Season in Review
Ranking fourth to last in KenPom's conference rankings, the Southland has very little to offer, especially after you consider what happened to Stephen F Austin. In one of the most shocking seasons in the nation, the Lumberjacks, a perennial power in the conference who have made four of the last five tournaments, struggled to a 7-11 conference record including losing their last four, and missed out on the conference tournament. Stepping up in their absence was Sam Houston State, and the Bearkats rolled through the conference, going 16-2 and winning the league by two games.
Bracket
Sleeper Team
Southeastern Louisiana (16-15, 12-6)
The Lions are in this section for two reasons: Moses Greenwood and Marlain Veal. With two of the top players in the conference, they have a shot to make a deep run. Starting with Greenwood, the big man is third in the conference in both points, field goal percentage, and rebounds, and seventh in blocks. I'll talk about him in a minute, but his running mate, Veal, is just as good. The 5'9" point guard is seventh in points per game, and fifth in both assists and steals, and is the perfect compliment to Greenwood. He can stretch the floor with his shooting and is a willing passer, so the Lions have a shot to make a deep run.
Players to Watch
Cameron Delaney
Stats: 13.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.1/43.6/81.8
One of the two Delaney's on the Bearkats, Cameron is the leading scorer on the best team in the conference. He plays on the wing, with his brother Josh at the point and Kai Mitchell anchoring the paint, but he is the guy who will go out and get a bucket for the team. In a recent game against Houston Baptist, he put up 25/7/6, and if he can approach those types of numbers during the Southland Tournament, he will lead Sam Houston State to the championship.
Moses Greenwood
Stats: 17.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 60.3/36.8/70.9
Good luck stopping Greenwood from getting a bucket whenever he wants. Shooting at one of the highest percentages in the conference from the field, the Southeastern Louisiana big man has been giving opposing coaches headaches all season, and he might be playing his basketball of the year right now. Just two games ago, he had a career high 33 points, and over his last games, Greenwood is averaging 22.2 points and 8.6 rebounds, so he is poised to put up some big numbers in Katy.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Shannon Bogues, Stephen F Austin
G: Ian DuBose, Houston Baptist
G: Cameron Delaney, Sam Houston State
F: Moses Greenwood, Southeastern Louisiana
F: Kai Mitchell, Sam Houston State
My Pick: Sam Houston State over Southeastern Louisiana
You just can't pick against the Bearkats, after the way they dominated the conference this season. Their high powered offense should be more than enough to win the tournament, and given that they swept both Abilene Christian and Southeastern Louisiana this season, I don't think they have any trouble getting the auto bid.
Ranking fourth to last in KenPom's conference rankings, the Southland has very little to offer, especially after you consider what happened to Stephen F Austin. In one of the most shocking seasons in the nation, the Lumberjacks, a perennial power in the conference who have made four of the last five tournaments, struggled to a 7-11 conference record including losing their last four, and missed out on the conference tournament. Stepping up in their absence was Sam Houston State, and the Bearkats rolled through the conference, going 16-2 and winning the league by two games.
Bracket
Contenders
Sam Houston State (21-10, 16-2)
The Bearkats have quietly been one of the more consistent mid-major programs under coach Jason Hooten, winning double digit conference games every year since 2014, and 20+ games every year but one in that span. However, that has coincided with Stephen F Austin's dominance of the conference, and especially the conference tournament, so they haven't made an NCAA Tournament in that span. It looks like this might me their year though, as they used their high powered offense to dominate the conference. They have the highest adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference, and during conference play, they've kicked their game into higher gear. They are shooting 39.7% from deep and assisting on 63.6% of their baskets during Southland play. With four seniors in the starting lineup including the Delaney brothers, as well as JuCon transfer Kai Mitchell, they have the experience and talent necessary to win the tournament.
The Bearkats have quietly been one of the more consistent mid-major programs under coach Jason Hooten, winning double digit conference games every year since 2014, and 20+ games every year but one in that span. However, that has coincided with Stephen F Austin's dominance of the conference, and especially the conference tournament, so they haven't made an NCAA Tournament in that span. It looks like this might me their year though, as they used their high powered offense to dominate the conference. They have the highest adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference, and during conference play, they've kicked their game into higher gear. They are shooting 39.7% from deep and assisting on 63.6% of their baskets during Southland play. With four seniors in the starting lineup including the Delaney brothers, as well as JuCon transfer Kai Mitchell, they have the experience and talent necessary to win the tournament.
Abilene Christian (25-6, 14-4)
The Wildcats are sort of the opposite of Sam Houston State, using their defense to win games. They highest the highest defensive efficiency in the Southland, and they do a great job of limiting teams from the arc. Teams are only shooting 32% from three against them, and they will run teams off the line, with their opponents only shooting 32.3% off their shots from deep. They are much better shooting the ball themselves, making 38.6% of their threes on the year. They had two players kicked off the team late in the year, but didn't miss a beat without them, winning their last four games of the season.
The Wildcats are sort of the opposite of Sam Houston State, using their defense to win games. They highest the highest defensive efficiency in the Southland, and they do a great job of limiting teams from the arc. Teams are only shooting 32% from three against them, and they will run teams off the line, with their opponents only shooting 32.3% off their shots from deep. They are much better shooting the ball themselves, making 38.6% of their threes on the year. They had two players kicked off the team late in the year, but didn't miss a beat without them, winning their last four games of the season.
Southeastern Louisiana (16-15, 12-6)
The Lions are in this section for two reasons: Moses Greenwood and Marlain Veal. With two of the top players in the conference, they have a shot to make a deep run. Starting with Greenwood, the big man is third in the conference in both points, field goal percentage, and rebounds, and seventh in blocks. I'll talk about him in a minute, but his running mate, Veal, is just as good. The 5'9" point guard is seventh in points per game, and fifth in both assists and steals, and is the perfect compliment to Greenwood. He can stretch the floor with his shooting and is a willing passer, so the Lions have a shot to make a deep run.
Players to Watch
Cameron Delaney
Stats: 13.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.1/43.6/81.8
One of the two Delaney's on the Bearkats, Cameron is the leading scorer on the best team in the conference. He plays on the wing, with his brother Josh at the point and Kai Mitchell anchoring the paint, but he is the guy who will go out and get a bucket for the team. In a recent game against Houston Baptist, he put up 25/7/6, and if he can approach those types of numbers during the Southland Tournament, he will lead Sam Houston State to the championship.
Moses Greenwood
Stats: 17.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 60.3/36.8/70.9
Good luck stopping Greenwood from getting a bucket whenever he wants. Shooting at one of the highest percentages in the conference from the field, the Southeastern Louisiana big man has been giving opposing coaches headaches all season, and he might be playing his basketball of the year right now. Just two games ago, he had a career high 33 points, and over his last games, Greenwood is averaging 22.2 points and 8.6 rebounds, so he is poised to put up some big numbers in Katy.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Shannon Bogues, Stephen F Austin
G: Ian DuBose, Houston Baptist
G: Cameron Delaney, Sam Houston State
F: Moses Greenwood, Southeastern Louisiana
F: Kai Mitchell, Sam Houston State
My Pick: Sam Houston State over Southeastern Louisiana
You just can't pick against the Bearkats, after the way they dominated the conference this season. Their high powered offense should be more than enough to win the tournament, and given that they swept both Abilene Christian and Southeastern Louisiana this season, I don't think they have any trouble getting the auto bid.
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