The 2019–20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. Located within the Metro East of Greater St. Louis, SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Ca ...

during the

2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2019. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season concluded prematurely on March 12, 2020. The 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was sch ...

. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Brian Barone, played their home games in the First Community Arena at Vadalabene Center in

Edwardsville, Illinois Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,808 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, former governor of the Illinois Te ...

as members of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

. They finished the season 8–23, 5–13 in OVC play to finish in a tie for tenth place. They failed to qualify for the OVC tournament.

Previous season

The

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild ...

finished the 2018–19 season 10–21, 6–12 in OVC play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. The Cougars received the No. 8 seed in the OVC Tournament where they lost in the first round to

Morehead State Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...

. On March 11, 2019, SIUE announced that coach Jon Harris' contract had not been renewed after a four-year record of 31–88.

Preseason

On the day after Jon Harris' termination was announced, Brian Barone was named as interim head coach and was quickly confirmed with a two-year contract only days later. Troy Pierce was hired to fill the assistant coach vacancy created by Barone's promotion. Director of Operations Casey Wyllie left to be an assistant coach at

Olney Central College Olney Central College is a public community college in Olney, Illinois. It confers associate degrees and technical certificates and also offers online bachelor's degrees through its affiliation with Franklin University. Olney Central College is ...

and was replaced by Colin Schneider. Nine players, five of whom saw major playing time, returned- from the 10–21 team of 2018–10. They are joined by one junior who saw major action as a freshman and sophomore but sat out last season as a medical "redshirt", two freshmen, three transfers from major junior college programs, and one transfer from another Division I program. Of the three members of the squad who are former walk-ons, two are in their second season as Cougars, and one is in his fourth year. In a vote of conference coaches and sports information directors, SIUE was picked to finish in 10th place in the OVC.

Postseason

Finishing tied for tenth place, the Cougars did not qualify for the OVC Tournament.

Roster

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Schedule and results

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2019-20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team SIU Edwardsville SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball seasons

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...