What We Learned: SFA picks up signature win at LSU

They say a one-possession college basketball game is a roll of the dice. Either team could win. Fortune, fate, luck - whatever you want to call it - rules all in the final seconds of a contest that could go any direction.

But at some point, when the same team always seems to come out on the plus end of those battles, maybe there's a little more to it.

Having the ball in a tied or trailing scenario with the shot clock off is starting to become familiar territory for Stephen F. Austin. In three of their last four contests, that's what it has all come down to.

In every case, with a different hero each time, Kyle Keller's squad has risen to the occasion. First, Aaron Augustin against Louisiana-Monroe, then Kevon Harris on the road at Louisiana Tech. Now, maybe most impressive of all, with Harris injured, TJ Holyfield and Leon Gilmore both fouled out, Ivan Canete and Augustin linked up to get it done at LSU.

Yes, LSU still could have won. We've all seen the layup that wasn't. Luck was on the side of the team from Nacogdoches in the game's final play.

But when luck is always on your side, you're doing something right. In the case of SFA, it means a 10-1 record with a road contest at Missouri looming. As we await that Tuesday tip, let's see what we learned on Saturday:

SFA is good because SFA is deep -

There are role players for the Lumberjacks who could certainly be featured players on a lot of other teams. The selflesness and sheer desire to win is why they call Nacogdoches home. It has created a great problem for Keller and his staff.

"They play so many different guys," LSU head coach Will Wade commented after the game. "They bring one of their best players off the bench. I wish we had that luxury."

In no game has that been a bigger factor than this one, where three starters were all lost in the deciding moments of a one-possession game.

Shortly after the game ended, I texted Keller. "Incredible effort to pull that off so short-handed," I said. His response: "We have twelve. They all say SFA on their shirts."

Indeed.

The ball movement on Saturday was generally phenomenal -

After the "Kyle Keller Coaches Show" this past Tuesday evening, I spent a few minutes talking about the upcoming matchup at LSU with the leader of SFA men's basketball. Our conversation shifted to college basketball in general, and before long, with CC's Smokehouse closing, we found ourselves conversing in the parking lot. Keller, sitting in his car, took a phone call from Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm just as we parted ways.

"We have Northern Iowa this weekend. We need this one," I heard the former Murray State coach explain to SFA's. "I got some stuff for you," Keller replied with a chuckle.

As frustrating as the Lumberjacks' offense has been to watch at times, it is clear that Keller's peers widely respect his basketball mind. We're starting to see why, just a little bit, as his players become more comfortable running in the offensive system.

On a day where defense generated very little freebie points on the offensive side, operating almost exclusively out a half court, SFA looked like a bona fide offensive basketball team (except those first five minutes of the second half, but we'll leave that for next time).

By the way, it's no coincidence that the offense is starting to click right as Ty Charles makes his return:

Try to tell me that's not one of the most beautiful offensive possessions on record.

SFA didn't win the turnover battle, was outscored in points off of them, and still won -

That is perhaps the most encouraging part of this entire game. We know how SFA wins basketball games - they disrupt, they force turnovers, get cheap baskets off them, and teams start to melt down by the end of 40 minutes.

Not LSU. Credit their game plan and outstanding freshman point guard for keeping control of their offensive flow. LSU did not play poorly on that end of the court. Aaron Augustin, who has given some very talented guards absolute fits this year on defense, wasn't quite as effective as he's been in the face of Tremont Waters.

And SFA still found a way to win. Sure, LSU made blunders. So did the Lumberjacks. There were plenty of missed opportunities (and missed layups) on both ends of the court.

But if SFA can be taken out of their game and still find ways to get it done on the road, that's the sign of a very good and well-rounded program.

An Ivan Canete appreciation moment -

Some fans really dogged on Canete after the first few games, partly justifiably, after his slow start this season. SFA's three-point shooting game was non-existent and everyone looked to and expected Canete to be the solution there. When he wasn't, plenty were disappointed.

I think it is safe to say that the senior guard is officially out of his funk. His shooting was not only on point all night (as it's been for a few games now if people have paid attention), but he consistently made the little plays.

Yes, he made the game winning shot, scored a season high 20 points, pulled down the clinching rebound and made an absolutely swagalicious three-pointer in the final minute.

Together with Charles, though, it was his leadership that might have been the biggest factor in SFA's win. "Belief," as Keller said, was what powered the Lumberjacks to a win without three of their best players on the floor. Most teams, gassed from a spirited game of running up and down the floor, in a tough road environment and in front of ten thousand hostile fans, fold in that moment.

Canete has the intangibles that keep a team focused in those moments. Appreciate him while he's here, Lumberjacks.

The biggest difference between LSU and Mississippi State games -

Both had similarly rough offensive starts in the second half. Both could easily have gone either way. There has been a key area of growth this season and it was the reason the Lumberjacks managed to knock off the Tigers: THEY TOOK CHARGES.

For whatever reason, the Lumberjacks could not buy a charge in the opening games. That's a huge problem in Keller's style of isolation defense that denies passes and forces teams to dribble and drive. When Mississippi State figured out that they could drive without help on the inside, that's when the tides turned in Starkville.

Since then, there's been tremendous growth in that area. Particularly in the second half, SFA frustrated Skylar Mays who dominated in the lane in the first frame.

It was this, basically on repeat, that won the game for the purple-and-white:

One more thing before we go -