North Dakota Preps

This is a list of all unbeaten teams in the history of Class B basketball:

1946 Mayville 25-0
1953 Minot Model 31-0
1955 Casselton 27-0
1957 Hettinger 28-0
1962 Mott 29-0
1967 Ellendale 28-0
1969 Oak Grove 26-0
1971 Wyndmere 27-0
1976 LaMoure 29-0
1981 Hillsboro 26-0
1984 Linton 27-0
1987 Mayville-Portland 26-0
1991 Watford City 27-0
1992 Munich 27-0
1994 Minot Ryan 27-0
2000 Oak Grove 27-0
2003 May-Port CG 28-0
2009 Linton 26-0
2011 North Star 27-0

North Star was SO close to having 3 consecutive undefeated seasons --

2010 - lost by 1 point in OT to Carrington in Region finals. Carrington went on to win state fairly handily.
2011 - undefeated
2012 - undefeated until championship game with Beulah, lost by 2.

In 2010 we beat Carrington by around 20 pts in regular season, in 2012 we beat Beulah by around 30 at Beulah.

This is a list of teams since 1970 that finished the regular season unbeaten but did not make the state tournament. Final poll ranking is in parentheses:

1971 Wing (UR): lost R5 title game to Ashley 68-51. Finished 24-1.

1976 Napoleon (6): lost first round of R5 tournament to Robinson 59-45. Finished 23-1.

1976 Scranton (8): lost in semis of D32 tournament to Hettinger 54-50. Finished 21-1.

1977 Devils Lake St. Mary's (2): lost in semis of R2 tournament to Hillsboro 61-52. Also lost 3rd place game to Mayville-Portland 74-55. Finished 25-2.

1981 Fessenden (3): lost to Glenfield-Sutton-McHenry in R4 title game 66-52. Finished 22-1.

1981 Drayton (8): lost to Bisbee-Egeland in first round of R3 tourney 58-50. Finished 22-1.

1982 Cando (1): lost to Rolette in D12 title game 57-53. Lost to Edmore in first round of R3 tourney 57-56. Finished 19-2.

1985 Hillsboro (2): lost to Mayville-Portland in D5 title game 52-42. Lost to Tolna in R2 semis 62-54. Finished 21-2.

1986 Page (2): lost to Oak Grove 58-57 in R1 title game. Finished 23-1.

1986 Oakes (3): lost to Page 76-56 in R1 semis. Finished 23-1.

1987 South Heart (6): lost to Center in R8 semis 62-55. Also lost 3rd place game 68-66 to Belfield. Finished 22-2.

1988 Page (2): lost to Hankinson 61-60 (OT) in R1 final. Finished 23-1.

1988 Ray (3): lost 58-57 to Divide County in R7 final. Finished 22-1.

1989 Mayville-Portland (1): lost to Northwood 59-47 in R2 semis. Finished 23-1.

1989 Hankinson (2): lost to Cass Valley North 64-60 in R1 final. Finished 22-1.

1991 Langdon (1): lost to Munich 64-60 (OT) in R3 final. Finished 23-1.

1994 Grenora (3): Lost to Minot Ryan 75-52 in R8 final. Finished 24-1.

1995 Langdon (4): lost to Munich 63-50 in D5 final and again 58-45 in R3 final. Finished 23-2.

1996 Rugby (2): Lost to Bottineau 59-54 in D6 final. Lost to Langdon 67-65 in R3 first round. Finished 20-2.

1998 Rolette-Wolford (6): Lost to Langdon 59-58 in D5 final. Lost to Bottineau 47-40 in R3 semis. Finished 23-2.

2005 Maple Valley (1): Lost 71-68 to Northern Cass in D2 final. Lost to Central Cass 53-47 in R1 semis. Finished 22-2.

2006 Ashley (6): Lost 54-44 to Linton in D6 semis. Lost 66-54 to LaMoure in R3 first round. Finished 21-2.

2010 North Star (1): Lost to Carrington 66-65 (OT) in R4 final. Finished 24-1.

2012 LaMoure (3): Lost to Linton-HMB 65-48 in R3 semis. Finished 23-1.

2013 Beulah (1): Lost to Dickinson Trinity 64-52 in R7 final. Finished 23-1.

2017 St. John (2): Lost to Four Winds-Minnewaukan 64-55 in R4 final. Finished 23-1.

What team didn’t lose a game but isn’t on this list ?

packers21 wrote:What team didn’t lose a game but isn’t on this list ?

Edinburg's only "loss" in 1988 was a forfeit for a kid playing too many quarters...

B Historian wrote:

packers21 wrote:What team didn’t lose a game but isn’t on this list ?

