1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team

The 1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 1988-89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Les Robinson. The Bucs finished the season 20–11 and 7–7 in Southern Conference play to finish in fourth place. They won the Southern Conference tournament championship in Asheville to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the Southeast region. They lost to No. 1 seed Oklahoma, 72–71 in the first round – the second game of the tournament between No. 1 and No. 16 seeds decided by a single point (Georgetown vs. Princeton). This was the first of four consecutive seasons where ETSU qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball
SoCon tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	20–11 (7–7 SoCon)
Head coach	Les Robinson (4th season)
Assistant coach	Alan LeForce
Home arena	ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center

1988–89 Southern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Chattanooga	10	–	4		.714			18	–	12		.600
Furman	9	–	5		.643			17	–	12		.586
Appalachian State	8	–	6		.571			20	–	8		.714
East Tennessee State †	7	–	7		.500			20	–	11		.645
The Citadel	7	–	7		.500			16	–	12		.571
Marshall	6	–	8		.429			15	–	15		.500
VMI	5	–	9		.357			11	–	17		.393
Western Carolina	4	–	10		.286			12	–	16		.429
† 1989 SoCon Tournament winner As of April 30, 1988 Rankings from AP poll

Roster

1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown C 11 Greg Dennis 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) — So PG 22 Keith Jennings 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So Culpeper, Virginia	Head coach Les Robinson Assistant coach(es) Alan LeForce Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

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Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Dec 2, 1988*		at No. 4 Syracuse Carrier Classic	L 81–120	2–1	Carrier Dome  Syracuse, New York
Dec 3, 1988*		vs. Miami (OH) Carrier Classic	W 79–78	3–1	Carrier Dome  Syracuse, New York
Dec 6, 1988*		Mississippi State	W 91–82	4–1	Memorial Center  Johnson City, Tennessee
Dec 10, 1988*		Tennessee State	W 70–69	5–1	Memorial Center  Johnson City, Tennessee
Dec 16, 1988*		vs. Pacific Sacramento Holiday Classic	W 88–86	6–1	Hornets Nest  Sacramento, California
Dec 17, 1988*		at Sacramento State Sacramento Holiday Classic	W 88–86	7–1	Hornets Nest  Sacramento, California
Dec 29, 1988*		vs. Southwest Missouri State BMA Holiday Classic	L 68–72	7–2	Kemper Arena  Kansas City, Missouri
Dec 30, 1988*		vs. Iona BMA Holiday Classic	W 92–88	8–2	Kemper Arena  Kansas City, Missouri
Jan 8, 1989		Western Carolina	W 83–74	9–2 (1–0)	Memorial Center  Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 9, 1989		Chattanooga	L 82–86	9–3 (1–1)	Memorial Center  Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 14, 1989		at Furman	L 86–90	9–4 (1–2)	Greenville Memorial Auditorium  Greenville, South Carolina
Jan 21, 1989		Appalachian State	L 70–91	9–5 (1–3)	Memorial Center  Johnson City, Tennessee
Jan 25, 1989		at The Citadel	W 79–70	10–5 (2–3)	Deas Hall  Charleston, South Carolina
SoCon tournament
Mar 3, 1989*	(4)	vs. (5) The Citadel SoCon Tournament Quarterfinal	W 93–89	18–10	Asheville Civic Center  Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 4, 1989*	(4)	vs. (1) Chattanooga SoCon Tournament Semifinal	W 76–73	19–10	Asheville Civic Center  Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 5, 1989*	(4)	vs. (6) Marshall SoCon tournament championship	W 96–73	20–10	Asheville Civic Center  Asheville, North Carolina
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 1989*	(16 SE)	vs. (1 SE) No. 4 Oklahoma First Round	L 71–72	20–11	Memorial Gymnasium  Nashville, Tennessee
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Eastern Time.

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