Southland Conference to Crown 30th Tournament Champion Saturday
The Southland Conference will present a tournament championship trophy on Saturday for the 30th time in league history. The 2010 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday with the same eight teams as last season. Stephen F. Austin will try to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since former member Louisiana-Monroe won four consecutive between 1990 and 1993. The league has seen a first-time tournament winner and NCAA tournament participant each of the last three seasons.
Stephen F. Austin begins its defense of last year's championship as the No. 2 seed. The Lumberjacks finished 21-8 overall and 11-5 in the conference, three games behind Sam Houston State. The winners of the East Division play the first game in the men's tournament, meeting UT Arlington Wednesday at noon. The Mavericks dropped their final two conference games to finish 16-13 overall and 8-8 in conference play.
No. 3 seed Texas AM-Corpus Christi and No. 6 seed UTSA play the second game Wednesday. The Islanders locked up the third seed after winning three of their final four games, including an 82-79 home win over UT Arlington, to finish 16-14 overall and 10-6 in Southland play. UTSA upended East Division winner Stephen F. Austin, 65-63, Saturday and won six of its last seven games to take a 19-10 overall record and 9-7 league mark into the tournament.
Sam Houston State enters as the league's top seed, finishing 22-7 overall and 14-2 in conference play. Despite losing their final game of the season at Texas State, the Bearkats won the most league games since Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished 14-2 in 2007. Sam Houston will open its bid for a second Southland tournament title Wednesday against No. 8 seed Nicholls at 6 p.m., Central. The Colonels won their final two games, including a a 73-61 victory over Lamar Saturday, to get into the tournament.
No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 5 seed Texas State meet in the final game Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Southeastern finished 18-11 overall and 10-6 in conference play after winning its final two games, including an 86-77 home triumph against Northwestern State Saturday. Texas State handed Sam Houston its second conference loss after claiming a 101-97 overtime victory Saturday. The Bobcats finished the regular season 15-15 overall and 9-7 in conference play after winning their final two games.
Destination Katy: The Return
After two great tournaments in Katy, Texas, in 2008 and 2009, the Southland Conference signed up for another two years, meaning the 2010 and 2011 Southland Conference tournaments will be played at the Leonard E. Merrell Center. This year's tournament will be the 11th in league history to be played at a neutral site. The tournament was played in Shreveport, La., from 1995-2001 and was held in Houston in 2007 before moving to Katy in 2008.
Tickets Available at Ticketmaster, Merrell Center Box Office
All-session tickets to the 2010 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and at the Merrell Center box office in Katy. Individual session tickets went on sale Monday.
Southland TV to Televise Semifinals
The Southland Conference Television Network will televise the two men's semifinal games on Thursday. The first semifinal game tips off at 6:05 p.m. with the second one tipping at approximately 8:33 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game, whichever is later. Southland TV will stay on the air between games with the State Farm Tournament Show. Doug Anderson and LaDarrin McLane will call the action for both games, while Randy McIlvoy will host the tournament show. Both games will also be available on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.com.
SLC NOW to Stream Quarters, Semis
The first six games of the tournament will be streamed live on SLC NOW, the free video portal on Southland.org. Charlie Farris will call the action for the four quarterfinal games.
ESPN2 to Televise Championship
ESPN2 will televise the men's championship game Saturday at 3:05 p.m., Central. Lou Canellis and Mike Kelley will handle the national broadcast, which will also be streamed on ESPN360.com.
SportsRadio 610 to Provide Local Radio Broadcast of Championship
The tournament championship game will be carried locally in the Houston area on KILT-AM 610. Marc Vandermeer and John Lopez will call the game.
Other Ways to Follow the Tournament
The Southland Conference has created Merrell Madness, the official blog of the tournament, which is available on Word Press at merrellmadness.wordpress.com. The official Twitter feed, @MerrellMadness, will also have all the latest about the tournament. Both new media options will offer exclusive content.
Sam Houston State Wins Third Title
Sam Houston State's regular-season championship is the third Southland Conference title in school history and all have come under 11th-year head coach Bob Marlin. The Bearkats finished 22-7 overall and 14-2 in the league and have won at least 20 games four of the last five seasons. Marlin guided Sam Houston to a regular season championship in 2000 and won both the regular season and tournament championships in 2003, reaching the NCAA tournament for the only time in school history.
UTA's Haynes Named Player of the Year
UT Arlington guard Marquez Haynes, who ranked third in the nation in scoring with 22.8 points per game, was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year on Tuesday. Haynes averaged 22.8 points per game. The senior from Irving, Texas, becomes just the second UT Arlington student-athlete to be named the league player of the year and is the first since Albert Culton won the award in 1982. In just two seasons with the Mavericks, Haynes, a transfer from Boston College, has scored 1,156 points, including a school-record 661 points this season, helping his team qualify for the conference tournament for the eighth consecutive season. Haynes has scored 20 points or more a league-high 19 times this season and has a school-record seven 30-point games, including a season-high 38 points against UTSA in January.
