SFA Announces Men's Basketball Schedule
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 25, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Seven 20-win teams and a pair of squads that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season highlight the 2008-09 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball schedule, released Thursday by department officials. SFA is scheduled for 28 games, including 16 Southland Conference contests, as the Lumberjacks prepare to defend their 2008 SLC championship.
SFA opens the season with a home game -- the first of 13 dates at William R. Johnson Coliseum -- against Howard Payne on Nov. 14. The Lumberjacks then head to College Station, Texas, to take on Big 12 foe Texas A&M on Nov. 18. The Aggies are coming off a 25-11 season that saw them reach the second round of the NCAA Championships after notching a 67-62 upset win over eighth-seeded BYU. A&M met UCLA in the second round and led for much of the contest before falling by a 51-49 count.
The 'Jacks will follow that game with a road contest against Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 25 before opening a three-game home stand. SFA will sandwich non-Division I games against Texas College and Texas Wesleyan around a Dec. 2 tilt with a Jackson State team that reached the championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament last season.
Following the home stand, SFA will open what is potentially the most challenging portion of the schedule when the Lumberjacks begin the first of two consecutive tournaments followed by a road game against a Big 12 foe.
SFA will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to play in the Drake Invitational on Dec. 12 and 13. The four-team field includes Georgia Southern -- SFA's first-round opponent -- and North Dakota State, in addition to host team Drake. Georgia Southern is coming off a 20-12 season that included a second-place finish in the Southern Conference. Drake set a new school record with its 28-5 mark in 2007-08. The Bulldogs went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
The following weekend will find the Lumberjacks in Fayetteville, Ark., for the Jim Thorpe Classic, hosted by the University of Arkansas. SFA is scheduled to play Austin Peay on Dec. 19, then take on Arkansas on Dec. 20. Austin Peay went 24-11 last season, on its way to a second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas went 23-12 a year ago and advanced to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Razorbacks earned an NCAA Championship bid and went on to reach the tournament's second round with an 86-72 win over Indiana in the opener.
Following the two tournaments, SFA will have an 11-day layoff for the holidays before resuming action with a New Year's Day game at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off a 16-15 season. Texas Tech and SFA met early last season, with the Red Raiders taking a 60-44 decision that was the Lumberjacks' only non-conference loss of the regular season.
Following that game, SFA will play one final non-conference match, this one a home date with Jarvis Christian on Jan. 3.
The Lumberjacks will open Southland Conference play in their first season as a member of the SLC East Division on Jan. 10 when they host rival Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will mark the only regular-season meeting between the two teams this year. In SFA's 21 years as a member of the Southland Conference, the teams have met twice each regular season with the only exception coming in the 2005-06 campaign.
The Lumberjacks begin divisional play four days later with a Jan. 14 trip to Central Arkansas, followed by a Jan. 17 home game against Nicholls State.
SFA will follow that game with a pivotal road clash against UT-Arlington on Jan. 21. The game against the Mavericks will feature two teams expected to be preseason favorites to win their respective divisions in the SLC. The Mavericks went 21-12 last season and won the SLC Tournament to reach the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. The two teams split their series last season with SFA winning at Texas Hall in the regular season for the first time in 11 years.
The Lumberjacks chase that game with three straight contests against East Division foes, finishing up the first round of divisional play with a Jan. 31 home game against McNeese State. SFA will wrap up the season on March 7 with a game at UTSA. This will mark the second straight year for the Lumberjacks and Roadrunners to meet in San Antonio in the regular-season finale.
The Southland Conference Tournament is scheduled for March 12-15 in Katy, Texas.
SFA is coming off a 26-6 season that stands as the best in the program's history as a Division I member. The Lumberjacks went 13-3 in Southland Conference play to win the first SLC title in school history and went on to earn a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. SFA finished the season with an RPI of 56.
-- SFA --
