UNCC NCAA Final Four Appearance

In 1976, UNC Charlotte men's basketball team was selected to participate in the annual N.I.T. tournament, the first time the school had participated in a national post-season tournament. The team made it all the way to the championship game led by Cedric Maxwell and Melvin Watkins. They ended up coming in second place after losing to Kentucky 67-71, with Cedric Maxwell being named M.V.P. of the tournament series.

The following season, the men's basketball team made their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. After taking out Central Michigan and Syracuse in the first and second rounds, they advanced to the Elite 8. The 49ers then defeated heavily-favored Michigan State University. It was the first time a new conference school advanced that far in the NCAA basketball tournament. The 49ers entered the Final Four as that year’s Cinderella Story, but lost to Marquette University 49-51.