Kats open Southland race Saturday with UIW
12/31/2014 8:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
One look at the Southland Conference's results in November and December show that the 2015 league men's basketball race that begins this Saturday could be one of the most exciting in recent years.
Stephen F. Austin was the overwhelming choice to successfully defend their league title when the Southland head coaches' preseason poll results were announced in November. SFA rolled up a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play last year on the way to a 32-3 overall record that included a victory in NCAA post-season action.
The Jacks have not disappointed in pre-Southland play, going 10-3 with victories over Memphis, Long Beach State, North Texas, Texas State and California State-Northridge. SFA's losses came in overtime against Northern Iowa and on the road at Xavier and Baylor.
But several other league teams – including Sam Houston State – have shown they can be formidable roadblocks for the Lumberjacks.
Two of those squads open Southland play against each other Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville.
Sam Houston and Incarnate Word both have eight non-conference wins during the past two months, second in the league only to SFA.
The Bearkats own NCAA Division I victories over Eastern Washington, South Dakota, Fairfield and Prairie View A&M. The SHSU men also made strong showings on the road against tradition powerhouses, losing by only two at UNLV and three at Texas A&M. Sam Houston also had a late lead at LSU before falling to the Tigers by seven.
Incarnate Word, in only its second season during its transition to the NCAA Division I level, made national headlines December 10 with a 74-73 victory at Nebraska. The Cardinals also have road victories over Princeton and Kansas City.
Northwestern State, the squad picked second in the coaches' preseason poll, has a victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. McNeese State, tabbed to finish fourth behind Sam Houston, stands 6-5 after defeating Mississippi State 66-47 on the road Tuesday. A&M-Corpus Christi defeated Saint Louis in November.
“You can't take a night off in the Southland Conference,” SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. “We were one game away from going to the NCAA tournament last year, but lost to SFA in the finals at Katy. Our guys came back this fall focused from day one at the task in hand. They won't need a 'rah-rah' speech Saturday in the locker room. They have a goal and are ready to go out and get the job done.”
Sam Houston has a score to settle with the Cardinals. UIW handed the Kats an 85-74 loss in San Antonio last year in the two team's first meeting ever. The defeat ended a four-game Bearkat winning streak.
Saturday's opener with Incarnate Word shapes up as an interesting match.
Averaging 83.0 points per game, the UIW Cardinals lead the Southland in scoring. Sam Houston leads the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents only 59.6 points per contest. The Kats also are tops in the Southland in scoring margin (out-pointing foes by 18.3 per game) and field goal percentage defense (.374).
While Incarnate Word brings the league's top three-point shooting team into Johnson Coliseum (.368), the Kats stand second in the Southland in three-point field goal percentage defense (.317).
Sam Houston also is the Southland's leader in rebounding (44.1 per game) and rebounding margin (+10.1).
“The guys have fought hard every game,” Hooten said. “I'm most pleased with our improvement defensively.”
Incarnate Word's Denzel Livingston sports a 21.6 scoring average to rank second in the league. With its balanced attack, Sam Houston does not have a player ranked among the top 20 in individual scoring in the Southland. But seven Bearkat players average seven or more points per contest.
Sam Houston's showdown with Incarnate Word Saturday is part of a men's and women's doubleheader at Johnson Coliseum. The Bearkat women open play at 2 p.m. against the Cardinals with the men's nightcap at 4:30 p.m.
Other Southland opening weekend match-ups include Northwestern State vs. Houston Baptist, Nicholls vs. Lamar, SFA vs. McNeese and Central Arkansas vs. Abilene Christian.
The Kats and Northwestern State will duel in another doubleheader Monday night at Johnson with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m.
Tickets for all Sam Houston home basketball games are available online now at www.gobearkats.com .
