Lake Charles, Take Four

Stephen F. Austin won 20 Southland games last winter, more than any team in league history. Four days into March, the trophy still belonged to McNeese. The Cowboys held SFA to 37 percent from the floor and 24 percent from three, won the rebounding battle 37-24 and turned the championship game into a 76-59 rout. It was McNeese's third straight tournament title and a sharp reminder that the regular season only gets a team to Lake Charles. The Cowboys have earned the benefit of every close call. They are 86-17 over the past three seasons, 48-1 at Townsley Law Arena and winners of 37 consecutive home games against Southland opponents when tournament games are included. Bill Armstrong kept the program rolling after Will Wade left. Now he faces a different test. Javohn Garcia, Tyshawn Archie, Garwey Dual and DJ Richards are gone, taking most of last season's ballhandling, perimeter shooting and late-clock poise with them. Larry Johnson makes the rebuild feel less daunting. As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds, shot 49.2 percent and broke the McNeese freshman scoring record that had belonged to Joe Dumars. He overwhelms smaller guards in the lane and finishes through contact, although his 25-for-105 mark from three invites defenses to crowd him. Dellquan Warren and JJ Rembert will get early chances to settle the offense. Carl Cherenfant and Jerrell Colbert retain some of the defensive backbone, while Corey Chest, Christian Nitu and Alier Maluk give Armstrong a huge collection of frontcourt options. The talent is obvious. The spacing and decision-making must catch up. SFA has every right to believe the rematch can end differently. Matt Braeuer's first team went 20-2 in league play, averaged only 9.3 turnovers and made a program-record 302 threes. Replacing Player of the Year Keon Thompson is only part of the job. Lateef Patrick supplied another 15.2 points per game, and Jerald Colonel anchored the defense and offensive glass. Narit Chotikavanic returns after making 87 threes at 39.4 percent, Christian Green gives the Lumberjacks a veteran wing, and MJ Russell arrives from ULM after averaging 15.3 points. Estonian guard Erik Makke has already played against senior professionals. Braeuer needs one of those guards to force rotations before Chotikavanic starts punishing them. A&M-Corpus Christi is less glamorous and easier to trust. Jim Shaw's Islanders held opponents to 67.7 points and 30.2 percent from three while posting a plus-4.1 rebounding margin. Most of the scorers changed, but Sebastian Robinson brings 14.8 points per game and downhill strength from NJIT, Binael Basil adds a 240-pound rebounder, and Daniel Michelini-Jackson remains as a shooter who knows the program. Their best version makes every miss expensive and keeps Robinson from having to manufacture the whole offense. Then there is Lamar, the league's most entertaining gamble. Jordan Fee once took Gannon from 3-23 to 32-3, and his first Cardinals roster is almost completely new. Caden Hinker averaged 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds at Augustana, Jeremiah Jones led Division II with 103 steals, and Filip Radakovic and Niccolò Moretti add passing to a long frontcourt. UTRGV supplies the best subplot. Brandon Chambers helped build McNeese's first two title teams before taking over the Vaqueros, then brought former Cowboy T'Johnn Brown with him. He knows the favorite's habits because he helped install them. The winter should expose every rebuilt backcourt and reward the teams that learn fastest. March brings the league back to one stubborn fact: the bid will again be awarded on McNeese's floor. The Cowboys can match ULM's four-title streak from 1990 through 1993. Everybody else knows exactly where that attempt must be stopped.