Guarantee games are gone and Southland Conference basketball begins, for some teams, on Thursday. McNeese opens its conference slate Saturday in Natchitoches against Northwestern State.
With it drawing near, here is a brief breakdown of all 13 conference teams and where they stand heading into January. To assign a proper perspective, the RPI rankings of each team’s Division I opponents were averaged, giving insight to the toughness — or lack thereof — of their schedules.
Note: Teams are listed in the order they were voted to finish in the preseason by Southland coaches. Stats, records and RPI rankings used are all as of Dec. 26.
Sam Houston State (7-4)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 179
Best Win: Nov. 25, 69-62 against Idaho
Worst Loss: Nov. 14, 96-75 at Ohio
The Standout: John Dewey III (9.2 ppg, 48% shooter, 65 assists, 22 steals)
The Skinny: The preseason pick in both polls to win the conference, Sam Houston State is balanced and deep — 10 players average 12 or more minutes a game and only one player, Dakari Henderson, averages double figures. Four others average nine or more points a game. What buoys this balance? The Bearkats lead the conference in rebounding, rebounding margin and are second with 16.4 assists per game.
Stephen F. Austin (5-7)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 218
Best Win: Dec. 23, 67-64 against Southern Miss
Worst Loss: Nov. 28, 77-72 against Louisiana-Monroe
The Standout: TJ Holyfield (12.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, team-leading 17 blocks)
The Skinny: On paper, the post-Brad Underwood era is off to a rocky start. New coach Kyle Keller absorbed a brutal non-conference loss at UL-Monroe, ranked No. 302 in the latest NCAA RPI, and will go into Southland play two games under .500. Remember, though, the team opened the season at Kentucky and had a 1-2 trip to Hawaii for the prestigious Diamond Head Classic. SFA averages nearly 20 turnovers a game and only 11 assists — numbers that need to be corrected if the Jacks want another conference title.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-4)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 169
Best Win: Nov. 21, 73-69 at Texas State
Worst Loss: Dec. 3, 80-72 at Cal Poly
The Standout: Rashawn Thomas (17.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 30 assists, 23 blocks)
The Skinny: Take that 7-4 record with a bit of hesitation. Four of the seven victories came against Our Lady of the Lake, Jarvis Christian and UT Rio Grande Valley (twice). The Islanders are a top-heavy team, relying on four players who’ve started all 10 games, play 30 or more minutes per and average 11 or more points. It is the second-best shooting team in the conference at 47 percent, but only McNeese has a worst 3-point shooting percentage. Expect this long, lengthy team to rely on inside buckets and driving lanes.
Northwestern State (5-5)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 216
Best Win: Dec. 3, 79-67 at UTEP
Worst Loss: Nov. 26, 84-60 at Missouri
The Standout: Zeek Woodley (17.6 ppg, 50 percent shooter, eight steals)
The Skinny: Woodley, a preseason First-Team All-SLC pick, suffered a broken wrist Dec. 20 against Rice and is out 6-8 weeks. He’s the only Demon averaging in double figures and has 40 more field goal attempts than any of his teammates, production that will need to be replaced quickly by guards Sabri Thompson and Devonte Hall. Northwestern will need defense, too. It allows 77 points per game and opponents to shoot 48 percent from the field — the second-worst clip in the conference.
Houston Baptist (4-6)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 138
Best Win: Dec. 7, 62-47 against Saint Peter’s
Worst Loss: Dec. 10, 103-61 at Indiana
The Standout: Colter Lasher (15.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 31 assists, 13 steals)
The Skinny: The Huskies beat one Division I opponent in the nonconference but had arduous road trips to Indiana, Marquette and (the Big 10) Northwestern. Houston Baptist can score in bunches, averaging 80.5 points per game, but it allows nearly that much. The Huskies allowed 90 or more points in five of their six losses and are the tenth-worst defensive team in the conference.
Abilene Christian (6-5)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 219
Best Win: Nov. 17, 65-57 at New Hampshire
Worst Loss: Dec. 17, 88-86 at Sacramento State
The Standout: Jaren Lewis (15.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 27 assists, 26 steals)
The Skinny: Abilene is an enigma. It is the best shooting team in the conference at 48 percent and the Southland’s best defensive team, to boot, permitting just 70.2 points per game. The Wildcats problems lie with depth, or the lack thereof. Aside from Jaren Lewis, Jalone Friday (who comes off the bench) and Jaylen Franklin, there is no scoring. Jovan Crnic, a starter, chips in nine points per game. No other Wildcat averages more than five points per game. If any of those four have an off night or run into foul trouble, Abilene will be searching for someone to break out.