Edinburg's only "loss" in 1988 was a forfeit for a kid playing too many quarters...

Up about 40 trying to not run it up, I believe against Midway.

packers21 wrote:

B Historian wrote:

packers21 wrote:What team didn’t lose a game but isn’t on this list ?

Edinburg's only "loss" in 1988 was a forfeit for a kid playing too many quarters...

Up about 40 trying to not run it up, I believe against Midway.

It was against Midway. Edinburg had won the game 114-41.

I bet those Langdon/Munich games in the 90s were fun to watch being that close to each other and big school vs small school.

I didn't remember R/W being undefeated in the regular season in 98. Did not remember them having a team like that when I was in high school and we never played them back then like they do now every season.

How many teams were undefeated in the state championship game, but lost. I know it's a longer list than many would expect. Also, how many undefeated teams lost in the region championship and never made it to state.

ndlionsfan wrote:How many teams were undefeated in the state championship game, but lost. I know it's a longer list than many would expect. Also, how many undefeated teams lost in the region championship and never made it to state.

2nd Q asked is 10 according to the list above.

Most recent answer to #1 Q was Rugby in 2014

1986 semi final game between Page and Oakes featured 2 undefeated teams?! Crazy!

Worth noting: If I’m not mistaken, the 1995 State Champ Carrington Cardinals we’re undefeated against Class B teams. Their only loss was an overtime loss to #2 ranked Class A Mandan in the St Mary’s Holiday tournament.

ndlionsfan wrote:How many teams were undefeated in the state championship game, but lost. I know it's a longer list than many would expect. Also, how many undefeated teams lost in the region championship and never made it to state.

There have been 13 unbeaten state champions since 1970 and also 13 teams that lost their only game of the year in the state championship game:

1973 Parshall
1974 Minto
1976 New Town
1984 Newburg
1985 Newburg
1995 Grenora
1997 Glenburn
1998 Leeds
1999 Dickinson Trinity
2001 Cando
2003 Dickinson Trinity
2012 North Star
2014 Rugby

The Schwab wrote:1986 semi final game between Page and Oakes featured 2 undefeated teams?! Crazy!

Page was led by the Buhr brothers that year and Oakes by future Buffalo Bill Phil Hansen. It's a shame neither of those teams made it to the state tournament.

NodakQ2 wrote:Worth noting: If I’m not mistaken, the 1995 State Champ Carrington Cardinals we’re undefeated against Class B teams. Their only loss was an overtime loss to #2 ranked Class A Mandan in the St Mary’s Holiday tournament.

Hettinger in 1983 also had its only loss against a Class A team, losing 59-50 to Dickinson Trinity in a holiday tournament.

I believe in 2012 Beulah beat 3 undefeated teams on the way to the title,
Central Cass, Berthold and North Star.

ndlionsfan wrote:I bet those Langdon/Munich games in the 90s were fun to watch being that close to each other and big school vs small school.

I didn't remember R/W being undefeated in the regular season in 98. Did not remember them having a team like that when I was in high school and we never played them back then like they do now every season.

Thank you B-Historian for the fun History data!

ndlionsfan, the game in 1991 L/M was a game to remember (literally a State Championship) Ironically it was in Langdon because the Regions were still played there (if I remember right)....the low post play between Marty McDonald and Dan Phillips was something else....when they talk about Marty "getting up 6 more inches when he has to" I seen it with my own eyes!
we went to the gym waiting for the doors to be opened, and talk about standing room only!...

scc wrote:

3sportfan wrote:I believe in 2012 Beulah beat 3 undefeated teams on the way to the title,
Central Cass, Berthold and North Star.

Yes, Beulah defeated three unbeaten teams. They were ranked 3rd, 2nd, and 1st, respectively, in the final Class B poll.

This was the only time in Class B history that one team beat three unbeaten teams at the state tournament. Knocking off two unbeaten teams has happened several times.

B Historian wrote:

ndlionsfan wrote:How many teams were undefeated in the state championship game, but lost. I know it's a longer list than many would expect. Also, how many undefeated teams lost in the region championship and never made it to state.

There have been 13 unbeaten state champions since 1970 and also 13 teams that lost their only game of the year in the state championship game:

1973 Parshall
1974 Minto
1976 New Town
1984 Newburg
1985 Newburg
1995 Grenora
1997 Glenburn
1998 Leeds
1999 Dickinson Trinity
2001 Cando
2003 Dickinson Trinity
2012 North Star
2014 Rugby

A few teams prior to 1970 that lost their only game of the year in the state championship game:

1952 Rugby (29-1)
1960 Bottineau (30-1)
1968 Wolford (27-1)