Sam Houston's Clavell is Top Newcomer
Gilberto Clavell not only helped Sam Houston State win its third regular-season conference championship, but also helped it reach the Southland tournament for the eighth consecutive season. The junior from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, averaged 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game to lead the Bearkats. Clavell, a transfer from Collin County Community College, paced the Bearkats in scoring 13 times this season and had 11 20-point games. He topped 30 three times, scoring 34 in a win at Auburn in December and a season-high 35 in the regular-season finale against Texas State. He is the Bearkats' second player to be named the league newcomer of the year, joining Donald Cole who earned the honor in 2002.
Freshman of the Year is UTSA's Melvin Johnson III
Melvin Johnson III was a key contributor for UTSA this season. In 27 games, the freshman from Dallas, Texas, averaged 7.7 points in 12.5 minutes per game. The guard was a threat from behind the 3-point arc, connecting on 43 of his 101 long-range attempts, giving him a 42.6 3-point field goal percentage, which led the team and ranked fourth in the Southland. He led the team in scoring three times this season and scored a season-high 20 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in January. He is the fourth Roadrunner to be named the conference's freshman of the year and the second in the last three seasons.
Marlin Tabbed Coach of the Year for Third Time
Sam Houston State head coach Bob Marlin earned his third coach of the year honor after guiding the Bearkats to their third regular-season conference championship. Now in his 12th season in Huntsville, he also was voted coach of the year in 2000 and 2003 after guiding the Bearkats to regular-season championships, as well. Sam Houston State finished 14-2 in conference play, the most league wins by the program since winning 17 in 2003 when it won the conference tournament championship to qualify for the NCAA tournament. With a 22-7 overall record, Sam Houston State is one of 51 programs in the country to have won at least 20 games in four of the last five seasons. A finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year, Marlin is 222-130 with the Bearkats and has a 16-year career record of 345-165.
Five Repeat Selections on All-Conference Teams
A total of five all-conference players were also recognized last season. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Kevin Palmer and Sam Houston State's Corey Allmond repeat as first-team selections, while first-team selections Marquez Haynes of UT Arlington, and Ashton Mitchell, of Sam Houston State, moved up from the second team. Devin Gibson, a second-team selection from UTSA, moved up from the third team. Additionally, six student-athletes were named honorable mention all-conference after receiving votes from at least 25 percent of the coaches and sports information directors. Sam Houston State led all universities with three all-conference selections. Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi each placed two on the all-conference squads, while eight of the other nine schools had at least one all-league honoree.
A Look at the Seeds...
No. 1 Seed Sam Houston State: The Bearkats claimed their third conference regular-season championship to secure the top seed in the conference tournament. Coach Bob Marlin also guided his teams to regular-season titles in 2000 and 2003. Sam Houston has just one tournament championship, winning the event in 2003 to advance to the NCAA tournament for the only time in school history. The Bearkats are making their eighth consecutive and 13th overall appearance in the conference tournament and are 8-11 (.421) in those games.
No. 2 Seed Stephen F. Austin: The Lumberjacks will try to defend last year's conference tournament title as the No. 2 seed. SFA won the East Division with an 11-4 record and is making its 14th appearance in the tournament. The Lumberjacks have qualified for the tournament for the fifth consecutive season and the eighth time in the last nine years. SFA is 18-21 (.461) in the tournament with three appearances in the tournament final. It won its first tournament title as season ago on this same court.
No. 3 Seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders are making their third appearance in the conference tournament since joining the league in 2006-07, when it won the regular-season and tournament championships. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which is making it second consecutive appearance in Katy, is 4-1 in the tournament. The Islanders won their final two games and three of their last four to earn the top seed after a three-game losing skid nearly doomed them in a close West Division race.
No. 4 Seed Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions finished second in the East Division to advance to the conference tournament for the sixth time in program history. Southeastern enters its seventh consecutive tournament on a three-game win streak and as winners of four of its last five games. The Lions have a 4-5 record in their six previous tournament appearances, but have not won a game in the tournament since going 3-0 to win their lone championship in 2004-05.
No. 5 Seed Texas State: Texas State also enters the tournament on a three-game win streak, thanks to a 101-97 overtime victory over Sam Houston State in the regular-season finale that helped the Bobcats lock up the tournament's fifth seed. Texas State is making its 16th appearance in the tournament and its second consecutive after missing the previous four. The Bobcats, which have twice won the tournament (in 1994 and 1997) and played in one other final, are 9-12 all-time in the event and have won only one tournament game since 2000.
No. 6 Seed UTSA: The Roadrunners reached the championship game of the tournament last season, but lost to Stephen F. Austin. This year, they are making their third consecutive appearance and sixth in the last seven years. UTSA is 14-12 in its previous 14 trips to the Southland tournament and have appeared in the championship game five times with victories in 1999 and 2004.