Southeastern Louisiana (6-6)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 251
Best Win: Nov. 16, 84-71 against Jackson State
Worst Loss: Nov. 14, 93-76 at Tulane
The Standout: Marlain Veal (13.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.9 assists per game, 22 steals)
The Skinny: The Lions are decimated by injuries, the most significant to Jordan Capps after the first two games of the season. Capps averaged 22 points across those first two games and was one of four starters missing for the team’s next game — an 84-71 win against Jackson State. Capps hasn’t played since and others are slowly getting more acclimated as coach Jay Ladner adapts. Ladner’s team plays unquestioned defense, though, forcing opponents into 15 turnovers a game and allowing only 70.5 points per game.
McNeese State (3-8)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 144
Best Win: Dec. 19, 70-63 at Tulane
Worst Loss: Nov. 15, 85-75 against Louisiana College
The Standout: Jamaya Burr (11.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 assists per game)
The Skinny: Without any semblance of the outside shooting coach Dave Simmons thought he’d have in the preseason, McNeese stumbled early and often in pre-conference play. It shoots a Southland-worst 30 percent from 3-point territory and 40 percent from the field — also the conference’s lowest clip. Stephen Ugochukwu’s return resurrected what was a morbid rebounding effort but the Cowboys must focus on defense to have any chance of taking the next step in conference play. McNeese allows 85.4 points per game and teams shoot 46 percent against it.
New Orleans (5-6)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 146
Best Win: Dec. 3, 70-54 against Washington State
Worst Loss: Dec. 19, 76-66 at Utah State
The Standout: Erik Thomas (20.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 17 steals)
The Skinny: Thomas moved into the starting lineup after the third game of the season, igniting perhaps the conference’s most surprising team. The Privateers got a big road win against Washington State, beat cross-town rival Tulane and played UL-Lafayette to a six-point game. The team shares the basketball well, averaging nearly 17 assists per game while holding opponents to a conference-best 32 percent from the 3-point line.
Incarnate Word (5-6)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 163
Best Win: Dec. 3, 90-79 against LIU-Brooklyn
Worst Loss: Dec. 14, 92-64 at UNLV
The Standout: Shawn Johnson (17.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 20 steals, 11 blocks)
The Skinny: The Cardinals shoot a blistering 40 percent from the 3-point line, the second-best clip in the Southland, but neglect to rebound. Their -6.8 rebound margin is the second-worst in the conference, besting only McNeese’s woeful -12.3 effort. Incarnate Word has rim protectors — it averages 5.4 blocks per game — but needs to corral rebounds if there is any hope of conference success.
Central Arkansas (1-12)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 155
Best Win: Nov. 20, 81-76 vs. Army
Worst Loss: Nov. 29, 89-87 against Little Rock
The Standout: Derreck Brooks (13.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 15 blocks)
The Skinny: Playing 11 of its first 13 games on the road, the Bears’ pre-conference schedule was one to forget and ended with a nine-game losing streak. The Bears played no non-Division I teams, traveling to Wisconsin, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Butler with predictable results. The Bears are last in the conference in both scoring and scoring defense, perhaps a testament to that brutal schedule. Only time will tell if the road trips served their purpose — readying the team for a step down in Southland play.
Lamar (7-5)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 267
Best Win: Nov. 16, 63-60 at Oregon State
Worst Loss: Nov. 29, 77-60 at Idaho State
The Standout: Colton Weisbrod (14.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg)
The Skinny: Lamar is the top-scoring team in the conference and had, perhaps, the Southland’s most signature non-conference win against Oregon State early in the season. The Cardinals allow just 71 points per game and have six players that average 19 or more minutes per game. Tic Price has a feisty, disciplined defensive team, one that averages seven steals per game and has a +5.8 turnover margin — the league’s best. They did, however, play the softest Division I schedule of all 13 Southland teams.
Nicholls (6-6)
Average RPI of Division I opponents: 131
Best Win: Nov. 11, 79-73 at Boston College
Worst Loss: Dec. 1, 101-69 at UL-Lafayette
The Standout: Ja’Dante’ Frye (15.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 19 assists)
The Skinny: First-year coach Richie Riley, all of 33 years old, created the first Southland splash when his Colonels, projected to finish last in the conference, upset Boston College to open the year. He has a veteran team that starts at least three seniors but neglects to defend. The Colonels, who allow teams to shoot 48 percent, are last in the conference in 3-point field goal defense and field goal percentage defense. A caveat, though: by RPI numbers, the Colonels played the toughest Division I schedule of any Southland school.
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