A team that shoots 72.6 percent from the free-throw line and 47.1 percent from the floor is destined for greatness. The men’s basketball team did just that during the 2004 season to help advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second time in program history. The Lions fell short in the NCAA first round with a 60-58 loss on March 4.

Head coach Dave Niland earned Coach of the Year for mentoring the Lions to a 22-4 overall record, second most wins all-time, and an 11-1 mark in conference play.

Behrend led the AMCC in nearly every category, including scoring defense, scoring margin, free-throw percentage, field-goal percentage, field-goal percentage defense, three-point field-goal percentage, three-point field-goal percentage defense, rebounding defense and rebounding margin.

Hall of Fame inductee James Curren, who was named AMCC Preseason Player of the Year, proved to the coaches they made the right vote to start the season. The Player of the Year led the team with 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Curren was also selected to the All-Conference team along with Tom Lulich. Lulich averaged 9.6 points per game and drained a team-best 55 triples.