Russell Burnett is the RTC correspondent for the Southland Conference.
Current Standings as of Feb. 12, 2010:
EAST
- Stephen F. Austin 17-6 (7-3)
- SE Louisiana 13-9 (5-4)
- McNeese State 8-15 (3-6)
- Nicholls State 7-16 (3-7)
- Northwestern State 7-15(2-7)
- Central Arkansas 8-16 (2-8)
WEST
- Sam Houston State 17-5 (9-0)
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 13-10 (7-2)
- Texas-Arlington 13-9 (5-4)
- Lamar 13-11 (5-4)
- Texas State 11-13 (5-5)
- UT-San Antonio 13-9 (3-6)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UT-Arlington senior Marquez Haynes has been named the Southland Conference men’s basketball player of the week for the fourth time this season after averaging 26 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in wins over A&M-Corpus Christi and Northwestern State.
TEAM UPDATES
EAST
SFA – The Lumberjacks were seemingly on cruise control in the SLC East until it hit a bump in the road with a 49-46 loss to Lamar. SFA faces two Louisiana schools in McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana.
SELA – Despite playing without their second- (Damon Forest) and fifth- (Gary Dixon) leading scorers, the Lions have managed to stay in second place in the SLC East. The two players have been suspended indefinitely since Jan. 28. SELA faces Nicholls State and UTA this week.
MCNEESE STATE – Struggling with several other teams to make the SLC tourney, the Cowboys lost both games last week to UTA and Texas State. McNeese has a tough road game against SFA, then it hosts NW State.
NICHOLLS STATE – Was crushed 71-46 by A&M-CC, then fell to SHSU 75-69 on Feb. 10 for their fourth straight SLC loss. The Colonels will attempt to right the ship with a road game against SELA and a home date with Texas State.
NORTHWESTERN STATE – Three straight SLC losses places the Demons at the bottom of the food chain in the conference. NW State lost a heartbreaker to UTA on a last-second shot, then fell to SFA by 10. The Demons could get back into the thick of the East Divison with games against Central Arkansas and McNeese State this week.
UCA – Snapped a five-game conference losing streak with a 72-64 victory over UTSA. Also played undefeated SHSU close in a 75-70 loss. The Bears try to draw even with Northwestern State, then host Texas-Arlington on Feb. 20.
WEST
SHSU – Sam Houston State remained undefeated in Southland Conference play with a 75-69 win at Nicholls on Wednesday night. The Bearkats climbed to No. 76 in the RPI and are ranked No. 23 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Another big week awaits the Kats as they face second-place A&M-CC and rival Lamar this week.
A&M-CC – Got back on the winning track after suffering two straight setbacks. The Islanders defeated Nicholls State (71-46) and Texas State (63-60) last week. A&M-Corpus Christi can inch a step closer to first-place SHSU as the two teams face off Saturday.
UTA – Started the SLC slate by losing four of its first five games, but has responded by reeling off four straight wins. The Mavericks face two tough tests as they hit the road to play UTSA, then host Southeastern Louisiana.
LAMAR – Three straight wins (UTSA, UCA, SFA) vaulted the Cardinals back into the mix for a Southland Conference tourney berth after starting league play 2-4. Lamar is at pesky Texas State, then hosts Sam Houston State this week.
TEXAS STATE – Has surprised a few prognosticators with its 5-5 mark in SLC play. The Bobcats split this week, beating McNeese State and falling by three to A&M-Corpus. This week will be interesting as TSU hosts Lamar, who is one game up on them in the standings, and travels to Nicholls State.
UTSA – The Roadrunners broke a five-game conference losing streak by besting SELA on Feb. 6, but the euphoria was short-lived as they fell to cellar-dweller Central Arkansas four nights later. Two tough games await in UTA and A&M-CC.
BOXSCORE BREAKDOWN
Lately, SELA center Patrick Sullivan is setting season-highs left and right. The 6’9 center made and attempted (9 of 16) season-highs in free throws on Feb. 3, then set a season-high with eight blocks in the same game against Texas State.
Nicholls State’s Anatoly Bose cooled down considerably this week. The 6’6 Australian averaged 32.7 PPG in his last four games before scoring 11 and 19 points in two games this week.
Marquez Haynes made the game-winning shot with 4.3 seconds remaining to lift the UTA Mavericks to an 81-80 victory over Northwestern State, and finished with 32 points.
This is the third time in the past four seasons SHSU has had at least a 6-0 start to league play, but haven’t won a league title since 2003, when it started 9-0.
Central Arkansas’ Mitch Reuter has been on a scoring binge. The 6’6 senior had a season-high 31 points in a loss to SHSU and is averaging 20.2 PPG in the last five contests.
Kevin Palmer’s streak of scoring in double figures came to an end in A&M-CC’s lopsided victory over Nicholls State. Palmer scored six points to snap a streak of 21 games with double-digit points.
Texas State junior forward Cameron Johnson continued his scoring onslaught with 29 and 21 points, respectively, last week. Johnson has increased his scoring average to 14 PPG.
In UTA’s win over Northwestern State, the two teams combined to shoot 77 free throws. The Demons made 27 of 45 and the Mavs converted 24 of 32.
Justin Nabors (12 points) scored nearly 25% of his teams points in a low-scoring 49-46 victory over Stephen F. Austin. The Cardinals didn’t have another player in double figures. Nabors had 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points and has recorded a double-double in three straight games.
After scoring in double figures in only four of the first 19 games, UTSA center Demarco Stepter has hit for at least 10 points in three straight games with 11, 15 and 14 points.
Walt Harris (18) and Jereal Scott (14) were the only SFA players to score more than four points in a 49-46 loss to Lamar on Feb. 6.
Northwestern State shot better from the field, free-throw line and beyond the arc, but was outrebounded by 20 caroms in a loss to SFA on Feb. 10.