Austin Peay Governors men's basketball
Men's college basketball team
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The Austin Peay Governors men's basketball team represents Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Governors play in the United Athletic Conference starting in 2022–23, following 61 seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference. Austin Peay has qualified for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament seven times, most recently in 2016, making the field of 68 by virtue of having won the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament. The Governors' head coach is Corey Gipson.
(capacity: 5,500)
| Austin Peay Governors men's basketball | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| University | Austin Peay State University | ||||||
| Head coach | Corey Gipson (3rd season) | ||||||
| Location | Clarksville, Tennessee | ||||||
| Arena | F&M Bank Arena (capacity: 5,500) | ||||||
| Conference | UAC | ||||||
| Nickname | Governors | ||||||
| Colors | Red and white[1] | ||||||
| NCAA Division I tournament Elite Eight | |||||||
| 1961* | |||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||
| 1987, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2016 | |||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||
| 1973, 1974, 1977, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2026 | |||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||
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† vacated by NCAA * at Division II level | |||||||
The 2022–23 season was not only Peay's first in the ASUN Conference, but also was its last at Winfield Dunn Center. After that season, the Governors moved to the new F&M Bank Arena in downtown Clarksville. The new arena was originally intended to open for the 2022–23 season, but was delayed to July 2023.[2][3]
Historically, the "Governors" nickname applied only to Peay's men's teams; women's teams were known as "Lady Govs". However, since the mid-2010s, all Peay teams have used "Governors".
Rivalries
The Governors' main rival has historically been Murray State University. The two schools are separated by about 65 miles (105 km) and consistently vied for Ohio Valley Conference championships. ESPN The Magazine featured the Austin Peay–Murray State rivalry in a February 2009 issue.[4] However, the two schools are now in separate conferences, with Peay having joined the ASUN and Murray State the Missouri Valley Conference in July 2022.
Year-by-year results
| Year | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942–43 | Fred Brown | 9–10 | |||
| 1943–44 | WWII | n/a | |||
| 1944–45 | WWII | n/a | |||
| 1945–46 | Bee Low | 2–19 | |||
| 1946–47 | David Aaron | 23–5 | |||
| 1947–48 | David Aaron | 16–9 | |||
| 1948–49 | David Aaron | 17–13 | |||
| 1949–50 | David Aaron | 14–11 | |||
| 1950–51 | David Aaron | 13–12 | |||
| 1951–52 | David Aaron | 11–17 | |||
| 1952–53 | David Aaron | 14–12 | |||
| 1953–54 | David Aaron | 14–13 | |||
| 1954–55 | David Aaron | 7–17 | |||
| 1955–56 | David Aaron | 16–11 | |||
| 1956–57 | David Aaron | 24–9 | |||
| 1957–58 | David Aaron | 17–9 | |||
| 1958–59 | David Aaron | 17–9 | |||
| 1959–60 | David Aaron | 22–5 | |||
| 1960–61 | David Aaron | 22–9 | (9–1) VSAC | ||
| 1961–62 | David Aaron | 14–12 | (8–2) VSAC | ||
| 1962–63 | George Fisher | 18–11 | (9–1) VSAC | ||
| 1963–64 | George Fisher | 14–9 | (7–7) OVC | ||
| 1964–65 | George Fisher | 4–17 | (2–12) OVC | ||
| 1965–66 | George Fisher | 7–14 | (3–11) OVC | ||
| 1966–67 | George Fisher | 14–9 | (7–7) OVC | ||
| 1967–68 | George Fisher | 8–16 | (2–12) OVC | ||
| 1968–69 | George Fisher | 10–14 | (3–11) OVC | ||
| 1969–70 | George Fisher | 5–21 | (2–12) OVC | ||
| 1970–71 | George Fisher | 10–14 | (5–9) OVC | ||
| 1971–72 | Lake Kelly | 10–14 | (5–9) OVC | ||
| 1972–73 | Lake Kelly | 21–5 | (11–3) OVC | Lost Regional semifinal | |
| 1973–74 | Lake Kelly | 17–10 | (10–4) OVC | Lost First round | |
| 1974–75 | Lake Kelly | 17–10 | (10–4) OVC | ||
| 1975–76 | Lake Kelly | 20–7 | (10–4) OVC | ||
| 1976–77 | Lake Kelly | 24–4 | (13–1) OVC | ||
| 1977–78 | Ed Thompson | 15–12 | (8–6) OVC | ||
| 1978–79 | Ed Thompson | 8–18 | (3–9) OVC | ||
| 1979–80 | Ron Bargatze | 8–18 | (2–10) OVC | ||
| 1980–81 | Ron Bargatze | 14–13 | (7–7) OVC | ||
| 1981–82 | Ron Bargatze | 6–20 | (4–12) OVC | ||
| 1982–83 | Ron Bargatze | 11–16 | (4–10) OVC | ||
| 1983–84 | Howard Jackson | 11–16 | (5–9) OVC | ||
| 1984–85 | Howard Jackson | 8–19 | (4–10) OVC | ||
| 1985–86 | Lake Kelly | 14–14 | (8–6) OVC | ||
| 1986–87 | Lake Kelly | 20–12 | (8–6) OVC | Lost Second Round | |
