Cinderella is filthy, has a beard
Stephen F. Austin, SFA, or SF Austin, they don’t give a damn - just call them winners. They’ve been overlooked, underseeded, and ignored all season.
The big schools were too scared to schedule them. They were given little chance against a “bigger, tougher” West Virginia Mountaineers squad.
Yet here they are: Round of 32.
Being overlooked and underrated isn’t new to these players or coaches. In fact, it's a bond they share and a source of confidence - a constant drive to simply outwork the opposition.
Thomas Walkup, team leader, first round star, and Twitter sensation, came out of high school mostly unwanted. He had two offers - from SFA and Houston Baptist. Five of the other players on this roster worked through two years of junior college before ever getting a break at the Division I level.
Even their head coach, Brad Underwood, worked for 20 years between assistant positions and head jobs at the JUCO level before finally getting his shot with the Lumberjacks. Everything that these men have accomplished was earned the hard way.
That's how they play like they do. That's why they play like they do. Their gritty, in your face, out-hustle, out-work game is more than a style of basketball - for most, its been their way of life.
"We don't have many home games because nobody plays us at home," Underwood said shortly after their dismantling of the #3-seeded Mountaineers. "So once we get outside of our league, nobody knows about us, and we're trying to change that."
Its no secret that SFA's non-conference schedule was a mess. Forced to stack their home games against non-DI opponents, they struggled to put together a resume that anyone would take seriously. They played multiple days of back-to-back games in early season tournaments, attempting to fill out a complete schedule.
But even going 18-0 in the Southland Conference wasn't enough to earn a ticket to Brooklyn and after rolling through their conference tournament, the Jacks were rewarded with a #14 seed.
One of my colleagues asked Underwood if there was any disappointment shortly after the seeding was announced. "I'm excited," he replied. "We expected this."
America, Notre Dame, NCAA selection committee, or whoever you might be: the time has come to stop overlooking Stephen F. Austin. They are a bona fide mid-major power and while many might be shocked at their demolition of West Virginia, you best believe the Lumberjacks were far from surprised. "We want the Sweet 16," Walkup said this past Sunday. Well, here are a few things you should before this team gets that chance exactly one week later:
1. CHOPPING DOWN OBSTACLES
The biggest story of the first-round game was a masterful performance by SFA against “Press Virginia." The Jacks beat the Mountaineers at their own game by forcing turnovers and breaking down the full-court press as if it didn't exist. Walkup proved that he is one of the best players in the country by outshining potential draft prospect Devin Williams on his way to dropping 33 points and 9 rebounds against the much larger opponents.
Next up for the Lumberjacks is a date with Notre Dame - a team that Underwood attempted to play this season:
Mike Brey says he knows SFA's Brad Underwood - "we're both UA guys" - & Brad's tried to get him to schedule them. "No way. Now we have to."
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 19, 2016
This is the Jacks' second time in in the Round of 32 and a win would earn the Lumberjacks their first ever trip to the Sweet 16. It's a feat that has only been accomplished by one other current Southland team, Lamar in 1980.
2. THE BAD MAN
Brad Underwood, known as “The Bad Man” amongst Southland foes, is now 88-13 as a head coach. It matches the best three year start to a career in NCAA Division I history, joining fellow Brad and now-Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
Underwood has lost just one conference game in three seasons and has never missed the NCAA tournament during his tenure. Both his offense and defense have been top 3 in the Southland every season since he started. Most importantly, he has gathered some of the best talent around coaching a team who's awards include two player of the year awards, five total All-Southland honors and four All-Defensive honors. Underwood's name may be the hottest in coaching right now but he still has unfinished business with the Jacks.
3. PURPLE REIGN
The town of Nacogdoches may be known as the oldest town in Texas, for now. But a few more wins in this tournament and the new main attraction (if it isn't already) is going to be at William R. Johnson Coliseum. The town oozes SFA-pride from the purple road signs to the free chicken given away by Raising Cane's after every win.
The fans are some of the best in Texas and traveled like those of a big-time program to Brooklyn for Friday evening's festivities. From the thousands of SFA-faithful, the Buzzsaw Band, the championship dance teams, and everything else about game-day in Nac, there is an environment that has certainly helped SFA win all but one home game during the Underwood era. This college town lives for Jack’s basketball - and it shows.
The work ethic, filthy play, and ruthless attitude of the oft-overlooked Lumberjacks, are not, after all, hard to fall in love with.