Stephen F Austin at New Orleans, 8:45 PM Eastern, unoprivateers.com
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The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to Lakefront Arena in the Big Easy tonight as the top two teams in the Southland Conference will be matching up in a game that could determine the regular season championship. The Lumberjacks of Stephen F Austin, who have won four consecutive Southland regular season titles, will be in town to take on the surprising Privateers of New Orleans. UNO has not won a conference regular season title since tieing for the Sun Belt championship 20 years ago, and has not made the NCAA Tournament since 1996. With only a few games left between tonight and the end of the regular season, and Stephen F Austin already having won the first matchup between these two teams (71-61 on January 28), the winner of tonight’s game will be in the driver’s seat heading down the stretch.
Stephen F. Austin currently sits at 15-11 overall and 10-4 in Southland play. They have won four straight games and six of their last seven. TJ Holyfield has led the team, including having scored in double figures in each of his last four games and having recorded five double-doubles so far this season. New Orleans has a one game lead in the standings, entering play tonight at 11-3 in Southland play and 16-9 overall. They have also won four straight games. Erik Thomas has been a standout star all season long for the Privateers. He has nine double-doubles and has scored in double figures every single game. Last time out, against Central Arkansas, he scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Privateers, who just six years ago had decided to transition down to Division III before reversing course and returning to D1 two years later, are on the verge of a conference title and a shot at making the Big Dance. The turnaround has certainly been amazing, and tonight’s game may just be the biggest one New Orleans has seen in many, many years.