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NAIA National Championship Tournament Teams

The 1967-68 Bulldogs - 27-6

The 1967-68 men's basketball team was led by a pair of sophomores that guided the Bulldogs to the NAIA National Championship Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., for the first time in school history.

The 2010-11 Bulldogs - 16-16

The 2010-11 men's basketball team snapped a 43-year National Tournament drought for Union when they qualified for the Division II Tournament in Branson, Mo., after winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Led by NAIA Third-Team All-American Turrell Morris and second-year head coach Sean Gillespie, the Bulldogs finished the year 16-16, bowing out in the first round of the tournament to No. 1 overall seed Walsh, 81-59.

The 2013-14 Bulldogs - 28-5

The 2013-14 men's basketball team recorded quite possibly the greatest season in program history to that point. The Bulldogs steamrolled through the regular season, recording a 16-2 record in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (with both losses coming in overtime) to win their first regular-season conference crown of any kind since 1972. The team also reeled off a program-best 13 game winning streak throughout the course of the year.

Union then completed the season off with an AAC Tournament crown, as head coach Kevin Burton was named the conference's Coach of the Year, and forward Deante Johnson earned All-AAC First Team honors (Johnson was an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention pick as well). At the NAIA National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo., Union narrowly missed out on the program's first win at Nationals, falling in a heartbreaker to St. Thomas (Fla.), 75-72. The team ended the year ranked No. 23 in the final NAIA Division II Coaches' Poll as well.

The 2014-15 Bulldogs - 30-5

The 2014-15 men's basketball team topped the success it had the previous year by winning a program-best 30 games and collecting its first-ever win at the NAIA National Tournament. Union won the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season championship with a 17-1 league mark and reeled off a 21-game winning streak. The Bulldogs cruised in the conference tournament by winning the three games en route to the title by an average margin of 23.7 points.

For the national tourney, Union entered the tournament as the No. 15 seed and opened play with a 64-58 win over Northwestern Ohio. Union fell in the second round to No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 89-75 and ended the year ranked at No. 11. The Bulldogs had four players earn All-AAC First Team honors (Deante Johnson, Fitzgerald White, J.D. Tucker, and Dominique Hagans) with Johnson earning NAIA All-American Honorable Mention. Kevin Burton was named AAC Coach of the Year with Gerrard Newby the AAC Defensive Player of the Year.

The 2015-16 Bulldogs - 28-7

The 2015-16 men's basketball team continued the winning trend by capturing both the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships for the third year in a row. After posting a 16-2 conference record, Union had a little tougher time getting through the AAC Tournament, but captured the title with a 71-57 win over Bluefield (Va.) in the final game.

The Bulldogs entered the NAIA National Tournament as a No. 2 seed, but they were upset by Cal Maritime (Calif.) 81-70. Union placed three on the All-AAC First Team (J.D. Tucker, Nick Riley, and Gerrard Newby) with Tucker earning NAIA All-American Third Team honors and Riley an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention. Newby was once again the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Union ended the year ranked at No. 11.

The 2016-17 Bulldogs - 35-3

The 2016-17 Union men's basketball team closed out the season on a 33-game winning streak en route to winning the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament. It marked a season of excellence for the Orange and Black. Of the 200 minutes played in the NAIA National Championship Tournament, the Bulldogs only trailed for 21 minutes and 47 seconds. While Union did trail for brief periods during the national tournament, no team had more than a one-point lead over Union during the second half.

The Bulldogs were 20-0 in AAC play that season, while winning the regular-season crown by seven games. Union also won the AAC Tournament. The Bulldogs concluded the season having won 29 consecutive away games. Union was 35-3 in 2016-17, which marked the most wins and the most games played in program history. Of those wins 35, there were 18 occasions where Union won by 20 or more points. The Bulldogs were held under 80 points in just four of its 35 wins. Union scored at least 100 points in seven games during the season.

Gerrard Newby, Tyrone Sherman, and Paul Stone were First-Team All-AAC selections. Mike Martin was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Newby was named the AAC Player of the Year. Newby was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, while Newby and Sherman were named to the AAC's All-Defensive Team. Newby and Stone earned NAIA First-Team honors, while Sherman was an NAIA honorable mention. Kevin Burton was named the NAIA Division II Coach of the Year in addition to AAC Coach of the Year.  The season marked the first time in program history that Union was ranked No. 1 in the country. The Bulldogs were also the No. 1 overall seed in the national tournament. The 2016-17 season was a dominant campaign for the Bulldogs.

The 2017-18 Bulldogs - 23-8

The 2017-18 Union men's basketball team made its fifth consecutive trip to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament. For the fifth consecutive season, Union won both the AAC regular-season crown and the AAC Tournament. Lance Blakely and K.J. Duronslet were First-Team All-AAC selections, while Dominique Lindsey was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Blakely and Lindsey earned AAC All-Defensive Team honors. Kevin Burton was named the AAC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. While the Bulldogs were unable to defend their crown as national champions, their success was still strong.

