Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
This is March: Top-seeded Jacks Begin Title Hunt in Lake Charles
3/9/2026 5:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SFA opens postseason run against (4) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in SLC semifinals
LAKE CHARLES, La. - Welcome to March. Southland Conference regular season champion and tournament top seed Stephen F. Austin begins its postseason run on Tuesday night inside Townsley Law Arena as (4) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi awaits the Jacks in the SLC semifinals. It's the 20th all-time appearance in the SLC tourney for the Lumberjacks. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. with live coverage links, including the ESPNU broadcast of the action, available at www.SFAjacks.com.
• LAST TIME OUT:
--- The Jacks claimed the Southland Conference regular season title outright in its 76-68 win over Incarnate Word in the regular season finale.
--- UIW led by six after multiple second-half possessions following the under-12 media which included advantages of 49-43 (11:19), 51-45 (10:20), 56-50 (8:30), 61-55 (6:46) and at 63-57 (6:07). Lateef Patrick connected from deep and pulled the Jacks to within a possession at 63-60 as the clock dipped under six minutes and two SFA possessions later, Narit Chotikavanci drilled a game-tying triple try with 4:17 to play.
--- Keon Thompson then answered to tie the contest at 65 and a pull-up bucket by Patrick pushed the Jacks in front 67-66 for their first lead in over 11 minutes.
--- SFA took control 80 seconds later as Chotikavanic stepped to his left along the nearside wing to let a UIW defender fly by before knocking down a trifecta for a four-point advantage. The Jacks clamped down defensively as UIW managed just three points over the final 3:30 of play.
--- Patrick's season-high 28 points was on a ridiculous 72.7% shooting from the floor and came courtesy of six makes from range and a perfect 6-for-6 from the stripe and he added five rebounds, two steals and an assist.
--- Thompson followed with a dozen points as he moved into second place on the single-season scoring list and he added five assists, three rebounds and a block
• THE CHAMPS ARE HERE:
--- SFA's regular season title is the first for the program since a three-way finish at the top of the 2021-22 Western Athletic Conference standings.
--- It is the first regular season SLC title for the Jacks since a 19-1 finish in the 2019-20 season.
--- It is the sixth SLC regular season title for the Jacks after SFA won the season championship in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2020.
• SOUTHLAND HISTORY:
--- The Jacks became the first league school to win 20 conference games in a single season which is also a program record for conference victories in a single campaign.
--- SFA and McNeese both finished the regular season with 25+ victories marking the first time in league history that two teams reached that wins mark in the same season.
• AN SFA WIN ON TUESDAY NIGHT:
--- would advance the Jacks to Wednesday's title game with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line
--- be win No. 28 this season; tied for the fifth-most wins in a single season
--- give the Jacks a third victory over the Islanders this season after winning 69-60 on December 17 in Nacogdoches and 78-68 on February 16 in Corpus Christi
--- give SFA a four-straight win over A&M-CC and a 25th in the all-time series
--- give the Jacks the program's 17th SLC tournament win all-time and even its all-time record in SLC tournament play at 17-17
• INSIDE THE STREAK:
--- The Jacks' 13-game winning streak was the longest by the program since 2019-20 and it was tied for the 11th longest in Southland Conference history.
--- It was also the program's longest SLC winning streak since the aforementioned season and the eighth-longest league streak in SLC history.
--- SFA won its first 15 games of its home schedule for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
• ABOUT THE ISLANDERS:
--- A&M-CC carried the No. 4 seed into the SLC Tournament after finishing the regular season at 13-9 in league play with a 17-14 record overall.
--- The Islanders advanced to Tuesday's semifinal by holding off fifth-seeded New Orleans
--- Leo Torbor earned placement on the league's all-defensive team.
--- A&M-CC entered the postseason holding top three SLC statistical marks in nine categories which included the league's third-highest FG% at 45.4 and third-highest rebound margin at +3.6.
--- Sheldon Williams produced five double doubles in the regular season
--- Williams ranks fifth in total rebounds with 211, while his 6.8 per game rank seventh
--- Williams ranks second on the team in scoring average at 11.8 behind Nicholas Shogbonyo's 12.0 ppg
--- Torbor holds top eight marks in the SLC in steals (43) and steals per game (1.39)
• THE BEST IN THE 'LAND:
--- A trio of Stephen F. Austin standouts and the architect of the Jacks' impressive run to Lake Charles earned superlative recognition from the league.
--- Senior point guard Keon Thompson was named the league's Player of the Year
--- Senior center Jerald Colonel earned Defensive Player of the Year honors
--- First-year Jack and SLC newcomer Lateef Patrick received Newcomer of the Year plaudits
--- First-year head coach Matt Braeuer was named the SLC Coach of the Year.
--- Thompson and Patrick were named first-team all-league performers, while Colonel headlined the all-defensive selections.
Read more about the Jacks' superlative award winners here.
