SFA (9-2, 5-0) vs. Abilene Christian (12-3, 4-1)

WHEN: JAN 27 (WED) 7:30P.M.
WHERE: Teague Center (Abilene, TX)
WATCH: ESPN+

Well here we are at the halfway point of the season. The Jacks have missed out on the exciting nonconference slate due to COVID. They got blown away at a last minute game to Baylor. They laid a big egg at ULM - their only originally scheduled road game of 2020 to make. They have started out decent against the weakest teams in the Southland, but SFA has moved up the postseason ban to this year. There's not really much to play for.

Think again.

This Lumberjacks team is not cruising out this season. They are white hot, and they are here to win. This week is domination week. The three strongest teams in the Southland are going to face off with SFA taking on ACU tomorrow in Abilene and then back home for a nationally televised game against Sam on Sunday. With two wins, SFA will take control of the regular season, and control is not something that comes lightly this year. Our seniors aren't thinking about the what ifs and the why nots, they are thinking about one thing. Winning.

Abilene Christian is the most complete team in the Southland. They don't have the star player in Ricks anymore, but they have something better - a star team. They are about as balanced as it comes from there defensive minded guards to their dominant bigs. They steal (4th in the nation), they pass (25th in assists), and they don't let opponents score (3rd in the nation - 57.8 ppg). Teams are scoring less than 20 buckets a game against the Wildcats. Their man-to-man defense is tenacious and stifling. It's a lot like the Lumberjacks'.

Guards Damien Daniels (Jr., 5' 7") and Reggie Miller (Sr., 6') lead the defensive pressure and the offensive distribution. They choke up team from the half court line and don't let up. Beast of a man Kolton Kohl (Sr., 7' 0", C) clogs up the lane with size and presence. He's also now the number one scorer on the team during a short absence by guard Coryon Mason (Sr., 6') who averages over 10 ppg. It's unclear if Mason will return to the lineup Wednesday. But, in many ways, this is Joe Pleasant's (Jr., 6' 8", F) team. He is the energetic spark that can help enliven the team with physicality. There is no one way to stop this team, but bet on Keller trying to minimize Pleasant's impact on the game.

SFA has been firing on all cylinders in 2021. Since the turn of the new year, they haven't let a team stay within 10 points of them. Their offense has been one of the most efficient in the nation during that time. What happens when an irresistible force encounters an immovable object? Something gives. Either the Jacks are going to maintain their distributed scoring or they are not coming home with a win. Our senior guards have been playing like they are kings of the game lately. They want to prove that they are not the weak links of the team. Wednesday night will give them the chance to prove it.

Wildcat fans think that their frontcourt can stand up to our frontcourt. They may be right, but if ACU has a weakness, it's keeping their bigs out of foul trouble. Expect the two teams game plans to be similar - pound the ball inside and force the forwards into difficulty. SFA's four man rotation of Kensmil, Solomon, Daniels, and Nana are going to be put to the test by ACU's four: Kohl, Pleasant, Gayman, and Simmons. It's going to get nasty. Some players aren't going to make it 40 minutes, but they are going to leave it all out there.

Both teams know one thing: this game is for all the marbles. ACU's loss to Sam has made another loss unaffordable. SFA understands that ACU is probably representing the Southland in the NCAA's. To beat them on their court is our tournament. Hooten and company are just fool's gold like every year - all shiny until it's time to get paid. ACU has done it right with their lineup. Now it's time to see if SFA is really the class of the Southland. I think they are.

Axe 'em!

Game day!

Looked over the ACU stats. They defend the three VERY well. D1 opponents are shooting just 24.9% from beyond the arc. Against Texas Tech, they held the Red Raiders to 27.3% shooting overall, but the Raiders were helped by 27-35 from the free throw line. Same with the Sam Houston game, they held Sam under 40% shooting overall, but Sam was able to score from the line to win the game. ACU commits about 22 fouls per D1 game.
Bottom line, we need to attack the rim. This could be a very good game for Cam.
ACU turns over D1 opponents to the tune of 21 per game with 10 steals. We cannot have a repeat performance of the Baylor game, we need ball security.
ACU does not shoot well from the line, just 63% as a team. They are a below average 3Pt% team at just a hair over 31%. Clay Gayman is the man from the arc (43%) for the Wildcats, while their next best shooter (Logan McLaughlin) only gets about 11 minutes a game but shoots 37%. The rest are below 32%. We need to pay attention of who has the ball outside the arc and hope some bad shooter doesn't get hot. The team averages 7-22 from three per game.
Attack the rim and they will foul. Don't let Gayman or McLaughlin beat you from deep, defend the paint and protect the ball on offense.

Posey is traveling!

Where is last game's free throws?

Probably should give Brown a few mins. Gavin will pick up 3rd.