SVSU Head Coach Randy Baruth completed his 12th season at the helm of the program in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Cardinals finished the 2023-24 season with a 13-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in GLIAC play. Four men's basketball players earned league awards with Tre Garrett earning first-team All-GLIAC and All-Defensive team. Juniors Freddie McIntosh and Toodles Seal were named second-team All-GLIAC and Sophomore Kevonne Taylor was an All-Defensive selection. Garrett reached 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds during the season. Dylan West, McIntosh, and Seal all reached 1,000 career points during the season as well. Taylor led the GLAIC in blocks per game with 2.59 (he was sixth in all of NCAA DII in that category).

The 2022-23 season saw SVSU finish 9-9 in the GLIAC, earning a six seed in the GLIAC tournament, falling to eventual champion Northern Michigan. Three Cardinals earned All-GLIAC honors: Freddie McIntosh (All-GLIAC Second Team), Tre Garrett (All-Defensive and All-GLIAC Second Team), and Kevonne Taylor (All-Defensive Team). Garrett broke program records for free throw makes and attempts in a single season. Taylor led the Midwest Region and was 8th in the country in Division II in blocks per game.

The 2021-22 season was filled with success, as the Cardinals were named GLIAC South Division Champions after going 19-11 overall and 12-8 in GLIAC play. On November 18, the Cardinals earned the program's first-ever win against a Division I opponent, with an 80-63 win over Western Michigan University. The Cardinals defeated Grand Valley State University three times during the season and advanced to the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament before falling to tournament champion Davenport. Delano Smith earned First Team All-GLIAC honors, while Tyler Witz and Darnell Hoskins Jr. earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors. Hoskins earned GLIAC All-Tournament team honors as well. Hoskins broke the program record for most career 3's made, while James Toohey ended his career ranked second overall for three-point field goals, first in career games played, and first in career free throw percentage.

In the 2020-21 conference season, the Cardinals had an impressive run in the GLIAC Tournament, advancing to the semifinals. SVSU defeated Wisconsin Parkside in the opening round before beating top-seeded Wayne State in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Cardinals fell in the semifinals to eventual tournament champion Ashland. Myles Belyeu was named to the 2021 GLIAC Men's Basketball All-Tournament Team. Baruth also coached Belyeu to Second Team All-GLIAC honors.

The 2019-20 Cardinals won 16 games and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament. Sophomore guard Myles Belyeu garnered All-GLIAC First Team honors, while junior guard Malik Ellison was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team. In addition, Belyeu was also named to the D2CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team and NABC All-District Second Team.

In the 2018-19 season, the Cardinals posted a record of 10-18, going 6-14 in the GLIAC conference. Freshman Myles Belyeu earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors, ranking third in the conference in points per game with 18.3. Sophomore Darnell Hoskins Jr. also earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors, averaging 16.3 points per game, ranking him eighth in the conference.

In the 2017-2018 season, Saginaw Valley went 12-17 overall and 9-11 in the GLIAC. Senior Mike Wells Jr. earned All-GLIAC First Team honors, ranking seventh in the league in scoring. Freshman D.J. Hoskins was named to the GLIAC All-Defensive team, averaging 1.9 steals per game, ranking him fourth in the conference. The Cardinals earned a bid to the GLIAC tournament before falling to No. 2-ranked Ferris State, the eventual national champion.

During the 2016-2017 season, the Cardinals posted a record of 17-11 and 10-11 in conference play. Senior C.J. Turnage was named to the All-GLIAC First -Team for the third time. Senior Wade Gelhaus was named to the All-GLIAC All-Defensive team.

The 2015-16 season, Coach Baruth's fourth at SVSU, matched the program's record for most wins at 25 and was the team's first-ever NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance. The Cardinals posted a 25-8 overall record and an 18-4 record in the GLIAC. The team claimed the GLIAC Regular Season Championship for the first time at the NCAA Division II level. The team's back-to-back 20-plus winning seasons were the most since the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. Damon Bozeman and C.J. Turnage earned All-GLIAC First Team, and Garrett Hall earned Second Team. Baruth also earned GLIAC Coach of the Year honors in the league for the first time.

