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Stephen F. Austin Basketball
Gameday Predictions: Stephen F. Austin at Rice
The Lumberjacks are in Houston, Texas tonight to take on the Owls of Rice. It's only about a 2-hour drive from Nacogdoches and practically in your back yard if you're from the Space City. If you cannot make it to Tudor Fieldhouse, you can watch on C-USA.tv for a fee.
It's a big game for both teams and nobody knows exactly what's going to happen. In this latest edition of Gameday Predictions, our writers make their best guess.
Have a prediction to add? Join the discussion at the bottom of this page.
Isaac Niedrauer: If there's one thing we know about Rice it is that they can flat out score. The Owls are looking for a 7th-straight game scoring over 80 points when they play SFA later tonight.
The size that haunted the Jacks on Wednesday does not exist on a team in Rice that gets most of its scoring from a pair of guards, Marcus Evans and Egor Koulechov. It will be a very different defensive task than the UAB game where SFA's man defense was exposed at times. It isn't going to be easy but the ability of Kyle Keller's team to force shots from players not named Evans or Koulechov will go a long ways toward determining the outcome of this game.
The Lumberjacks lack the back court experience of Rice (save Dallas Cameron) but they should be a better team on the interior tonight. Expect a healthy dose of TJ Holyfield and Leon Gilmore, a much needed victory for SFA, and the first time since mid-November that Rice fails to reach 80.
Final Score: 82-75 SFA
Jake Rhodes: To make my pick, a quick glance at Rice’s schedule was all I needed to see.
A 13-point win over Houston Baptist and an 8-point win over Incarnate Word. Two Southland foes that I expect SFA to beat this season. UIW is definitely the superior opponent of the two, a contender for the Southland title, and a team that has outplayed SFA to this point of the season.
The Jacks' game against UAB showed a lot of improvement and maturity, giving me some hope heading into the hardest part of the schedule. However, Rice is the better team right now - and they have that guy named Marcus Evans. It will be interesting to see how Keller deals with this tough defensive matchup one game after giving up an embarrassing 72% from the floor on Wednesday. I haven't seen enough consistency from the Jacks yet to pick them on the road against a high powered offense. Give me the Owls in a shootout.
Final Score: 73-82 Rice
Cole Albritton: On Wednesday, I said the Jacks would take a step forward offensively and they did - just not a big enough step to over come UAB's lights out shooting. The inconsistent scoring out of Lumberjack guards is what makes SFA so unpredictable.
However, we seem to have found a solid core in the mostly consistent play (lately) of Dallas Cameron, Kevon Harris, Leon Gilmore, and TJ Holyfield (whenever he stays out of foul trouble that is). I expect these four to find a home in Keller's starting lineup, and with a Ty Charles return on the horizon, this team could finally be on the cusp of breaking out.
But as far as tonight's game goes, I expect to see some similarities to the UAB game. On paper, the Owls are a better team so far and after dropping a close one to a very good Texas Tech team, they will be looking to get back on track. The Owls have legitimate scoring threats in Marcus Evans (23 points per game) and Egor Koulecor (19 points per game) and sloppy defense by SFA will allow this Owls team to pick the Lumberjacks apart. Semi-close game in the end but the Jacks fall again.
Final Score: 75-85 Rice
It's a big game for both teams and nobody knows exactly what's going to happen. In this latest edition of Gameday Predictions, our writers make their best guess.
Have a prediction to add? Join the discussion at the bottom of this page.
Isaac Niedrauer: If there's one thing we know about Rice it is that they can flat out score. The Owls are looking for a 7th-straight game scoring over 80 points when they play SFA later tonight.
The size that haunted the Jacks on Wednesday does not exist on a team in Rice that gets most of its scoring from a pair of guards, Marcus Evans and Egor Koulechov. It will be a very different defensive task than the UAB game where SFA's man defense was exposed at times. It isn't going to be easy but the ability of Kyle Keller's team to force shots from players not named Evans or Koulechov will go a long ways toward determining the outcome of this game.
The Lumberjacks lack the back court experience of Rice (save Dallas Cameron) but they should be a better team on the interior tonight. Expect a healthy dose of TJ Holyfield and Leon Gilmore, a much needed victory for SFA, and the first time since mid-November that Rice fails to reach 80.
Final Score: 82-75 SFA
Jake Rhodes: To make my pick, a quick glance at Rice’s schedule was all I needed to see.
A 13-point win over Houston Baptist and an 8-point win over Incarnate Word. Two Southland foes that I expect SFA to beat this season. UIW is definitely the superior opponent of the two, a contender for the Southland title, and a team that has outplayed SFA to this point of the season.
The Jacks' game against UAB showed a lot of improvement and maturity, giving me some hope heading into the hardest part of the schedule. However, Rice is the better team right now - and they have that guy named Marcus Evans. It will be interesting to see how Keller deals with this tough defensive matchup one game after giving up an embarrassing 72% from the floor on Wednesday. I haven't seen enough consistency from the Jacks yet to pick them on the road against a high powered offense. Give me the Owls in a shootout.
Final Score: 73-82 Rice
Cole Albritton: On Wednesday, I said the Jacks would take a step forward offensively and they did - just not a big enough step to over come UAB's lights out shooting. The inconsistent scoring out of Lumberjack guards is what makes SFA so unpredictable.
However, we seem to have found a solid core in the mostly consistent play (lately) of Dallas Cameron, Kevon Harris, Leon Gilmore, and TJ Holyfield (whenever he stays out of foul trouble that is). I expect these four to find a home in Keller's starting lineup, and with a Ty Charles return on the horizon, this team could finally be on the cusp of breaking out.
But as far as tonight's game goes, I expect to see some similarities to the UAB game. On paper, the Owls are a better team so far and after dropping a close one to a very good Texas Tech team, they will be looking to get back on track. The Owls have legitimate scoring threats in Marcus Evans (23 points per game) and Egor Koulecor (19 points per game) and sloppy defense by SFA will allow this Owls team to pick the Lumberjacks apart. Semi-close game in the end but the Jacks fall again.
Final Score: 75-85 Rice
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