Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Record: 27-5 (18-0 Southland)
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (3rd season)
Season Recap: The Lumberjacks are making their third straight NCAA tournament appearance after rolling through their conference for the third consecutive year, wreaking havoc on the defensive end and using a fast-paced style of play. Stephen F. Austin forces the most turnovers in the nation at 18.6 giveaways per game, pressing aggressively and taking advantage of opponents’ miscues to score more than 80 points per game. Senior forward Thomas Walkup won his second straight Southland Conference Player of the Year award and leads the Lumberjacks with 17.5 points per contest, and classmates Demetrious Floyd and Clide Geffrard each average more than 13 points per game.
How they make a run: Fans of up-tempo, high-scoring basketball will not want to miss Stephen F. Austin’s tournament opener Friday against West Virginia—which forces the second most turnovers in the country. The Lumberjacks are the first team to 100 points in a chaotic game and get enough steals and transition points to pull off another NCAA tournament upset after taking down VCU two years ago.
How they falter: Stephen F. Austin’s lack of size catches up to it against a major conference team and its offense goes cold from the outside, sending the Lumberjacks to an early exit.
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