Amanda Knapp
The University of Maine's basketball team, the Maine Black Bears, competes in Division I of the NCAA. They are part of the America East Conference, which they joined in 1979. Despite being one of 35 eligible Division I programs, the Maine Black Bears have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
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What You'll Learn
- The University of Maine's men's basketball team are the Maine Black Bears
- The Maine Black Bears compete in Division I
- They have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
- The team has been coached by Chris Markwood since 2022
- The Maine Black Bears play in the America East Conference
The University of Maine's men's basketball team are the Maine Black Bears
The Black Bears are one of 35 eligible Division I programs never to have appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In fact, their 78 seasons without a postseason bid is the sixth-most of all time. Despite this, they have reached the America East men's basketball tournament final four times, most recently in 2025 when they competed for the championship.
The Maine Black Bears have a historic rivalry with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. As of 2020, the rivalry had lasted 116 seasons, making it the longest continuous rivalry between two non-Ivy League schools.
The team's home games are played on campus at the Memorial Gym, which has a capacity of around 2,500 spectators. The gym features a centre-hung scoreboard and a new sound system, as well as updated lighting and flooring. The Black Bears' team colours are blue and white, and their logo features a stylized black bear with the letter 'M' superimposed on top.
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The Maine Black Bears compete in Division I
The University of Maine's basketball team, the Maine Black Bears, compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Black Bears are one of 35 eligible Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In fact, in their 78 seasons, they have never been invited to a postseason tournament of any kind.
The Maine Black Bears men's basketball team represents the University of Maine in Orono, Maine, United States. The team currently competes in the America East Conference, which they joined in 1979, the year of its founding. The Black Bears have made the America East men's basketball tournament finals four times, most recently in 2025 when they competed for the championship.
The Black Bears' current head coach is Chris Markwood, who took over in March 2022. One of Markwood's focuses will likely be on ending the team's long drought of postseason play. Despite this drought, the Black Bears can boast a long and proud rivalry with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. As of 2020, the rivalry had lasted 116 seasons, making it the longest continuous rivalry between two non-Ivy League schools.
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They have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The University of Maine's men's basketball team, the Maine Black Bears, competes in the America East Conference, which they joined in 1979. The team is currently coached by Chris Markwood.
Despite their long history, the Maine Black Bears have never appeared in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. They are one of 35 eligible Division I programs to have never made it to the tournament. In fact, they have never been invited to a postseason tournament of any kind. Their 78 seasons without a postseason bid is the sixth-most of all time.
In March 2025, the team had a chance to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. They were set to face Bryant University in the America East Conference championship. However, they needed to beat the top-ranked team in the conference, the 22-11 Bulldogs, who had already defeated the Black Bears twice during the regular season. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether they succeeded in securing a bid.
The University of Maine's men's basketball team has had some notable achievements despite their lack of postseason appearances. For example, Kellen Tynes broke the all-time steals record for the team earlier in the 2025 season. Additionally, they have made it to the America East Men's Basketball Tournament final four times and competed for the championship in 2025.
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The team has been coached by Chris Markwood since 2022
The University of Maine's men's basketball team, the Maine Black Bears, has been coached by Chris Markwood since 2022. Markwood is a former Black Bears captain, having played for the team during his student days. He previously coached at UMaine from 2006 to 2011 and has since held assistant coaching positions at several other schools in the Northeast. In the 16 seasons before his appointment as head coach, Markwood worked as an assistant coach at Northeastern University for seven seasons and, most recently, at Boston College, where his team improved on its previous year.
Markwood took over as head coach of the UMaine men’s basketball team in March 2022. The team competes in the America East Conference, which they joined upon its founding in 1979. They are one of 35 eligible Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In fact, their 78 seasons without a postseason bid is the sixth-most of all time among teams in a similar position. Despite making the America East men's basketball tournament final four times, the Black Bears have never been invited to a postseason tournament of any kind.
As a player, Markwood was a standout for the Black Bears, serving as captain during his time on the team. After graduating in 2005, he began his coaching career at his alma mater, working as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2011. Markwood then spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern University before moving on to Boston College, where he helped the team improve.
Markwood's appointment as head coach of the UMaine men's basketball team marks his return to the university after more than a decade. His experience as a player and coach at the university, as well as his recent success as an assistant coach at other institutions, makes him a strong leader for the team. Markwood has expressed his excitement about returning to UMaine and his commitment to helping the team succeed. He has set his sights on improving the team's performance and guiding them to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
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The Maine Black Bears play in the America East Conference
The University of Maine's basketball team, the Maine Black Bears, play in the America East Conference. They have been part of this conference since its founding in 1979. Despite being eligible, the team has never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In fact, they have never been invited to any postseason tournament. However, they have made it to the America East men's basketball tournament final four times. Their current head coach is Chris Markwood, who took over in March 2022.
The Maine Black Bears represent the University of Maine in Orono, Maine, United States. The team has a long-standing rivalry with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, which is the longest continuous rivalry between two non-Ivy League schools. This rivalry lasted 116 seasons as of 2020.
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the northeastern United States. It is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The conference was founded in 1979 and currently sponsors championship competition in 19 men's and women's sports.
The University of Maine is one of the original members of the America East Conference, which was established to consolidate smaller colleges in the region that could not compete with the larger, more established conferences. The conference has provided these smaller colleges with a platform to develop their athletic programs and compete for championships.
Over the years, the America East Conference has grown and evolved, with new members joining and others leaving. Despite this turnover, the conference has maintained its focus on providing competitive athletic opportunities for its member institutions. It has also placed an emphasis on academic excellence, with many of its student-athletes achieving academic honours and success in their respective fields of study.
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Frequently asked questions
The UMaine Black Bears men's basketball team competes in Division I.
The team plays in the America East Conference, which they joined in 1979.
No, they have not. As of their 78th season in 2025, they hold the sixth-longest drought among teams that have never made a postseason bid.
No, they have not been invited to any postseason tournaments. However, they have made it to the America East men's basketball tournament final four times.
Chris Markwood, who took over in March 2022.
