Well, it is March, which means time for some madness. At least on the conference level.

We still have two more full seasons left to play before we can become eligible for the big dance, and hopefully there is massive improvement made in the Men’s program before that happens, but for now, the best the Men can play for is a Southland Conference Tournament Regular season Trophy or Tournament Championship trophy, and since the regular season is over, it is time to take a look at the Southland Conference Men’s bracket and break down potential matchups.

First Seeded McNeese-Auto Bid to Conference Semifinals

Second Seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi-Auto Bid to Conference Semifinals

Third Seeded Nicholls-First Round Bye, Auto Bid to Conference Quarterfinals

Fourth Seeded Lamar-First Round Bye, Auto Bid to Conference Quarterfinals

Fifth Seeded Southeastern Louisiana VS. Eighth Seeded New Orleans

Sixth Seeded Northwestern State VS. Seventh Seeded Texas A&M-Commerce

Round 1-Lions VS. Northwestern State-

A rematch of last weeks triple overtime thriller, this one could tilt either way. The first game was a 13 point win for the Demons at home where the Lions fell behind early and mounted a furious comeback, but the Demons matched score for score in the second half to keep a comfortable distance. The second game was tight from the tip all the way to end. Northwestern had a 3 point lead going into the half, while the Lions outscored the Demons by 3 to force overtime and overall played a better second half. If the Lions look to advance, they MUST and I emphasize MUST not fall behind early like they did last year. Do not fall in love with the three and if you get the chance, put distance between you and the Demons. This is probably the most evenly matched game in the entire tournament and the Lions have shown that when they get into open court and run the floor for easy looks, they rarely miss, but forcing them to spot up and shoot, that might cost them in the first round of the SLC tournament. This game however, is completely winnable as we saw just a few nights ago in Commerce.

Should the Lions win round one, they face a tougher road as third seeded Nicholls will be waiting for them in the conference quarterfinals. The Lions lost a double overtime game in Commerce in round one, and they lost that game simply because the Colonels shot from over 50% from three point land and over 50% from the field. The Lions did not shoot anywhere close to those number and honestly how the game was as tight as it was was just all grit and heart. Round 2 was not quite so good for the Lions as Nicholls shot the lights out again from the field, but despite that, the Lions were able to keep it close in the first half before Nicholls shot their way to a 15 point win. This game is a winnable game, but if the Lions do advance, they MUST play tough perimeter defense and not play half a game. What I mean by that is, if you take a look at the first and second half box scores of a ton of these games, you will see the Lions either keep it close for the first half only to falter in the second, or fall way behind in the first half only to rally furiously and have those rallies fall just short at the end. This one, just like the Northwestern game, could find itself in overtime. Good news is, the Lions have played 5 OT games and won 3 of them.

If by some way the Lion Men make it to semis, they will have a very tough TAMU-Corpus Christi Islander team waiting for them that will be fresh as they will be waiting for whomever completes the first and second round of the tournament. In the first meeting between the Islanders and the Lions, it looked close to start out. The Lion Men went in trailing by 4 to start the second half until the Islanders poured it on and ran away with it with a 45 point second half, after only scoring 24 in the first half. Both teams shot poorly in the first half, but the Islanders found a way to make it go in the basket in the second half to silence the University Fieldhouse crowd with a 15 point win over the Lions. The next game was just as unpleasant and it all had to do with shooting, as the Islanders shot from 59% from the field, 46% from three point land, and 89% from the charity stripe. The Lions were not even close to those numbers and the results was an 86-63 blowout loss. This is a game I do not think is winnable for the Lions. The Islanders are just too good at shooting and setting up in the halfcourt, but there is one team left that the Lions CAN beat and should have beaten.

If the the Lions are able to find a way to find their way to the tournament Championship game, they will likely face McNeese. In the top half of the bracket, I have Southeastern beating New Orleans and moving on to face Lamar. Lamar I believe will beat Southeastern and advance, but I believe that if Southeastern advances, they are the only team to have beaten McNeese, and if that happens, McNeese will be in for all they can handle, but if the Lions make it this far, and that is the world’s biggest if right now, the Lions matchup better with Southeastern, but have shown they can beat McNeese. Back in January the Lions took led most of the game agains the Cowboys and had they just played a little bit better on the defensive end would have won that game, because the Cowboys outscored the Lions by 14 in the second half and still barely won, while against Southeastern, the Lions lost a home overtime game and defeated SLA on the road. Anyone can beat anyone, and that is why they call it March Madness.

The Lion Men now have all their players back from the suspension due to the Incarnate Word debacle. They are at nearly full strength. They have faced each team twice, and have an excellent shot in the first two rounds. With all that there is left to play for are these final games, you have to finish what has been from start to finish a tough season on and off the court and finish what you started. That is what makes a champion.