New Orleans Privateers

The New Orleans Privateers bring Crescent City flavor to the Southland Conference, playing home games at the Lakefront Arena on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Founded alongside the university itself in the late 1950s, the Privateers built a strong Sun Belt-era identity in the 1980s and '90s before returning to their Southland roots. The program's history includes a run of ranked Division II teams and a modern reputation as a scrappy, well-coached mid-major.

The university opened in 1958, and its basketball program debuted in 1969, quickly rising to No. 1 in the final Division II poll in 1970-71 under coach Ron Greene. As a Sun Belt Conference founding member, New Orleans won multiple regular-season titles and reached the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and 1993 under Tim Floyd. After stints in the Southland and as an independent, the Privateers won their first Southland tournament title in 2017 for the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.