SFA Seeks To Defend SLC Tournament Title
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
2015 Southland Conference Championship
Merrell Center • Katy Texas
Semifinals: Friday, March 13 • 5 p.m.
Championship: Saturday, March 14 • 8:30 p.m.
Tournament Central
Watch: ESPN3
Radio: Q107.7 FM (listen online at Q1077.com)
Live Stats: Southland.org
Twitter Updates: @SFA_MBB
SLC Tournament Game Notes
Tournament Bracket
OPENING TIP
Stephen F. Austin heads to Katy to try and defend its 2014 Southland Conference tournament title. The Lumberjacks closed out the regular season with a 27-4 record and were 17-1 in SLC play, capturing the regular season title for the third-straight season and top overall seed in the SLC Championship.
CHAMPIONS AGAIN
SFA clinched its third-straight SLC title Saturday, outlasting rival Sam Houston State 64-55 in front of a 7,328 fans at William R. Johnson Coliseum, a new arena record. Led by Thomas Walkup's third-straight double-double, recording 19 points and 11 rebounds, SFA pulled away in the second half to notch its 10th-straight victory over its rivals from Huntsville. Clide Geffrard also played a key role in the Lumberjack victory, finishing with 11 points.
'JACKS IN THE SLC TOURNAMENT
SFA makes its 19th appearance in the Southland Conference tournament this weekend, boasting an overall record of 16-16 (.500) in tournament action with a pair of tournament titles (2009 and 2014). The Lumberjacks will be the top overall seed for the fifth time since 2008, having reached the championship game six times in the tournament's history. The `Jacks are one of two teams (Sam Houston State) to make it to Katy all eight years at the neutral venue, posting a 10-5 record at the Merrell Center.
UNDERWOOD STANDS ALONE
With SFA's win over the Bearkats, head coach Brad Underwood notched his 59th win at Stephen F. Austin, becoming the all-time winningest second year head coach in NCAA Division I history. The 59 wins surpases former North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge for the most wins by a second-year head coach in NCAA Division I history while Underwood's .892 winning percentage is tops all-time among second year coaches, besting the .873 by former North Carolina State coach Everett Case.
LUMBERJACKS EARN SLC HONORS
The Lumberjacks took home a pair of major award winners earlier this week with Thomas Walkup being named the Southland Conference's Player of the Year and Brad Underwood repeating as the SLC's Coach of the Year. Walkup ranked among the SLC leaders in a number of categories, becoming the third-straight Lumberjack to be named the conference's top player, joining Jacob Parker in 2014 and Taylor Smith in 2013. Underwood repeated as Coach of the Year after leading SFA to a 27-4 record, sitting at 59-7 overall and 35-1 in SLC play in his two seasons in Nacogodoches.
SFA AMONG NATION'S ELITE
SFA is part of an elite group with its success of the past few seasons, sitting as one of only five Division I teams to surpass 25 wins in each of the last three seasons. SFA joins the likes of Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga and Wichita State to comprise the club, with five other schools (Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Ohio State and VCU) in position to join the club.
LUMBERJACKS AMONG SLC'S BEST
SFA laid claim to two of the Southland Conference's major award winners in 2014-15 as Thomas Walkup was named the SLC Player of the Year and Brad Underwood repeating as the conference's Coach of the Year. Walkup, the third-straight Lumberjack to be named SLC Player of the Year, was also an All-Defensive team selection for the second time while Jacob Parker, the 2014 SLC Player of the Year, was a second team All-SLC selection.
WELCOME TO THE SAWMILL
SFA has been one of the nation's toughest teams at home in recent years as the Lumberjacks have won 47 of their last 48 games at William R. Johnson Coliseum, dating back to the 2011-12 season. SFA has won 14-straight at home since the 79-77 overtime loss to nationally ranked Northern Iowa on Nov. 18 snapped a nation's best 33-game streak. The `Jacks have also won 29-straight SLC games at W.R. Johnson Coliseum, dating back to the 2012-13 season.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Stephen F. Austin has added two new faces to the 1,000-point club in 2014-15. Jacob Parker joined the club in the win at Abilene Christian on January 17th and now sits at 1,219 career points, ranking 16th all-time in Lumberjack program history while sitting 12th all-time in career rebounds (606). Parker was then joined by teammate Thomas Walkup, who reached the milestone by scoring the first eight points of the game against Lamar on February 23, and now has 1,080 career points.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE CREW
Thomas Walkup and Jacob Parker have combined for eight double-doubles on the season for SFA, five of which have come from Walkup. The SLC Player of the Year recorded double-doubles in each of the Lumberjacks' final three games, helping lead SFA to wins over the second, third and fifth-ranked teams in the standings. Walkup and Parker both recorded double-doubles in the wins over Southeastern Louisiana (Jan. 5) and Northwestern State (Mar. 5).
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
With the 64-55 win over rival Sam Houston State Saturday, SFA laid claim to its third-straight regular season Southland Conference title. The `Jacks are one of just nine teams in the country to have won their last three regular season conference championships, joining Belmont (Ohio Valley), Davidson (Southern and Atlantic 10), Gonzaga (West Coast), Harvard (Ivy League), High Point (Big South), Kansas (Big 12), Louisiana Tech (Western Athletic and Conference USA) and Murray State (Ohio Valley).
NCAA'S TOP ASSIST TEAM
SFA continues to rank among the national leaders in a number of statistical categories, including six in the top-20. The Lumberjacks lead the nation in assists per game at 17.7 while sitting fifth nationally in total assists (550). The `Jacks also rank sixth nationally in field goal percentage (49.1) and are 10th in both scoring margin (+15.1) and winning percentage (.871).
SENDING A MESSAGE
SFA heads into the weekend ranked 10th nationally in scoring margin, averaging 15.1 points per victory. The Lumberjacks have won by double digits in 23 of their 27 victories in 2014-15, including a 51-point victory over Central Arkansas, a 37-point win over Arkansas Tech and a 36-point win against Houston Baptist.
FROM DOWNTOWN
Nearly 29 percent of SFA's made field goals this season have come from beyond the arc. The `Jacks have made 241-of-626 (.385) attempts from three-point range, ranking 37th nationally in three-point field goal percentage. The `Jacks rank 46th nationally in three-point field goals made, led by led by Jacob Parker's 53 made threes while shooting .477 from beyond the arc on the season.
COMFORT IN HALFTIME LEAD
When leading at halftime, the `Jacks are 50-1 all-time under head coach Brad Underwood. SFA's lone loss when taking a lead into the locker room was at Texas on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, just the third game of Underwood's tenure both with the `Jacks and as a head coach at the Div. I level.
PARKER's ALL-TIME WINS
Senior forward Jacob Parker recorded the 98th win of his Lumberjack career in SFA's 95-59 victory over Houston Baptist to become the program's all-time winningest player at the Division I level. He has since added seven more victories, sitting at 107 during his four-year SFA career.
WINNINGEST TWO-YEAR PLAYERS
Senior Connor Brooks and Tanner Clayton picked up the 59th win of their Lumberjack careers in SFA's 64-55 win over Northwestern State. The two are now just one win away from tying former teammates Nikola Gajic and Deshaunt Walker as the program's all-time winningest two-year players.
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