East Carolina Pirates

The East Carolina Pirates play their home games at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, North Carolina, representing a program built on Southern Conference roots that later transitioned to Division I basketball. Basketball was the first intercollegiate sport ECU ever fielded, giving the Pirates a long, if quiet, place in the school's athletic history. East Carolina has had limited national tournament exposure but maintains a dedicated regional following in eastern North Carolina. The Pirates continue competing for relevance in the competitive American Athletic Conference.

East Carolina fielded its first basketball team in the 1931-32 season, becoming the school's first intercollegiate sport, with the Pirates nickname adopted in 1934. The program won its first Southern Conference tournament title in 1971-72, earning its first NCAA Tournament berth, and made a second NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993. ECU also won the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2013, part of a modest but steady postseason history for the program.