Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball

Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball
2024–25 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team
UniversityWestern Illinois University
First season1904
All-time record557-789 (.414)
Athletic directorPaul Bubb
Head coachChad Boudreau (2nd season)
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
LocationMacomb, Illinois
ArenaWestern Hall
(capacity: 5,139)
NicknameLeathernecks
Student sectionPurple Platoon
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament appearances
1959*, 1980*, 1981*
*at Division II level
NAIA tournament runner-up
1954, 1958
NAIA semifinals
1954, 1955, 1958, 1962
NAIA quarterfinals
1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962
NAIA tournaments
1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1963
Conference tournament champions
Mid-Cont: 1984
Conference regular season champions
Mid-Cont: 1983
Summit: 2013

The Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represents Western Illinois University of Macomb, Illinois, in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball competition. As of the 2023–24 NCAA season, the Leathernecks compete in the Ohio Valley Conference.[2]

Western Illinois' first men's basketball team was fielded in 1904.[3] The Leathernecks men's basketball program made the transition from Division II to Division I beginning in the 1981–82 season. They were selected to play in the College Basketball Invitational tournament following the 2011–12 regular season, the first Division I postseason appearance in school history.[4] The Leathernecks were selected again to play in the College Basketball Invitational tournament after the 2012–13 season. The Leathernecks have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

  1. ^ Western Illinois Leathernecks Athletics 2017–18 Branding & Style Guidelines (PDF). July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Sequel 1904" (Press release). Western Illinois University. July 7, 2011. p. 21. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Western Illinois to play in first-ever D-I postseason tourney". Retrieved March 27, 2012.