In the 2014-15 season, SVSU posted a 21-9 overall record, including a 16-6 mark in the GLIAC. The 16 victories were a new program record for the team. The Cardinals qualified for the 2015 GLIAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, where they defeated Findlay for the team's first victory in the tournament and berth in the semifinals since the 1996-97 season.

Over the course of the season, SVSU rattled off 13 consecutive victories, a feat that had not been accomplished since the 1989-90 season and the most since the program has competed in Division II. The Cards led the league in field goal percentage with a mark of 47.3%. Kellen Smith set a single-season record with 177 assists and was also named to the GLIAC All-Defensive Team. Smith finished 15th nationally with 5.9 assists per game. C.J. Turnage earned All-GLIAC First Team honors, while Damon Bozeman and Garrett Hall garnered All-GLIAC Second Team plaudits. With the team's success came a surge in game attendance, as the Cardinals drew more than 1,000 fans to James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena three times, including a school-record 1,832 against Northwood University.

Baruth's 2013-14 season saw him develop a young roster into a competitive team. With only one senior and six freshmen on the roster, Baruth put the Cardinals in a position to win on a nightly basis with a strong defense. In the conference, SVSU gave up the fewest three-point baskets made (153) and held opponents to the second-worst three-point field goal percentage (32.8) on the year while tying for third-best in forced turnovers per game (13.5). Baruth also mentored freshman forward C.J. Turnage's breakout year and "Freshman of the Year" accolades. For the season, Turnage averaged 16.9 points per game, good for ninth in the conference, and a GLIAC-best 64.2% field goal percentage, the highest field goal percentage by an SVSU player since the 2008-09 season.

In his first season, 2012-13, Baruth helped lead the Cardinals to a near GLIAC Tournament appearance. Senior guard Chris Webb was selected to the All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team, while senior Brett Beland was named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Collegiate Academic-Athletic Team.

Throughout his career in college basketball, Baruth has been a part of success at numerous collegiate levels. Baruth was Director of Player Development at the University of Utah under head coach and former NBA player/coach Larry Krystkowiak. Before his stint with the Utes, Baruth was the Director of Basketball Operations at Colorado State University under then-head coach Tim Miles. Baruth is very familiar with NCAA Division II basketball, spending seven years as an assistant at Northern State University and North Dakota State University.

While at Northern State University (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference), he was the top assistant to then-head coach Don Meyer. Meyer is ranked No. 2 all-time in victories in men's college basketball history with 923 career wins. While at Northern State University, the Wolves had four NCAA Division II tournament appearances in five years. Two of the four appearances resulted in Sweet Sixteen losses to the eventual national champion, Winona State University. The 2007-08 team earned a No. 4 national ranking, while the 2008-09 team earned a No. 10 national ranking.

During his tenure at North Dakota State University, Baruth was the recruiting coordinator. The 2006 recruiting class made the Bison's first NCAA Division I tournament appearance in school history. Members of the 2006 class that Baruth recruited included Wisconsin Mr. Basketball and North Dakota State University 7th all-time leading scorer, Michael Nelson; Minnesota Class 3A Player of the Year and North Dakota State University's all-time leading scorer, Ben Woodside; Minnesota First Team All-State, Brett Winkleman; and North Dakota Mr. Basketball, Lucas Moorman.

A native of Alpena, South Dakota, Baruth was a 1996 South Dakota Mr. Basketball Finalist. He went on to play at Mount Marty College (1996-1997) and Dakota Wesleyan University (1997-2000) while earning his bachelor's degree in elementary education. Baruth earned his master's degree in educational leadership at North Dakota State University. Randy and his wife, Meghan, have been married since August 2006 and have three sons, Bennett, Camden, and Calvin.