• NOTABLE NUMBERS BY THE NUMBERS:
#5 KEON THOMPSON
--- five-time SLC Player of the Week
--- dropped a career-high 32 points on a career-best 12 made shots at UTRGV
--- crossed over 1,000 career points at Southeastern Louisiana
--- the only player in the SLC in 2025-26 to rank in the top five overall and in SLC play in points, points per game, assists and assists per game
--- he currently holds the fifth-highest single-season scoring average in program history (18.1 ppg) and is second on SFA's single-season scoring list: 56 points shy of taking over Jack legend Thomas Walkup's program record
#2 JERALD COLONEL
--- 2x SLC All-Defensive selection
--- is near the career active lead among all Division I shot blockers with a 2.34 blocks per game average which ranks 12th among all three levels of NCAA competition and third in Division I
--- 143 career swats are a top 35 mark among active players
--- recorded a block in 28 of SFA's 31 games and has three or more blocks in a 14 games
--- led the league in total blocks (76) and blocks per game (2.45) with both marks ranking ninth nationally
--- his current total this season is ranked second on SFA's single-season list; 14 back of the single season record.
#11 LATEEF PATRICK
--- posted a top 10 scoring average (15.5 ppg) overall and in league play (15.5)
--- his 482 regular season points were the eighth-most in the SLC at the end of the regular season
--- has scored in double figures 26 times this season with eight 20+ point performances
--- produced a 40.4% effort from the floor which ranks tenth in the league
--- 163 field goals made and 403 attempts from the floor are both among the league's top ten shooters
--- his 80.7% effort from the stripe is the fourth highest in the league.
--- shot 35.2% from deep in the regular season
--- his totals in three-point makes (68), three-pointers per game (2.19) and attempts (193) all rank inside the SLC's top 10
--- opened the regular season with six three-point makes against Millsaps and closed with six three-point makes against UIW and in-between knocked down multiple three-point shots in 19 other games
--- holds top ten marks in steals (43) and steals per game (1.39).
#1 CHRISHAWN CHRISTMAS
--- grabbed eight rebounds in the win at UTRGV and in the process eclipsed the 500 rebound mark for his career at Stephen F. Austin.
--- is second on the team in rebounds this season with 217; the most by the Indiana native in any of his three seasons in Nacogdoches
--- has recorded a new personal single-season SFA best in defensive rebounds with a team-best 134
--- 13 games with 8+ rebounds this season including eight games with 10+ boards and season-high 14 at Nicholls
--- has totaled 767 rebounds across three seasons at SFA (533) and one season at Panola College (243). His 533 boards with the Jacks are among the top 215 active DI players and he was one of only five SLC players with a 7.3+ rebounding average in league play this season.
#0 KAM BURTON
--- shot a team-best 43.9% (72-of-164) from three-point range this season which is currently the seventh-highest single season clip.
--- As the season has progressed, and as the Jacks have continued to dominate, Burton has let if fly from range. In SFA's first 11 games of the season, Burton nailed multiple three-point attempts in the first six games and in eight overall with the first of two five trifecta efforts this season coming at Rice.
--- In the 20 games since, beginning with the Jacks' road win at East Texas A&M, Burton has made three or more threes on ten occasions including his second and third performances with five makes from three at UTRGV and at home against Nicholls.
--- Within that 20-game stretch is a six-game stretch beginning at Lamar (1/24) through SFA's home win against East Texas A&M (2/9) where Burton shot 53.7% from range with a team-high 22 made threes. He made four or more threes in four of those contests.
--- has made at least a single three in 14-straight games and has 12 games with 3+ makes from three this season with nine coming in '26
#6 NARIT CHOTIKAVANIC
--- has been the top trigger man as SFA has notched a new single season program record for threes made (282)
--- led the SLC in 3pt% at 39.6%; a mark that currently ranks inside the top 50 among DI trigger men ------ rates third in the SLC in 3pt makes per game (2.55) and inside the top 100 nationally in total 3pt makes (79) which also ranks third in the SLC
--- has made multiple three-point attempts in 23 games with three or more makes in 13 games.
• REMEMBER ME?: First-year Jacks Jerald Colonel and Kam Burton were no stranger to the Southland upon arrival to Nacogdoches last summer. And for their former teams, Colonel's Demons and Burton's Lions, both were reminded of the current Jacks' impact for their specific squads a season ago. Colonel averaged 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 points against Northwestern State in two wins in addition to collecting three blocks. Burton averaged 9.5 points, while shooting 55.6% in nine attempts from range in two victories against the Lions.
• 282 & COUNTING: Against HCU, SFA knocked down eight three-point shots to set a new single season program record for threes made with 270. The effort has surpassed the 269 made by the 2015-16 team in 34 games. In 31 games, the Jacks have nailed 282 three-point shots.
• THREE FAAALLLIN':
The Jacks have notched five games this season with 13+ makes from beyond-the-arc. SFA hit 13 against the Colonels (2/21) including nine in the first half. Against Southeastern (1/31), SFA hammered 16 three pointers in a game for the second time this season and for the first time against a Division I opponent. The effort matched its season-high output of 16 against Dallas which was the most by the Jacks since hitting 16 against Houston Baptist in 2015 (2/28). It is the first time in the new millennium that SFA has made 16+ threes twice in the same season. The Jacks shot a season-high 57.1% from beyond-the-arc against Southeastern Louisiana (1/31) and has hit threes at a clip of 42% or better nine times this season with five games north of 50%. SFA enters Tuesday's matchup having bucketed a three-pointer in 53 straight games.
