HoopsHD continues its series leading up to Selection Sunday and March Madness, as we simulate what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t). Up next is the Southland Conference Tournament. Stephen F. Austin had an incredible regular season, losing only 1 league game and winning at Duke in one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Lumberjacks needed only two wins to make the Big Dance. Could they get them? It is time to find out!
SOUTHLAND QUARTERFINALS
Top seeds Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian had byes to the semifinal round, but there were still a pair of quarterfinals to be played to determine their opponents. In the first game of the night, 4-seed Sam Houston State took on 5-seed Northwestern State. The Bearkats, led by 20 points from RJ Smith, had all the answers in this one, opening up a lead early in the second half and winning by a final score of 86-77. The second game saw the Nicholls State Colonels jump out to a 16-point lead at the half only to have Lamar fight and claw their way back in the second. However, despite closing it down to as few as 4 points, time ran out on Lamar and Nicholls was on to the semifinals, 82-75.
SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS
The best rivalry in the Southland for years has been the one between Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State. These two teams met in the first semifinal, in a game that the Lumberjacks, who had won at Duke this season, were heavily favored to win. However, records and odds need to be thrown away when two rivals meet. Sam Houston State jumped out to an early lead in a high-scoring affair, taking a 51-42 advantage into the halftime break. SFA fought and clawed the entire second half, finally closing the gap to 2 with just under a minute left to play. After the Lumberjacks held defensively, they had the ball and a chance to tie or win with 16 seconds on the clock. Gavin Kensmil got open from 8 feet out, but could not get the shot to fall. The 90-88 upset was complete, and Sam Houston State, behind 23 points from Kai Mitchell, was off to the Southland championship game.
In the second semifinal, defending conference tournament champion Abilene Christian was matched up with 3-seed Nicholls State. Abilene dominated the first half, building a 13-point lead at the break. Nicholls made several runs in the second period, and was able to pull within one point with 15 seconds left to play. After Abilene made only one of two free throws, Kevin Johnson tried to play hero and win the game on a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to play. The shot missed badly, the Wildcats snagged the rebound, and after a pair of free throws, the game was over, with Nicholls falling to Abilene Christian by a final score of 71-67.
SOUTHLAND CHAMPIONSHIP
Sam Houston State had finished the Southland regular season 8 games behind Stephen F. Austin and 4 games behind Abilene Christian in the standings. But on Saturday evening, the Bearkats were playing for the league’s automatic bad and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The first half was back and forth, but the Wildcats were able to build a 5-point advantage at the break, 39-34. That lead lasted all of 2 minutes into the second half before Sam Houston tied it and then went ahead. The game remained close the rest of the way, but the Bearkats opened it up to 7 with 30 seconds left and were able to hold on by a final score of 75-69. Zach Nutall led the way for the champions with 21 points. For the first time since 2010, Sam Houston State was on its way to the Big Dance.
