In the over 100-year history of Carroll College basketball, there has never been a more successful team than the 2004-05 Carroll men's basketball team. 

The Saints won 28 games, including a win over NCAA Division I opponent Idaho State and 12-straight to close the regular-season. The team won the regular-season conference crown before falling in the conference tournament to Montana Western. 

The incredible run in the NAIA Championship led to the only Fab Four appearance in school history.

The season started with five games that Carroll won by an average of 38 points, but the first test of the season would come on the road against Idaho State. The Saints trailed 44-33 in the first half but came alive after the break. Sinan Guler scored 21 points, and four other Saints scored in double figures outscored the Bengals 43-31 after the break to earn the 76-75 win.

The Saints dropped another DI game against Weber State and also traveled to Texas for a pair of games against Lubbock Christian and Wayland Baptist. They fell in both games but closed non-conference play with a 12-3 record. 

"We played the toughest non-conference schedule of any year I coached," head coach Gary Turcott said. "We played a couple of DI schools, and we made a very tough trip to Texas. After the non-conference schedule, we realized how physical we needed to be, and we weren't afraid to show it."

The Saints started the conference season with back to back losses, falling to Lewis-Clark state 72-61 and Westminster 72-70, both on the road. They then rattled off 12-straight wins to earn the Frontier Conference regular-season title. 

Carroll dropped the Frontier Conference semifinal game against Montana Western in Butte. The Bulldogs eventually lost to Lewis-Clark State in the championship game. Despite the loss, the Saints earned a trip to the NAIA National Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City and showed they belonged right away. 

"That loss was frustrating, but it really fired the team up to compete at nationals," Turcott said. "Our guys wanted to win the conference championship, but that game played a big role in the run at nationals."

The Saints opened the tournament with Concordia California and shot 52.5 percent, including 8-15 (53.3 percent) from the three-point line to earn the 13-point win. Gular scored 20 points and added eight assists to lead the Saints to the win. 

In game two, the Saints faced a tough challenge against Oklahoma City. The Stars led by as much as eight in the second half but the Saints rallied and took a 66-63 lead on a three-pointer from Kurt Paulson with 40 seconds left. OCU had a pair of attempts in the final second, but the Carroll held on for the win. 

The Saints met Saint Xavier (Ill.) in the quarterfinals. It was the first trip to the quarterfinals in school history, and the Saints made good on the opportunity, building a 29-21 lead at halftime before cruising to a 67-57win. Carroll again shot at a blistering pace, hitting 21-47(44.7 percent) from the field and 7-13 (53.8 percent) from the three-point line.

Brown scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way for the Saints. 

The Saints earned a trip to the NAIA Semifinals for the first and to-date, the only time in school history. The matchup would be John Brown University (Ark.) in the semifinal. 

The Eagles entered the game as the NAIA's leader in field goal percentage defense, and it showed. JBU held the Saints to just 20-50 (40 percent) from the field and 5-22 (22.7 percent) from the three-point line. 

Carroll was able to build a 32-29 at the half but was outscored 44-28 in the second half and fell 73-60.

Four Eagles scored in double figures in the win, led by eventual Tournament MVP Brandon Cole with 21.

Despite the loss, it was at the time, the deepest run that any Frontier Conference team had made at the NAIA tournament. 

Brown was named the Frontier Conference MVP, Hays and Guler were both named to the Frontier First Team. 

Brown earned First-Team All-American honors and Hays was named an NAIA All-Tournament Team selection. 

Guler, the team captain of the Turkish National Team, continues his career as a member of Fenerbahce Dogus of the Turkish Basketball League. 

Several other players have found success in the coaching ranks. Paulson is on the staff at Oregon State University, and Hays followed in his father's footsteps and is the head coach at Hellgate High School in Missoula. He led the Knights to a State AA Championship in 2013.