For nearly four months, Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils coach George Ivory's team didn't win a game. Through their first 27 games, they went 0-27, the only team in college basketball without a win.
On Monday, Mississippi Valley State defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers 57-51. The team's fans were so happy that they ran onto the field to celebrate. Ivory kept the ball as a souvenir.
The real celebration took place in the locker room, where the team threw buckets of water at the coach.
“You would have thought we had won the national championship,” Ivory told ESPN. “I walked into the locker room and they gave me a chance to take my jacket off. They just got me wet. They thought we had won the championship and they were really excited, so it was really nice for them.”
Although Mississippi Valley State, a historically black university in the SWAC, struggled to achieve a victory all season, Ivory said he is proud of everything his team has accomplished.
The Delta Devils have excelled academically, racking up a 3.0 GPA last semester. They have also overcome a fatigue that few college basketball programs can understand.
In November and December, Mississippi Valley State played only road games. They faced higher-ranked teams like the UConn Huskies, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears in 13 “buyout games,” where opposing schools give money to teams to face each other in non-conference matchups. Ivory said the games produced $1.1 million for an athletic department that generates about $4 million a year.
“I thought this year was very, very difficult for this team because we played a great, difficult schedule,” he said. “One thing I tried to remind the guys was to stay positive. It took a lot for us. It's 13 games.”
Ivory said she will always remember Monday. His players had earned that moment, but they were worthy of praise long before the victory, he said.
“It was a pleasure to coach these young men and watch them do all the good things off the court and in the classroom,” he said. “It was really exciting for them to get that win. I thought the student body really supported them and it was a good day for us.”
