Nova Southestern Seeking History as the First NCAA DII Team to Win 100 Consecutive Home Games
Tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 3), in Rick Case Arena in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Nova Southestern seeks to become the first team in NCAA Division II history to win 100 consective home games. Tip off against Rollins is set for 7:30 EST.....and yes, I'll be there, in-person. I don't think that I'll likely ever see a moment like this within men's small college basketball again in my lifetime.
The last game that Nova played in the "Shark Tank" (Rick Case Arena is affectionately known as the Shark Tank), they just barely edged Rollins, 75-69, in a game where Rollins held the lead with 1:50 remaining in the game. The Tars are well coached and this team took the Sharks to brink last week, where Nova eventually earned their 99th consecutive win at home.
The last time that Nova Southeastern lost a game in Rick Case Arena was Saturday, February 15, 2020, against Florida Southern. The streak then started on Wednesday, February 26 - Senior Night - against Barry, and then they won a couple more home games, before falling on the road in the Sunshine State Conference Championship game to Florida Southern. The Sharks reached the NCAA DII Tournament, and we set to take on Embry-Riddle (Florida Southern was set to be the host), yet the NCAA Division II Tournament was cancelled, due to Covid-19. The Sharks finished the 2019-20 season with a 23-6 overall record, and then the entire 2020-21 season was cancelled for Nova Southeastern - and the whole Sunshine State Conference - due to Covid-19.
Since then, the Sharks haven't lost at home. In 2021-22, then went 20-0 at home (and 31-1 overall, going undefeated all season, reaching the Elite Eight); in 2022-23, they went 21-0 at home (36-0 overall, winning the NCAA DII National Championship); in 2023-24, they went 20-0 at home (32-3 overall, reaching the NCAA DII National Championship game); in 2024-25, they went 20-0 at home (36-1 overall, winning the NCAA DII National Championship game); thus far in 2025-16, the Sharks are 15-0 at home (24-1 overall).
The previous NCAA DII record for consecutive home wins was 80, held by Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University), led by legendary Coach Herb Magee. In talking with Coach Magee, he mentioned that he didn't think that their record would be broken in his lifetime.....and not only has Nova Southeastern broken this remarkable record, but they are 19 home wins past the previous record, on the verge of 100 consecutive home wins.
Coming into this game against Rollins in the opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament, Coach Jim Crutchfield is 587-87 (between his tenure at West Liberty and Nova Southeastern), making him the winningest coach in the history of college basketball, by winning percentage, winning 85.9% of his games for his career. Truly remarkable, and a real coaching legend.
Think about this: There isn't a player on the roster that has ever lost a game at home.
Dallas Graziani, the heartbeat of the Nova Southeastern program, is currently 104-2 while wearing a Nova Southeastern uniform. He's played in two NCAA DII Tournaments, and the Sharks won both National Championships, meaning that he's currently 12-0 in NCAA Tournament games, winning the National Championship in both years. By percentage, he's the winningest player in the history of college basketball at the small college levels (for a player that's played the majority of his career at the small college levels).
Overall, since coming back from the pandemic, Nova Southeastern is currently 159-6. This is not a misprint: The Sharks are 159-6 since coming back from the pandemic.
Tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, could potentially be an incredibly historic night for Nova Southeastern and the game of college basketball......and I'm certainly excited to be there, as I don't think that I'll ever witness such a night again in my lifetime.
Congratulations to Coach Jim Crutchfiled and all of the players and staff that have made this day possible.