As a team, the Jacks are shooting 36.7% from range which rates inside the top 40 nationally and third in the SLC, while its 9.1 made threes per game ranks second in the league.
Chotikavanic (79) has made the fourth-most threes by a Jack in a single season and is one shy of becoming only the fourth Lumberjack to bucket 80 in a campaign. Burton (72 made 3s) and Patrick (68 made 3s) have hit three or more trifectas in a game a combined 23 times this season. This year's Jacks are the first SFA squad in program history with three players having bucketed 50+ three-point attempts.
• TAKING THE FREEBIES: The Jacks shot a season-best 83.3% (min. 15 attempts) from the stripe in the loss to New Orleans. The squad is averaged 15.4 makes from the stripe in eight February games and has sank 15 or more attempts from the line 13 times this season with nine coming in the New Year. SFA shot better than 71% from the line in five of their nine games in the month of January, something the squad did just twice in November and December combined.
• UNCHARTED WATERS: SFA's efforts in taking UIW to the deep end beyond-the-arc (1/12) resulted in just the third time this season that a team failed to make a three against a DI foe. Per CBB Reference and most notably spread by @trillydonovan on X, it's the 10th time SFA has held a team without a three-point make since the 2007 season - tied with Princeton for the most by any team in that span.
• A HELPING HAND: The Jacks have recorded double-digit assists in 25 of 31 games and have committed 10 or fewer turnovers 23 times and in three-straight games to close out the regular season. SFA's assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.52 leads the SLC and is a top 50 mark nationally. SFA protects possessions as good as any team in the country with an SLC-leading effort of 9.2 turnovers per game: a top 12 mark in Division I basketball. The Jacks recorded the squad's fifth game this season with 18+ assists in the home win over Nicholls.
• WINDEX WARRIORS: Matt Braeuer's year one squad has developed into the best glass-cleaning unit in the SLC. In the regular season, the Jacks lead the league in rebounds per game (38.10) and rebound margin (+5.3) and ranked second in offensive rebounds (12.90) and defensive rebounds (25.19). The Jacks have grabbed 40+ rebounds in a game a 13 times with 50+ against a pair of non-D1 foes. Colonel leads the team in rebounding average with 7.5 per game and leads the SLC in offensive boards per night mark at 3.10.
• PERIMETER ACTIVITY: The Jacks are clamped on the defensive perimeter. SFA rates inside the top five nationally in 3pt% defense at 29.1%. Through 31 games, opponents have attempted 20+ three-points shots against the Jacks 24 times and have made eight or more on only six occasions.
• ALL ABOUT POINTS: The Jacks enter Tuesday's contest with the league's best scoring defense holding opponents to 65.9 ppg which rates 16th nationally. SFA's scoring margin sits at +11.6, the second-highest in the SLC and the 25th largest nationally, behind the league's second-best scoring offense at 77.5 ppg which currently stands as the highest scoring average for the program since 2020-21.
• KEN POM + NET RANK: Through games played through March 8, the Jacks rank 89th in the KenPom.com ratings and are 86th in the NCAA NET rankings. Both of those inclusions are currently the second-highest nods for a Southland program as the Jacks trail McNeese (No. 68 KP, No. 62 NET). Of the advanced metrics, the Jacks hold the No. 80 rating in adjusted defensive efficiency; higher than six other KP top 50 teams.
• WITH LOVE FROM CEDAR RAPIDS & DAYTON: The Jacks received a pair of votes in the Associated Press Division I MBB Top 25 on February 23. If the rankings were to extend out, the squad would have been ranked at No. 37 nationally. The votes came from Cedar Rapids, Iowa's Owen Siebring of KGAN-TV and Dayton MBB beat writer David Jablonski of the Dayton Daily News and Cox Media Group.
• INSIDER TRENDING:
--- SFA received votes for the first seven weeks of the 2025-26 season
--- Debuted at No. 23 nationally in the January 12 rankings of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll
--- The Jacks' lone ranked opponent in the poll is fellow SLC foe McNeese at No. 11
--- SFA opened the season with a shootout exhibition win over longtime foe Sam Houston State which received 13 votes in the latest insider rankings
Previous CollegeInsider.com Rankings
March 9 | 9
March 2 | 10
Feb. 23 | 10
Feb. 16 | 10
Feb. 9 | 11
Feb. 2 | 16
Jan. 26 | 16
Jan. 19 | 22
Jan. 12 | 23
• SAWMILL SUCCESSES: The Jacks closed out regular season play inside the William R. Johnson Coliseum at 15-1 which included winning their first 15 games. That streak is the longest in Nacogdoches since the 2017-18 season when the Jacks also won their first 15 games before finishing 16-1 at home.