| 1987–88 | Lake Kelly | 17–13 | (10–4) OVC | ||
| 1988–89 | Lake Kelly | 18–12 | (8–4) OVC | ||
| 1989–90 | Lake Kelly | 10–19 | (2–10) OVC | ||
| 1990–91 | Dave Loos | 15–14 | (6–6) OVC | ||
| 1991–92 | Dave Loos | 11–17 | (6–8) OVC | ||
| 1992–93 | Dave Loos | 7–20 | (4–12) OVC | ||
| 1993–94 | Dave Loos | 11–16 | (10–6) OVC | ||
| 1994–95 | Dave Loos | 13–16 | (8–8) OVC | ||
| 1995–96 | Dave Loos | 19–11 | (10–6) OVC | Lost First round | |
| 1996–97 | Dave Loos | 17–14 | (12–6) OVC | ||
| 1997–98 | Dave Loos | 17–11 | (11–7) OVC | ||
| 1998–99 | Dave Loos | 11–16 | (9–9) OVC | ||
| 1999–2000 | Dave Loos | 18–10 | (11–7) OVC | ||
| 2000–01 | Dave Loos | 22–10 | (10–6) OVC | ||
| 2001–02 | Dave Loos | 14–18 | (8–8) OVC | ||
| 2002–03 | Dave Loos | 23–8 | (13–3) OVC | Lost First round | |
| 2003–04 | Dave Loos | 22–10 | 6–0) OVC | ||
| 2004–05 | Dave Loos | 13–19 | (9–7) OVC | ||
| 2005–06 | Dave Loos | 17–14 | (11–9) OVC | ||
| 2006–07 | Dave Loos | 21–12 | (16–4) OVC | ||
| 2007–08 | Dave Loos | 24–11 | (16–4) OVC | Lost First round | |
| 2008–09 | Dave Loos | 19–14 | (13–5) OVC | Lost CIT Quarterfinals | |
| 2009–10 | Dave Loos | 17–15 | (11–7) OVC | ||
| 2010–11 | Dave Loos | 20–14 | (13–5) OVC | ||
| 2011–12 | Dave Loos | 12–20 | (8–8) OVC | ||
| 2012–13 | Dave Loos | 8–23 | (4–12) OVC | ||
| 2013–14 | Dave Loos | 12–18 | (6–10) OVC | ||
| 2014–15 | Dave Loos | 8–22 | (3–13) OVC | ||
| 2015–16 | Dave Loos | 18–18 | (7–9) OVC | Lost First round | |
| 2016–17 | Dave Loos | 11–19 | (7–9) OVC | ||
| 2017–18 | Matt Figger | 19–15 | (12–6) OVC | Lost CIT Quarterfinals | |
| 2018–19 | Matt Figger | 22–10 | (13–5) OVC | ||
| 2019–20 | Matt Figger | 21–12 | (14–4) OVC | ||
| 2020–21 | Matt Figger | 14–13 | (10–10) OVC | ||
| 2021–22 | Nate James | 12–17 | (8–10) OVC | ||
| 2022–23 | Nate James | 9–22 | (3–15) ASUN | ||
| 2023–24 | Corey Gipson | 19–16 | (10–6) ASUN | Lost CIT Quarterfinals | |
| 2024–25 | Corey Gipson | 14–18 | (8–10) ASUN | ||
| 2025–26 | Corey Gipson | 22–9 | (15–3) ASUN |
Postseason
NCAA Division I tournament results
The Governors have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament seven (officially, six) times. Their combined record is 2–8, 1–6 without their 1973 NCAA tournament appearance (1 win, 2 losses), which was vacated by the NCAA.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973* | Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Mideast Regional third place | Jacksonville Kentucky Marquette | W 77–75 L 100–106 OT L 73–88 |
| 1974 | Regional Quarterfinals | Notre Dame | L 66–108 |
| 1987 | First round Second Round | Illinois Providence | W 68–67 L 87–90 OT |
| 1996 | First round | Georgia Tech | L 79–90 |
| 2003 | First round | Louisville | L 64–86 |
| 2008 | First round | Texas | L 54–74 |
| 2016 | First round | Kansas | L 79–105 |
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Governors have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times. Their combined record is 3–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Akron Wabash | L 61–76 L 69–72 |
| 1960 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Belmont Abbey Kentucky Wesleyan | W 74–63 L 69–83 |
| 1961 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight | Chattanooga Belmont Abbey Mount St. Mary's | W 77–69 W 70–63 L 78–96 |
| 1963 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Tennessee State Bellarmine | L 94–119 L 86–96 |
NIT results
The Governors have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their combined record is 1–2.
CBI results
The Governors have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First round | Boise State | L 80–83 |
CIT results
The Governors have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 1–3.
NAIA results
The Governors have appeared in the NAIA tournament once, with a loss in its only game.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | First Round | (5) Portland (OR) | L 65-77 |
Notable players
Retired numbers
| Austin Peay Governors retired numbers | |||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career | No. ret. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Tom Morgan | F | 1974–1978 | 1999 | [5] |
| 13 | Bubba Wells | F | 1993–1997 | 1998 | [5] |
| 21 | Terry Taylor | F | 2017–2021 | 2023 | [5] |
| 30 | Howie Wright | G | 1967–1970 | 1992 | [5] |
| 35 | Fly Williams | G | 1972–1974 | 2009 | [5] |
| 44 | Trenton Hassell | F | 1997–2001 | 2002 | [5] |
Retired jerseys
- Notes
Professional international players
- Eli Abaev (born 1998), American-Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Chris Horton (born 1994) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
