SFA (9-2, 1-0) vs. McNeese (5-6, 0-0)
WHEN: DEC 21 (SAT) 3:00 P.M.
WHERE: H&HP Complex (Lake Charles, LA)
WATCH: McNeese Sports
The Southland Conference schedule started out with a splash for SFA stats. The Jacks massacred the winless Houston Baptist Huskies with a complete team performance. A roll through a team that had been giving up 100 points a game was the ease-in to the 20 game SLC season that anyone would enjoy at the beginning of Christmas break. This Saturday's matinee however should be a slight step up in competition.
After committing the resources to build a beautiful new arena and recruit some top JUCO talent, no one is saying that the McNeese program has completely turned around, but they are definitely trending in a better direction. With 11 players on their roster from other colleges, they have an edge up in the experience bracket over most Southland squads. However, their 5-6 record does leave some concern for where exactly this team is. They have one D1 win this season against WAC bottom-dweller Kansas City. Every other team has put them away except Texas which just sneaked by at the end. It could be an unpredictable afternoon in Louisiana.
McNeese is statistically a great shooting team. They score on more than half of their attempts, and they are the second best 3-point shooting team in the country by percentage. Almost all of this is due to Dru Kuxhausen (6'0" Jr. G) who by some measures is the best outside shooter in the country this season. He hit a school record 10 treys in his last outing. A.J Lawson (6'5" Jr. G) is the offensive heart of the team in combination with Sha'Markus Kennedy (6'8" Sr. F) who is the first inside double threat that SFA may have seen this year. He is the team's leading scorer and recently put down 10 blocks in a triple-double outing against KC. The Cowboys turn it over a lot, aren't strong on defense, and don't play well against speed. But, they score, and they can score from multiple positions.
SFA should have a good afternoon running whatever offense that they want as well as using their harassing defense to stop McNeese. Keeping Kuxhausen in check from distance will be priority one, but controlling the boards is where this game will be won. It will be interesting to see if we get more looks at the Kensmil/Daniels combo. If we can keep our bigs on the court, this one should go to the good guys without too much excitement. If we let the Cowboys see a wide open bucket, then it could be a rough ride.
Axe 'em!
WHEN: DEC 21 (SAT) 3:00 P.M.
WHERE: H&HP Complex (Lake Charles, LA)
WATCH: McNeese Sports
The Southland Conference schedule started out with a splash for SFA stats. The Jacks massacred the winless Houston Baptist Huskies with a complete team performance. A roll through a team that had been giving up 100 points a game was the ease-in to the 20 game SLC season that anyone would enjoy at the beginning of Christmas break. This Saturday's matinee however should be a slight step up in competition.
After committing the resources to build a beautiful new arena and recruit some top JUCO talent, no one is saying that the McNeese program has completely turned around, but they are definitely trending in a better direction. With 11 players on their roster from other colleges, they have an edge up in the experience bracket over most Southland squads. However, their 5-6 record does leave some concern for where exactly this team is. They have one D1 win this season against WAC bottom-dweller Kansas City. Every other team has put them away except Texas which just sneaked by at the end. It could be an unpredictable afternoon in Louisiana.
McNeese is statistically a great shooting team. They score on more than half of their attempts, and they are the second best 3-point shooting team in the country by percentage. Almost all of this is due to Dru Kuxhausen (6'0" Jr. G) who by some measures is the best outside shooter in the country this season. He hit a school record 10 treys in his last outing. A.J Lawson (6'5" Jr. G) is the offensive heart of the team in combination with Sha'Markus Kennedy (6'8" Sr. F) who is the first inside double threat that SFA may have seen this year. He is the team's leading scorer and recently put down 10 blocks in a triple-double outing against KC. The Cowboys turn it over a lot, aren't strong on defense, and don't play well against speed. But, they score, and they can score from multiple positions.
SFA should have a good afternoon running whatever offense that they want as well as using their harassing defense to stop McNeese. Keeping Kuxhausen in check from distance will be priority one, but controlling the boards is where this game will be won. It will be interesting to see if we get more looks at the Kensmil/Daniels combo. If we can keep our bigs on the court, this one should go to the good guys without too much excitement. If we let the Cowboys see a wide open bucket, then it could be a rough ride.
Axe 'em!
Ryan
Kinnaird Guitars
Kinnaird Guitars