The Southland Conference Tournament tipped off on Wednesday from the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. Eight teams were in contention for the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, although the two teams at the top got all the attention, and for good reason.
Southland Conference Tournament 2015: Bracket, schedule and scores
Stephen F. Austin beat Sam Houston State for the Southland Conference’s auto-bid.
Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen F. Austin earned the No. 1 seed after blazing through the regular season with a 17-1 conference record. Sam Houston State is the No. 2 seed with a 24-7 overall record but got swept by the Lumberjacks, hurting their chances to get an at-large bid. Either team may have to win the tournament to get their ticket to the Big Dance. SFA scheduled a solid non-conference slate (Northern Iowa, Xavier, Butler) but failed to beat any of those teams. Barring any massive movement in the rest of the bubble picture, it’s unlikely the Southland will produce two tournament teams.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi beat both SFA and Sam Houston State in the regular season, but lost in the semifinal to Sam Houston State.
Stephen F. Austin outlasted Sam Houston State on Saturday to take the conference tournament crown.
The format
The Southland has 13 teams, but this year’s tournament field has been gutted by postseason bans. Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word are ineligible due to transitioning from Division II, while Houston Baptist, Lamar and Central Arkansas are facing APR punishments.
As a result, only eight teams are competing in the tournament, although it doesn’t follow the standard quarterfinal format. The top two seeds get double byes into the semifinals, while Nos. 3 and 4 get a single bye. The bottom four teams play each other in the first round. Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State are both well-protected, getting nearly a full week of rest before their matchups.
The teams
Bracket
The Southland has a complete, downloadable bracket available here.
Schedule and results (all times Eastern)
Wednesday, March 11 (First round)
Game 1: No. 5 McNeese State 62, No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana 60 (OT)
Game 2: No. 7 New Orleans 83, No. 6 Nicholls State 73
Thursday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)
Game 3: No. 4 Northwestern State 96, No. 5 McNeese State 89
Game 4: No. 3 Texas A&M Corpus Christi 61, No. 7 New Orleans 58
Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)
Game 5: No. 1 Stephen F. Austin 91, No. 4 Northwestern State 79
Game 6: No. 2 Sam Houston State 70, No. 3 Texas A&M Corpus Christi 67
Saturday, March 14 (Championship)
No. 1 Stephen F. Austin 81, No. 2 Sam Houston State 67
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