before. What if some of those close calls came to be?
The What If Series: What If...An Earlier Debut | What If...A Different first coach | What If...The Saints come marching in and stay in SA | What If...A different Conference Realignment | What If...The Roadrunner QBs
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UTSA first took the basketball court in the fall of 1981 with both a men's and women's team. The Roadrunner men joined their first conference in 1986 when they took up residence in the Trans-American Athletic Conference (Now the Atlantic Sun). UTSA then began a near-20 year stay in the Southland Conference in 1991.
The Roadrunner women were first to join a conference when they joined a six-team circuit called the Oil Country Athletic Conference. Alas the OCAC only lasted two seasons and the Roadrunner women went back to independent status from 1985 to 1992 when they joined the Southland Conference.
Both the Roadrunner men and women have made runs in conference tournaments and taken part in NCAA tournaments. The men have made four trips to the NCAA tournament and one trip to the College Insiders Tournament. The women have only made two trips to the NCAA tournament in back to back seasons but their most recent trip was quite memorable.
What if the Roadrunner basketball squads had a better experience in March. How might the UTSA basketball teams be looked upon if the ball had bounced a different way or a shot that missed instead went in? What if?
What if UTSA had defeated Sam Houston State in the 2018 CIT quarterfinals
While both the 2019 and 2020 versions of the UTSA men's basketball team fell short of expectations the 2018 surpassed them, largely because leading into the 2017-18 season the Roadrunners weren't has highly touted as they would be in later years.
Entering the 2017-18 season the Roadrunners were beginning year two under Steve Henson. UTSA had gone 14-19 in 2016-17, which was an improvement of nine wins from the final season under Brooks Thompson in 2015-16.
UTSA also entered 2017-18 with a mix of veteran talent and a touted trio of freshmen in Adrian Rodriguez, Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. The trio unfortunately turned into a duo as Rodriguez suffered a season ending injury in the season opener. The Roadrunners carried on as best they could and finished 2018 with their first 20-win season and first trip to a major March tournament since 2011.
That tournament happened to be the College Insiders Tournament, in its 10th season of competition. UTSA took down Lamar, 76-69 in the first round and moved on to face Sam Houston State in the quarterfinal round. The Roadrunners led at halftime but Sam Houston went on a 17-2 run in the second half and won 76-69. Sam Houston lost in the semifinals to the CIT's eventual champion Northern Colorado.
What if UTSA had managed to pull out the win over Sam Houston State. What if it was UTSA that faced Northern Colorado in the semifinals. For one thing it is likely that UTSA would have hosted the game against Northern Colorado in the semifinals. In 2017-18 the Roadrunners had turned the historic Convocation Center into a fortress, going 12-4 at home (That would have been 13-3 if they beat Sam Houston). If UTSA had gotten past Northern Colorado there is a good chance they would host the championship game as well. A win over Illinois-Chicago in the championship would have given UTSA their first national March tournament trophy and an overall record of 22-14 and a 15-3 record at home in 2017-18.
It is possible that winning the CIT in 2018 helps the Roadrunners weather the slow starts of 2019 and 2020. It also would have given a little more national exposure to Jackson and Wallace.
What if UTSA beats SFA in the 2009 Southland Championship game
In 2011 the Roadrunners entered the Southland Conference tournament as the seven seed and then proceeded to knock off the top three seeds en route to their third Southland Conference tournament trophy.
People should not have been as surprised as they were. Two years before, UTSA had nearly completed the same feat as the six seed in the Southland Conference. In 2009 the Roadrunners entered the tournament with a 17-12 record overall and 8-8 in Southland play.
In the first round UTSA took down a three-seeded Sam Houston team that had won both regular season meetings and moved on to face the second-seed Nicholls State who had dispatched UTSA's I-35 rivals, Texas State, in the first round. UTSA beat Nicholls State and set up a championship game against a Stephen F. Austin team that was searching for its first Southland tournament trophy and NCAA bid.
It was a hard fought championship game but SFA went on a 20-6 run at the end of the first half and took a 37-28 lead at halftime before holding on for a 68-57 win. A few days later in the NCAA tournament 14-seed SFA gave 3-seed Syracuse a battle before the Orangemen prevailed 59-44. Of course in the next few years SFA became a perennial NCAA tournament team.
What if UTSA beat SFA in 2009 to complete the feat of knocking off the top three seeds in the Southland Conference?
For one thing, UTSA would not have been a 14 seed in the tournament. As was shown in 2011 when UTSA went into the NCAA tournament they went in as a 16 seed and got to take part in the inaugural First Four in Dayton, Ohio. In 2009 there wasn't a First Four yet, just a play-in game between the two lowest seeded 16-seeds. It is probable that UTSA would have taken the place of either Morehead State or Alabama State in the Play-In Game. If they take the place of Morehead State the Roadrunners would have played Alabama State in the NCAA tournament in 2009 and maybe 2011 (who knows for sure in an alternate timeline).
