Brown Bears

The Brown Bears play at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the Ivy League's smaller-market programs with a long and patient history. Brown has had to fight for relevance in a conference dominated by richer basketball traditions, but has had its moments of real breakthrough. The Bears bring a workmanlike identity to Ivy League play, often built around defense and depth rather than star power. Brown's basketball story is one of rare peaks separated by long stretches of rebuilding.

Brown was part of the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, going 16-4 under coach Eck Allen before falling to Villanova in the regional semifinal. The program's only outright Ivy League championship came in 1985-86 under coach Mike Cingiser, when Brown went 16-11 overall and 10-4 in Ivy play to earn its most recent NCAA Tournament berth. The Bears have made two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, both ending in first-round losses. That 1986 season remains the high point of Brown basketball history.