The Knights then headed to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the 2021 College Basketball Invitational, where a loss to Pepperdine on March 23 finally ended their season with a record of 14-8.
“Those players are a phenomenal representative for everything that's right in college
athletics, on and off the court,” Davenport said after the Pepperdine game. “The way
that they represent their families, our university, our entire community, it's absolutely
tremendous.”
The team’s overall performance—particularly a 10-game midseason winning streak that
put the Knights atop the conference for several weeks and drew plenty of national
media attention—renewed discussions about whether the NCAA should allow teams reclassifying
to Division I to immediately become eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Currently, NCAA
rules require reclassifying teams to sit out for four seasons before they can fully
partake in March Madness.
At one point, ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart tweeted: "We are also working towards opening the @NCAA tournaments to all of Division I. Currently, individuals can transfer from DII to DI and play. If a whole school, such as @bellarmineU @north_alabama or a @Merrimack transfers to DI, those teams have to sit out FOUR YEARS. Not right."
“I don't think any of us know how many people they touched. The stories that we get from all across the country, alumni, just basketball fans in general,” Davenport said on Tuesday. “I got a long email today from a high school staff in New Jersey that they've been studying our offense. I couldn't even tell you the city. That's a reflection on these players. What I reflect on is that I can't wait to coach them again.”