A loss to UTSA probably slows the momentum of SFA basketball but they likely would have made their first trip to the NCAA tournament anyway, it would have been later than 2009 though.
And for the Roadrunners. If they had beat SFA and won the Play-In game their reward would have been a Round of 64 game against Louisville. In 2009 Louisville beat the Play-In game winner Morehead State 74-54. I don't see What If version of 2009 ending any differently for a Southland champion Roadrunners against Louisville.
Although it would have been neat to see Devin Gibson get two trips to the NCAA tournament.
What if the UTSA women beat Baylor in the 2009 NCAA tournament
The day before the UTSA men lost to SFA in the 2009 men's Southland Conference championship game, the UTSA women lifted the Southland trophy for the second straight year. In 2008 they had entered the tournament as a 15-seed and lost to Texas A&M in the first round in Baton Rouge. In 2009 they would get to go to Lubbock for a first round contest against two-seed Baylor.
UTSA entered the NCAA tournament in 2009 with a 24-8 record, the most wins in school history for the women's basketball team. Baylor in 2009 was not the Baylor that would be in the 2010s. This was the year before Brittney Griner arrived in Waco. That being said the Baylor women in 2009 entered the NCAA tournament as Big 12 champions with a 27-5 record.
The Roadrunners went to Lubbock and immediately showed they were more than just happy to be there as they battled the Bears throughout the first half. Baylor held on to a 38-31 lead at the intermission. In the second half the Roadrunners didn't go away and outscored the Bears 38-31 in the second half to force overtime, becoming the first 15-seed to ever do that against a two-seed in the history of the women's NCAA tournament.
UTSA even took a lead in the overtime period but the best Roadrunners fouled out in the extra frame. Baylor escaped with an 87-82 win and two days later held off South Dakota State 60-58 to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 where they lost to Louisville.
If UTSA had held on to beat Baylor they would have moved on to face the seven seed South Dakota State. South Dakota had beaten 10-seed TCU 90-55 before UTSA took on Baylor. The Roadrunners likely would have bowed out against South Dakota State but then again maybe the upset of Baylor propels the Roadrunners past the Jackrabbits and UTSA becomes the women's NCAA tournament version of Florida Gulf Coast by being the first 15 to advance to the sweet 16.
It is not known how long the Roadrunners March dreams would have lasted in 2009 with a win over Baylor but it is likely it would have led to a brighter future than the one that actually took place for the women's team.
What if there were more trips to March for UTSA basketball
As mentioned earlier the Roadrunner men have made four trips to the NCAA tournament and the women have made two trips. All of those trips came by way of automatic bid from winning a conference championship. For the men the 1988 trip came while members of the TAAC and the remaining three trips came as Southland Champions.
Both men's and women's teams have had more chances to make the NCAA tournament but fell short in conference tournament finals. The men's team won its only appearance in the TAAC tournament final and went 3-3 in Southland tournament finals, losing to UL-Monroe twice in 1992 and 1993 and to SFA in 2009. In 1992 the Roadrunners were the top seed in the tournament. The women's team was 2-2 in Southland tournament finals losing to Texas State in 2003 and SFA in 2006 before breaking through in 2008.
What if the Roadrunners had won those finals they lost?
Let's start with the men's team. In 1992 they were in their first year in the Southland Conference. In their last two seasons in the TAAC the Roadrunners had lost in the semifinals. In their first time in the SLC tournament they are the top seed and take down UT Arlington and UL-Monroe (At the time called Northeastern Louisiana) to make a second appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the real 1992 NCAA tournament UL-Monroe went in as a 15 seed so for the what if we will say UTSA takes their place as a 15 seed in the Midwest region. In real life UL Monroe lost to USC 84-54 in the first round. In our what if UTSA still loses to USC but by a closer margin.
In 1993 the UTSA men make it two trips to the NCAA tournament in a row with a win over UL Monroe again. This time the Roadrunners entered the conference tournament as the three seed. In real life UL Monroe went into the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed. UTSA likely would have gone in as a 14 or 15 if they were the auto bid from the Southland. Another first round exit is probable.
So if the Roadrunner men had gone 6-0 in southland conference tournaments they might have gotten one more win in the NCAA tournament but their two wins would both be in the First Four or Play-In game.
For the UTSA women's team, they entered the 2003 Southland tournament as the top seed. If they had won the 2003 Southland tournament they would have probably gone in as a 15 seed or maybe a 14 seed. In non-what if 2003, Texas State went in as a 16 because they were the fourth seed in the Southland tournament. In 2006 the Roadrunners were the three seed in the SLC tournament. Had they knocked off the Ladyjacks UTSA might have gone into the tournament as a 15 seed.
In both cases the men and women teams could have gotten more chances in the NCAA tournament and maybe more chances to win a game or two in the tournament. It is just the way the bounces went that UTSA's basketball teams have the number of trips to March that they do. Now if they could just make some trips in the future.
NEXT WEEK: What If...UTSA football beats McMurry and other near misses
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