No. 7 Seed UT Arlington: Like Sam Houston State, UT Arlington is making its eighth consecutive visit to the Southland tournament, which leads the teams in this year's field. The Mavericks won the tournament championship in 2008, which is their only title in 23 tournament appearances. In its Southland record 24 appearances, UTA has reached the championship game three other times. The Mavericks are 13-22 in the tournament.
No. 8 Seed Nicholls: The Colonels reach the conference tournament for the second consecutive season after a seven-year absence. Nicholls, which was the No. 2 seed a year ago, needed two wins in the final week of the regular season to secure back-to-back bids for the first time since making three between 1998 and 2000. Nicholls has won tournament titles both teams it reached the championship game, claiming titles in both 1995 and 1998. The Colonels are 7-7 in nine trips to the tournament and are one of only three teams in the event this season with a .500 record or better. The others are Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA.
UCA's Mitch Rueter Tops 1,000 Career Points in Final Game
Entering the final game of his career, Central Arkansas senior Mitch Rueter needed 22 points to join the 1,000-point club. He scored 25 points in a win at McNeese State last Saturday and finished his career with 1,005 points, becoming the league's eighth player this season with at least as many points.
|
Anatoly Bose, NICH
|
Jr.
|
1,392
|
|
Brandon Long, UTA
|
Sr.
|
1,267
|
|
Patrick Sullivan, SLU
|
Sr.
|
1,239
|
|
Kevin Palmer, AMCC
|
Sr.
|
1,189
|
|
Marquez Haynes, UTA
|
Sr.
|
1,156
|
|
Devin Gibson, UTSA
|
Jr.
|
1,098
|
|
Ashton Mitchell, SHSU
|
Sr.
|
1,045
|
|
Mitch Rueter, UCA
|
Sr.
|
1,005
|
West Had 25-11 Advantage vs. East
The Southland Conference West Division has a 25-11 advantage in games against the East Division this season. Each team plays two games against each team within its own division and plays each team in the other division once for a total of 16 conference games. Next season, Stephen F. Austin and Lamar will switch divisions, reverting back to the original divisions when the conference started divisional play when Central Arkansas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi entered the league in 2006-07.
|
East Division
|
vs. East
|
vs. West
|
|
Central Arkansas
|
2-8
|
1-5
|
|
McNeese St.
|
4-6
|
1-5
|
|
Nicholls
|
4-6
|
3-3
|
|
Northwestern St.
|
4-6
|
1-5
|
|
Southeastern La.
|
8-2
|
2-4
|
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
8-2
|
3-3
|
|
Total
|
30-30
|
11-25
|
| |
|
|
|
West Division
|
vs. East
|
vs. West
|
|
Lamar
|
3-3
|
2-8
|
|
Sam Houston St.
|
6-0
|
8-2
|
|
UT Arlington
|
4-2
|
4-6
|
|
UTSA
|
5-1
|
4-6
|
|
A&M-Corpus Christi
|
4-2
|
6-4
|
|
Texas St.
|
3-3
|
6-4
|
|
Total
|
25-11
|
30-30
|
Stephen F. Austin Wins First Southland Tournament Championship
Matt Kingsley and Stephen F. Austin defeated UTSA, 68-57, in the championship game of the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament at the Merrell Center. With the victory, the Lumberjacks clinched their first berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and became the 15th team in league history to hoist the tournament title trophy.
Leading the Lumberjacks' charge throughout the tournament was Kingsley, a fifth-year senior who finished off his Southland career with a 20-point performance en route to being named the tournament's most valuable player. Also the league's player of the year, Kingsley was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Lumberjacks Josh Alexander and Eddie Williams, UTSA's Devin Gibson and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Kevin Palmer.
The final score was in doubt until the final minutes of the game, but Stephen F. Austin never trailed in the second half, building a lead that was as large as 11 points and never fewer than five. And while the Lumberjacks took control of the game in the opening half, it was three back-door cuts in the waning minutes that resulted in a pair of William's layups and a Walt Harris free throw that pushed them over the hump.
Gibson let his emotions pour out throughout the game as he did his best to keep the sixth-seeded Roadrunners in the fray, but not even his game-high 23 points could keep the Lumberjacks from achieving their destiny of becoming first-time entrants into the Big Dance.
Lumberjacks Succumb to Syracuse in 2009 NCAA Tournament
Syracuse ran out to a 20-4 lead and never let the Stephen F. Austin get anything going in its first appearance in the NCAA tournament. Benson Akpan led Stephen F. Austin with 12 points and Nick Shaw added 10 in the first-round game at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla. The Lumberjacks missed 12 of their first 13 shots, and did not connect from 3-point range until Walt Harris hit from the left wing with 11:25 to play. It was the team's 16th attempt from beyond the arc. Stephen F. Austin, which had led the nation in 3-point field goal defense, lived up to that billing. The Orange were 2-for-16 from long range, plus committed 21 turnovers to the Lumberjacks' six. Syracuse held a 51-32 edge in rebounding and limited Stephen F. Austin to 25 percent shooting.