This time, there was no miracle run through the Sun Belt tournament, no magical ride to the NCAA Tournament. Just a second-round conference tournament loss to a better team.

One year after the Mean Green went from third place in the Sun Belt West to the NCAA Tournament with five straight wins and the tournament title, it fell short this time around with an 84-70 second-round loss to second-seeded Western Kentucky.

While North Texas fell short of its ultimate goal, the season was not without its positives, especially for a program that reached 20 wins for two consecutive seasons, going 23-11 in 2006-07 and 20-11 in 2007-08.

The Mean Green has finished with 20 wins only six times in school history and hasn't put together back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1976-77 and 1977-78. UNT also earned a school-record 15 home wins and set another new standard with a two-season total of 26 home wins.

The prospects for more success look do-able but only if coach Johnny Jones can adequately replace forwards Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden and point guard Ben Bell. The Mean Green will build off the return of freshman guard Josh White, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, and junior guard Collin Dennis, the conference Newcomer of the Year, but will need returning frontcourt players Harold Stewart, Kedrick Hogans and Justin Howerton to step into bigger roles in 2008-09.

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