The 2018-19 Bulldogs - 26-7

The 2018-19 Union men's basketball team made its sixth consecutive trip to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament. The Bulldogs won both the AAC regular-season crown and the AAC Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. K.J. Duronslet and DeMarkus Loman were First-Team All-AAC selections, while Lance Blakley was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Loman was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Kevin Burton was named AAC Coach of the Year for the third year in a row and the fifth time overall. Duronsley was named an NAIA Third-Team All-American.

The 2019-20 Bulldogs - 24-10

The 2019-20 Union men's basketball team made its seventh consecutive national tournament appearance. For the seventh consecutive season, Union won both the AAC regular-season crown and the AAC Tournament. Richard Brown and Jakobe Wharton were First-Team All-AAC selections. Brown was an NAIA honorable mention. Wharton earned AAC All-Defensive Team honors. Markelle Turner was named to the AAC All-Freshmen Team. Kevin Burton was named AAC Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row and the sixth time overall.

The 2019-20 campaign capped a dominant seven-year stretch for the Bulldogs. In that time, Union was third in the state of Kentucky in total wins with 194. The Bulldogs were behind Georgetown College at 195 and the University of Kentucky with 207 wins. According to research from that time, Union owned the longest current streak of winning both their conference regular-season and tournament championships in men's college basketball in the NCAA and NAIA.

The 2020-21 Bulldogs - 13-10

The 2020-21 Union men's basketball team made its eighth consecutive national tournament appearance. While Union did not earn the AAC regular season crown, the Bulldogs got redemption by winning the AAC Tournament for the eighth consecutive season. Markelle Turner was a First-Team All-AAC selection, while Kelvin Jackson was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Turner was named the AAC Player of the Year in addition to being an NAIA First-Team All-American. Turner also earned NAIA All-America honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as he became the third Bulldog to earn that honor since Gerrard Newby and Paul Stone earned that honor in 2016-17. Andre Silva earned AAC All-Defensive Team honors.

The 2021-22 Bulldogs - 25-9

The 2021-22 Union men's basketball team made its ninth consecutive national tournament appearance. Union won both the AAC regular-season crown and the AAC Tournament. It marked the eighth regular-season crown in the past nine seasons in addition to the ninth consecutive AAC Tournament title. Markelle Turner and Andre Silva were each First-Team All-AAC selections, while Blake Ervin was a Second-Team All-AAC selection.

Turner was named the AAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Turner was named an NAIA Third-Team All-American. Silva was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Terrin Hamilton was named the AAC Freshman of the Year. Kevin Burton was named the AAC Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs' near-decade long stretch of dominance was continuing at high speeds.

The 2022-23 Bulldogs - 27-3

The 2022-23 Union men's basketball team made its tenth consecutive national tournament appearance. Union won the AAC regular-season crown, but fell short in the AAC Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Union had won nine consecutive AAC Tournaments as their losses in the tournament occurred on Feb. 21, 2013 and Feb. 24, 2023 to mark an incredible 10-year stretch without a conference tournament loss.

Markelle Turner, Terrin Hamilton, and Markelo Sullivan were each First-Team All-AAC selections, while Deonte Douglas was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Turner was named the AAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. Turner was named an NAIA Second-Team All-American, while Hamilton was an NAIA honorable mention. Anton Mozga earned AAC All-Defensive Team honors. Burton was named the AAC Coach of the Year for the eighth time. Union was ranked No. 3 nationally on multiple occasions during the 2022-23 campaign.

The 2023-24 Bulldogs - 26-7

The 2023-24 Union men's basketball team made its eleventh consecutive national tournament appearance. No. 8 seeded Union defeated No. 9 seeded OUAZ 88-85 in OT to advance to the Second Round of the 2024 Men's Basketball National Championship. In that matchup, the No. 8 seeded Bulldogs fell short to No. 1 Grace. The Bulldogs won the AAC regular-season crown and the AAC Tournament.

It marked Union having won 10 of the past 11 AAC regular-season crowns in addition to 10 of the past 11 AAC Tournaments. Deonte Douglas, Terrin Hamilton, and Markelo Sullivan were First-Team All-AAC selections. Markelle Turner was a Second-Team All-AAC selection. Sullivan was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, while Douglas and Anton Mozga also earned AAC All-Defensive honors. Interim head coach Tim Curry was named the AAC Coach of the Year. The Kentucky House of Representatives recognized Turner following the season with a citation of achievement for his athletic career at Union. During the 2023-24 campaign, the program's legacy was added to with yet another sweep of the AAC crowns.

 

 

Updated: 6-26-25