SHSU to face ORU Thursday in Katy
3/12/2014 12:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston makes its 17th appearance in the Southland Conference post-season men's basketball tournament Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The Bearkats will take on Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals. ORU defeated McNeese 66-62 Wednesday in the battle between the No. 6 & 7 seeds.
Led by a strong group of seniors plus two junior transfers who earned All-Southland Conference honors this week, the Bearkats are the No. 3 seed at the event being held at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy.
"All but a couple of our players have tournament experience and know what it's like to be in this situation. They know what it takes to win," SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. "We've talked about when we get there, the intensity will raise another notch."
The SHSU men hold a 14-14 record in Southland post-season play. The Kats stand 7-5 in games at the Merrell Center.
Up for grabs at the tournament is the Southland Conference's automatic berth in the 68-team NCAA Basketball Championships.
Sam Houston earned a spot in the NCAA's “Big Dance” by winning the tournament in both 2003 and 2010. The Bearkats have reached the finals of the event three times (falling to Northwestern State in the finals in 2006).
Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom both earned All-Southland Conference third team honors during the regular season. Peters averaged 12.8 points per game while Ransom added 11.6.
Peters also was recognized as the Southland Conference “Newcomer of the Year.”
James Thomas, Terrance Motley, Will Bond and Nathaniel Mason provide the senior leadership for the Bearkats. Thomas starts at forward and the other three all play important roles off the bench.
Junior center Michael Holyfield and sophomore guard Paul Baxter complete the Bearkat starting lineup.
All six of those players were part of a Sam Houston squad that upset No. 3 seed Oral Roberts to reach the Southland semifinals last year.
Stephen F. Austin is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Lumberjacks won the regular season championship with a perfect 18-0 mark.
The Bearkats lost to SFA twice this year, falling 73-56 in Nacogdoches and 67-60 in Huntsville.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (14-4 in Southland action) is the No. 2 seed. Sam Houston defeated the Islanders in their only meeting 78-74 in Huntsville.
The first four games of the men's tournament will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including Southland.org and the league's iPhone and Android Apps available at southland.org/apps.
The semifinals will be available solely on ESPN3, while the championship game will be covered exclusively ESPN2 Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the championship trophy presentation to be carried live on ESPN3.
The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The selection show is Sunday, March 16 at 5 p.m., CT, on CBS.
Tickets to the 2014 Southland Conference basketball tournament are available now online at www.gobearkats.com or by calling the SHSU ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
This is the seventh consecutive year for the event to be played in Katy. For complete information about the tournament, visit www.Southland.org/katy.
The complete men's tournament schedule:
Wednesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 5 Nicholls, 5 p.m. (SLCDN)
Game 2: No. 7 McNeese State vs. No. 6 Oral Roberts, 7:30 p.m. (SLCDN)
Thursday, March 13
Game 3: Nicholls State vs. No. 4 Northwestern State, 5 p.m. (SLCDN)
Game 4: Oral Roberts vs. No. 3 Sam Houston State, 7:30 p.m. (SLCDN)
Friday, March 14
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, March 15
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
