Kats-Jacks Rematch Named 'Wildcard' TV Game
2/24/2015 3:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Southland Conference and ESPN3 have selected the Sam Houston State vs. Stephen F. Austin women's and men's basketball matchups for “wild card” telecasts on Saturday, March 7.
This will mark the last of eight regular season league doubleheaders on the network. The women's game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. CST, followed by the men's matchup at 6:30 p.m.
In the men's side, the game will feature a battle of the top two teams in the 2015 Southland race. If both the Bearkats and the Lumberjacks win their next three games, the contest will determine the regular-season champion and top seed in the Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas, March 11-14.
Currently, both teams are 13-1 in league play while SFA is 23-4 overall and Sam Houston is 22-5. In the game earlier this season between the two schools, the Lumberjacks traveled to Huntsville and pulled out a 79-68 win on Jan. 24.
Sam Houston has won its last eight contests since falling to SFA by outscoring its opponents by an average of 23.4 points. The Bearkats will play three of their last four games on the road with a stop at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Feb. 28) before coming home to face Central Arkansas (March 2) and then hitting the road at Lamar (March 5) and at SFA.
Currently, Sam Houston is 6-0 on the road in league games. The Bearkats have seven players who average 8.0 or more points per game with senior guards
DeMarcus Gaitlin (11.0) and Kaheem Ransom (10.4) leading the way. Gatlin also averages 4.8 rebounds per game for the Bearkats while Ransom averages 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. In the game earlier in the season against SFA, the Bearkats were led offensively with Gatlin's 15 points.
SFA has won its last three games after having its 19-game winning streak snapped Feb. 14 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Before the Lumberjacks face Sam Houston in the regular-season finale, they have to travel to Houston Baptist (Feb. 28) and then play Incarnate (March 2) and Northwestern State (March 5) in Nacogdoches. The Lumberjacks are 12-1 at home this season, including a 6-0 mark against league foes.
Lincoln Rose will handle play-by-play duties. He will be joined courtside by color analyst Van Chancellor, a 2007 inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Chris Mycoskie is set to host the MidSouth Bank Halftime Report during both games.
In the women's contest, the game will feature the league's top team with Stephen F. Austin and a team fighting for a spot in the tournament with in Sam Houston State. The Lumberjack women are 12-2 in conference play while the Bearkats sit at 5-9. For the eighth consecutive year, the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is in Katy, Texas, March 12-15.
Sam Houston State has lost its last four games and is looking to break the trend with hopes of edging into the top eight for a spot in the conference tournament.
The Bearkats feature junior guard Shernise Robertson who is the Southland's leading scorer with 22.7 per contest throughout the season. The Cypress, Texas, native is shooting 84. 1 percent from the free-throw line with 158 made shots on 189 attempts. Sophomore guard Taylor Dorsey is another key player for Sam Houston with 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
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