1997–98 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
Sun Belt Regular season co-champions
Sun Belt tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Record21–7 (14–4 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Home arenaMitchell Center
1997–98 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
South Alabama144 .778217  .750
Arkansas State144 .778209  .690
Southwestern Louisiana126 .6671813  .581
Arkansas–Little Rock108 .5561513  .536
Louisiana Tech99 .5001215  .444
New Orleans99 .5001512  .556
Lamar711 .3891514  .517
Jacksonville612 .333819  .296
Western Kentucky612 .3331019  .345
Texas–Pan American315 .167324  .111
1998 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997–98 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama as members of the Sun Belt Conference during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Bob Weltlich and played their home games at the Mitchell Center. They finished the season 21–7, 14–4 in Sun Belt play to finish in first place. They won the Sun Belt tournament to earn an automatic bid to the 1998 NCAA tournament as the 12 seed in the Southeast region. In the opening round, the Jaguars lost to No. 5 seed Illinois.[1]

Roster

1997–98 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 5 Rusty Yoder 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    [2]

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Non-Conference Regular season
    Nov 29, 1997*
    Alcorn State W 72–41  1–0
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Dec 9, 1997*
    Southern Miss L 47–52  1–1
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Dec 12, 1997*
    vs. Alcorn State
    Indiana Classic
    W 52–42  2–1
    Assembly Hall 
    Bloomington, Indiana
    Dec 13, 1997*
    at Indiana
    Indiana Classic
    L 56–64  2–2
    Assembly Hall 
    Bloomington, Indiana
    Dec 16, 1997*
    at Kansas City W 79–52  3–2
    Municipal Auditorium 
    Kansas City, Missouri
    Dec 22, 1997*
    Washington W 69–52  4–2
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Sun Belt Regular season
    Dec 28, 1997
    at Arkansas State L 66–82 OT 4–3
    (0–1)
    First National Bank Arena 
    Jonesboro, Arkansas
    Jan 3, 1998
    at Jacksonville W 72–59  5–3
    (1–1)
    Jacksonville Coliseum 
    Jacksonville, Florida
    Jan 5, 1998
    Lamar W 48–44  6–3
    (2–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 8, 1998
    Arkansas–Little Rock W 68–49  7–3
    (3–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 10, 1998
    Western Kentucky W 68–48  8–3
    (4–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 15, 1998
    Louisiana Tech W 61–50  9–3
    (5–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 17, 1998
    Arkansas State W 78–68  10–3
    (6–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 24, 1998
    at Louisiana Tech W 62–48  11–3
    (7–1)
    Thomas Assembly Center 
    Ruston, Louisiana
    Jan 26, 1998
    at New Orleans L 55–71  11–4
    (7–2)
    Lakefront Arena 
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Jan 29, 1998
    Jacksonville W 52–31  12–4
    (8–2)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 31, 1998
    7:35 pm
    Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 105–70  13–4
    (9–2)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 5, 1998
    at Southwestern Louisiana L 53–67  13–5
    (9–3)
    Cajundome 
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    Feb 7, 1998
    at Lamar L 62–66  13–6
    (9–4)
    Montagne Center 
    Beaumont, Texas
    Feb 10, 1998
    Southwestern Louisiana W 71–55  14–6
    (10–4)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 14, 1998
    New Orleans W 68–50  15–6
    (11–4)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 19, 1998
    7:30 pm
    at Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 87–54  16–6
    (12–4)
    UTPA Fieldhouse 
    Edinburg, Texas
    Feb 21, 1998
    at Western Kentucky W 55–50  17–6
    (13–4)
    E.A. Diddle Arena 
    Bowling Green, Kentucky
    Feb 23, 1998
    at Arkansas–Little Rock W 61–43  18–6
    (14–4)
    Barton Coliseum 
    Little Rock, Arkansas
    Sun Belt Conference tournament
    Feb 28, 1998*
    (1) vs. (9) Western Kentucky
    Quarterfinals
    W 61–47  19–6
    Cajundome 
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    Mar 1, 1998*
    (1) vs. (4) Arkansas–Little Rock
    Semifinals
    W 79–48  20–6
    Cajundome 
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    Mar 3, 1998*
    (1) at (3) Southwestern Louisiana
    Championship game
    W 62–59  21–6
    Cajundome 
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 12, 1998*
    (12 W) vs. (5 W) No. 22 Illinois
    First round
    L 51–64  21–7
    ARCO Arena (14,920)
    Sacramento, California
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    W=West.
    All times are in Central Time.

    [3]

    References

    1. "Illini Defense Shuts Down South Alabama". The New York Times. March 13, 1998. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
    2. "1997-98 South Alabama Jaguars Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
    3. "2019-20 South Alabama Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of South Alabama Athletics. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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