100 from the Shark Tank: DII Nova Southeastern's bonkers home-court win record

On Tuesday, March 3, Nova Southeastern did something only the Kentucky Wildcats have accomplished. With the Sharks' 104-91 victory over Rollins in their first matchup of the SSC tournament, Nova Southeastern won its 100th consecutive game at Rick Case Arena, affectionately called The Shark Tank.

The Sharks are just the second men's college basketball program to win 100 straight games at home — and fourth overall in both men's and women's college basketball. Per the , here are the men's and women's basketball programs across all levels with the longest home winning streaks. 

Back where it all began

Nova Southeastern Athletics Head coach Jim Crutchfield.

February 26, 2020, was a regular day at the office for Nova Southeastern. The Sharks had lost to SSC rival Florida Southern at home a week earlier and were looking to get back on track. Back in Rick Case Arena, they won that night in a tightly contested battle, defeating Barry 91-87. Point guard Nick Smith nearly triple-doubled with 21 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, and RJ Sunahara, a few years away from winning DII player of the year, posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Sharks haven't lost at home since, and Smith has been there for every single one of the 100 straight wins, first as a player and now associate head coach. In fact, Smith has been there for every game of the Jim Crutchfield era, which began in 2017.

People new to DII men's basketball may forget what the Sharks looked like prior to Crutchfield's and Smith's arrivals. The Sharks didn't have more than 17 wins in any season from 2000-17, and in Crutchfield's first season, they improved from a 6-win team to a 17-win team. The following 2018-19 season, the Sharks made program history and reached the DII Men's Elite Eight... and they have been there every year since. 

"My happiest moment at West Liberty was when I first got the job," Crutchfield recalled in a phone call with casinokrikya.com. "They hadn't had a 20-win season in 50 years. We were picked to be last out of 15 teams in the conference, and we won 20 games the first year. But the fact that we were picked last — I love that mentality of being the hunter.

"And I think that's probably one of the reasons I came here. When I came here, we were picked to be last. I relished that role of being the hunter. So somehow or other, I try to instill that in our guys, but it's hard. When you put up these kind of wins and a couple championships, it's hard to declare that you're now the hunter because you really are the one being hunted."

100 wins from every perspective

Nova Southeastern A young Nick Smith with Crutchfield veteran David Dennis are all smiles as Nova Southeastern's turnaround begins.

Smith was recruited by Crutchfield while he was still the head coach at West Liberty, and a couple weeks later, when Crutchfield took the job at Nova Southeastern, his future starting point guard came with him.

"From where I'm from, in Pittsburgh, everyone thinks it is the best place ever, and nobody leaves," Smith recalled laughing. "I was fortunate enough to get on that plane and see a different spot. I'm super fortunate that the timing of that all worked out."

Sunahara transferred in from Fairmont State, where he redshirted under then-head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is now head coach of the Boston Celtics. Though he didn't play, he saw West Liberty and Crutchfield's style of play up close and personal. He was excited at the opportunity to run in this system, but he had no idea what was ahead of him.

Nova Southeastern Athletics A familiar sight from The Shark Tank: A RJ Sunahara dunk.

"My whole goal as a player was always to win a national championship," Sunahara said. "Nova came calling; we started winning ball games, and then it started to kind of feel more real or more of a realistic goal. And then in 2022-23, it happened. Then as a coach, you're like, 'Let's do this thing again.' " 

But it was a long road to get there. That home winning streak had to be put on hold for almost two years. A few weeks after win No. 1 of The Streak, the world shut down due to COVID-19. The Sharks would have to wait an extra season to get back to it because the Sunshine State Conference did not play the following 2020-21 school year, either. 

"COVID was probably one of the better things that happened to us just in terms of chemistry," Smith recalled. "We played so many open gym games that by the time we were ready to go for the next season — the chemistry, we were clicking. We took advantage of that off year and just got better as a team. And individually, all of us did as well."

The championship feeling

The Sharks came back stronger than ever, and while the home winning streak is impressive, let's not forget that this team has only lost six times total since returning to the court that 2021-22 season. That includes two national championship wins, one national runner-up campaign and two Bevo Francis Award winners, one of whom was Sunahara.

