Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Southland (27-5, 18-0)
Stephen F. Austin won their fourth consecutive regular season Southland title and will look to make some more noise in March this year. While the Lumberjacks cruised through the Southland, they failed to pick up a big win out of conference. And that is very worrisome. Coach Brad Underwood returned much of his team from a year ago, so they should have been ready to compete with the big boys in November and December. Losses at Baylor, Northern Iowa, Arizona State and UAB are not bad losses by any means, and some of those games were relatively close, but is this group ready to beat a similar quality team in the postseason?
Big Wins: 1/30 at Texas A&M-CC (66-61), 2/29 at Incarnate Word (84-58), 3/5 at Sam Houston State (85-64)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Tulane (59-60), 12/22 at Arizona State (73-80), 12/29 at UAB (66-76)
Coach: Brad Underwood
Why They Can Surprise:
This is a very similar team to the one that upset VCU in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Trey Pinkney and Thomas Walkup were starters on that team and they lead a squad that shares the ball as well as any team in the country and force a whole slew of turnovers. SFA will work the defense by passing the ball and it is rare that anybody forces up a bad shot. And it is rare that the team scores without somebody getting an assist. Pinkney is the point guard who makes things happen. He is not a scorer at all, but he dishes out 3.6 assists per game and commits under one turnover per game. Walkup, a 6-4 wing, actually leads the team in assists, steals, rebounds and scoring. His 17.5 points per game mostly come within the arc, and Walkup is tough enough to play the four spot.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, playing a 6-4 power forward against some teams just is not going to work, no matter how much of a great matchup it is for Walkup offensively. This team is about defense first. When SFA has to play big, they look to Clide Geffrard to join TJ Holyfield in the frontcourt. Geffrard is only 6-5, but he is 220 pounds and has turned into a very versatile power forward. He can stretch the defense with his shooting, but is also very strong on the glass. On the year he is averaging 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, which is quite impressive for a player normally coming in off of the bench. Holyfield is the more traditional big man, although like everybody on the team, he is capable of stepping outside the three-point arc. Holyfield is not the strongest scorer or rebounder, but he is the shot blocking presence in the paint. The Lumberjacks have big guards like Ty Charles, but Pinkney is 5-9 and Demetrious Floyd, the team’s second leading scorer, is 5-11. This is a group that can only play big for so long and that will catch up to Stephen F. Austin sooner or later no matter how great their defense is on the perimeter or how many shots they can knock down from long range.
Probable Starters:
Trey Pinkney, Senior, Guard, 2.7 ppg, 3.6 apg
Demetrious Floyd, Senior, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 1.5 apg
Ty Charles, Sophomore, Guard, 9.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.0 rpg
Thomas Walkup, Senior, Guard, 17.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 spg
TJ Holyfield, Freshman, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Dallas Cameron, Junior, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 1.7 apg
Clide Geffrard, Senior, Forward, 13.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Jared Johnson, Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.9 (30th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.1 (14, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.5 (18, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.9 (198, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (81, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.2 (57, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.1 (93, 3)
Rebound Margin: 3.3 (73, 1)
Assists Per Game: 19.0 (2, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (177, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round loss to Utah
2014 NCAA Second Round win over VCU
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to UCLA
2013 NIT First Round loss to Stanford
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Syracuse
2008 NIT First Round loss to Massachusetts
1987 NIT First round win over James Madison
1987 NIT Second round loss to Arkansas-Little Rock
*all team stats through 3/6