Now, Smith and Sunahara are by Crutchfield's side on the bench, Smith the associate head coach and Sunahara an assistant. The Smith and Sunahara relationship is a rare one: Smith has played with Sunahara, coached him, and now, coaches with him. And through it all, a relationship like no other has been built.

"It's been a full circle moment," Sunahara said of the monumental win. "He was my point guard — my first day on campus, we built a pretty strong bond. We hang out together off the court, on the court and when we were playing. He was a big part of my success and our team's success. When I left for Georgia and then came back, Nick stuck his neck out for me and was in coach's ear about it. And they hired me. It's been great ever since. Winning 100 straight games is kind of crazy, but it's just been a fun ride."

"First open gym, I'm like, 'Wow, this is a steal.' You could just tell right away he was an unbelievable talent. We were best of friends in college, and then I got the opportunity to coach him. He would be mad at me every day because I gave him a bad whistle in practice," Smith recalled with a laugh. "It's been an awesome experience doing all three, playing with him, coaching him and now coaching with him."

"I know it was more special to them than almost anybody," Crutchfield said. "They saw it all from both sides, and they're living it." 

100 straight and counting

Nova Southeastern Athletics Dallas Graziani has lost just three games in his Nova Southeastern career.

It is a milestone that no DII men's basketball program has achieved. A hundred straight wins is almost unthinkable in today's game. And even to the Sharks, it is a little unfathomable. 

"You know, I haven't really talked to the players hardly at all about it," Crutchfield said. "I didn't want to mention it when what was going on, but I was aware of it. Of all the records [set at Nova Southeastern], I really like this one because it involves so many people, so many players and so many coaches. It's a neat thing and a general statement about the program over the last six years."

Nova Southeastern has become the standard of DII men's basketball. Even Smith remembers when he was a player, the Sharks chased Northwest Missouri State, and that Trevor Hudgins/Diego Bernard backcourt that had the ultimate target on their back. Three national championship game appearances in a row, four straight SSC titles, five straight DII Men's Elite Eights, and now, a record that even Crutchfield believes may never be broken... the target has never been larger.

And let's not kid ourselves. It is Crutchfield and his system that is now mimicked across the division that turned the Sharks from the hunters to the hunted.

"He just lets his guys play," Smith said. "It is structured, but at the same time, it's his players' decisions. He's going to teach his guys what he wants them to do and how hard he wants them to play, and at the end of the day, we're going to do the work. It's cool to see you don't need to stranglehold guys into positions and tell them you got to go here, you got to go there. When I was on the court, it was 'Hey, I'm just playing; I'm just hooping.' We are playing good basketball, unselfish basketball."

Dallas Graziani, the team's starting point guard who is seemingly setting a new program record on a nightly basis, has been there for many of those wins, minus a year away at Division I Samford. Graziani is the absolute perfect leader for this team: A relentless ball of energy who doesn't accept losing.

In fact, the Sharks have lost just three games in his four-year tenure... and The Shark Tank embodies his spirit.

"We have a bunch of loyal fans," Sunahara said. "It might not be a ton of people, but our fans, they're screaming their heads off every game. They're there cheering the loudest for our guys. That means the world to us. It shows that we have something to play for, right? They're paying money to come watch you play. You owe it to those people."

What Crutchfield did at West Liberty was what most coaches aspire to for a an entire career. He went 359-61 with seven straight trips to the national quarterfinals and five trips to the DII Men's Elite Eight in six years. Not many people thought he could replicate that success in a program not known for winning.

More DII Men's Elite Eight trips, a couple national championships, the highest winning percentage by a head coach in college basketball history and 100 straight home wins later, it's safe to say those people were wrong.

"The reason that I left West Liberty to come here was to see if I could be part of a program that was as successful at West Liberty again," Crutchfield said. "You know, going somewhere where they hadn't had success.

"West Liberty was the only place I'd ever coached before. So I thought maybe it's luck, maybe it's just everything was aligned just right. My thought was is there any chance to equal that success? Well, it's not equal — it's actually been a little bit better down here, which is almost hard to believe. I came down to see if this style of basketball could be successful somewhere else, and it has been. So it's been very satisfying in that respect. The fact that we've had more success, that's just icing on the cake."