LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The 12th annual
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament
tips off Friday in San Antonio as the two-time defending champion
and top-seeded Trinity
University men will be seeking the program's second SCAC
tournament three-peat. The Tigers, who won SCAC tournament titles
in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2013, will have home court advantage
in their quest for the program's eighth overall men's basketball
championship. Official Tournament Website | Hoops Weekly - Tournament Edition
Trinity (11-3 SCAC / 16-9 overall) is led by senior guard Robert
Kitzinger, who is averaging 15.8 points (seventh in the SCAC) and
4.8 rebounds per game. A two-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week, his 55
three-point field goals are good for second in the league. Senior
forward Zach Lambert is still rounding into form after an early
season illness kept him out of the team's first 10 games. The
Tigers have gone 11-4 since his return and he has averaged 9.5
points with nine games in double-figures over that stretch. Trinity
leads the league in scoring defense (60.0 ppg) and allows opponents
to shoot just 39.2 percent from the field.
Second-seeded Centenary
College (10-4 SCAC / 16-9 overall) enters the tournament as the
hottest team in the league having won nine of its last 10 games.
The Gents have been riding the hot hand of senior guard Jonathan
Blount, who is averaging a league-high 23.9 points per game; 26.8
over the last 10 games. The reigning SCAC Player-of-the-Year had a
school-record 53 points last week in a 107-79 victory over Open
Bible College and is just three points shy of 600 for the season.
Centenary, which is leading the SCAC in scoring with 76.8 points
per game, also gets strong contributions from junior guard Caden
Cheramie (10.5 ppg) and first-year forward Kendall Demouchet (10.4
ppg)
Schreiner
University (10-4 SCAC / 14-11 overall) will be the third seed
as the program makes its inaugural appearance in the SCAC
tournament. The Mountaineers are led by senior guard AJ Myres who
is currently second in the SCAC in scoring at 18.8 points per game.
Junior guard Stevan Guerrero is ninth in the league in scoring
(14.3 ppg), tied for third in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and fifth in
assists (3.3 apg). Schreiner has won five of its last seven games
and the team's 14 overall wins represents the program's Division
III era high-water mark.
Fourth-seeded Colorado
College (9-5 SCAC / 16-7 overall) is aiming for a return to the
SCAC title game for the second consecutive year. This year's
version of the Tigers is led by the 1-2 punch of senior guard Ryan
Milne and junior forward Chris Lesnansky. Milne, who enters the
tournament just nine points from cracking the SCAC's top 10 list
for all-time points scored, is currently third in the league in
scoring (18.7 ppg) and leads the SCAC in both assists (4.7 apg) and
steals (1.9 spg). Lesnansky is fourth in scoring (16.9 ppg) and
tied for third in rebounding (6.0 rpg).
The University of
Dallas (5-9 SCAC / 12-13 overall) enters the tournament as the
fifth-seed. The Crusaders have a balanced attack, led by the trio
of senior forward Ross Davidson, senior guard Nate Wilson and
junior forward Aaron Wyatt. Davidson is sixth in the SCAC in
scoring (16.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.5 rpg) while Wilson
is 11th in scoring (12.3 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (6.0 rpg).
Wyatt leads the SCAC in rebounding (6.5 rpg) while averaging 11.7
points per game.
Sixth-seeded Austin College
(4-10 SCAC / 9-15 overall) is led by senior guard Ransom Okpala,
who is averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game (fifth in the
SCAC). The reigning SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year, Okpala is
also 10th in the league in rebounding (4.9 rpg) and third in steals
(1.6 spg). Two first-year guards also make significant
contributions for the 'Roos as Jeremy Swisher averages 11.9 points
per game (13th in the SCAC) and Brian Baehl adds 9.9 points and 3.4
assists per game (sixth in the SCAC).
Perhaps no team in the tournament spreads the scoring wealth like
seventh-seeded Southwestern University
(4-10 SCAC / 8-17 overall). The Pirates have no one in the top 15
in the league in scoring and only one player – senior guard
Michael Cantu – averages in double-figures (10.4 ppg), but
senior forward Sean Myers (9.6 ppg), senior guard Chase Kocher (9.2
ppg) and junior guard Blake Scott (8.9 ppg) are all within two
points per game of the team scoring lead.
Rounding out the tournament field is eighth-seeded Texas Lutheran University (3-11
SCAC / 9-16 overall). The Bulldogs, playing in their first SCAC
tourney, haven't struggled putting the ball in the basket this year
(72.8 ppg – third in the SCAC) and have three players
averaging in double-figures. Junior guard Garrett Wilkins is
averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game (eighth in the SCAC),
followed closely by freshman guard Jordan Kouremetis (13.3 ppg) and
sophomore guard Robert Watson Jr. (12.0 ppg)
Tournament action gets underway on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
The entire tournament schedule is listed below.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY
28
SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament - hosted by Trinity
University
Game 1 - No. 1 Trinity University vs. No. 8 Texas
Lutheran University - 1 p.m.
Game 2 - No. 4 Colorado College vs. No. 5
University of Dallas - 3 p.m.
Game 3 - No. 2 Centenary College vs. No. 7
Southwestern University – 5 p.m.
Game 4 - No. 3 Schreiner University vs. No. 6
Austin College - 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH
1
SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament - hosted by Trinity
University
Game 5 - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 1
p.m.
Game 6 - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner -3
p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH
2
SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament - hosted by Trinity
University
Game 7 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner –
Noon
PAST SCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONS
|
Year |
Winner |
Runner-up |
MVP |
|
2013 |
Trinity |
Colorado College |
Heath Hopson, Trinity |
|
2012 |
Trinity |
Centre |
Zach Lambert, Trinity |
|
2011 |
Centre |
DePauw |
Greg Ross, Centre |
|
2010 |
Centre |
DePauw |
Jeff Mullaney, Centre |
|
2009 |
Centre |
Southwestern |
Danny Noll, Centre |
|
2008 |
Millsaps |
Centre |
Edrick Montgomery, Millsaps |
|
2007 |
Centre |
Trinity |
Matt Nestheide, Centre |
|
2006 |
DePauw |
Centre |
Austin Brown, DePauw |
|
2005 |
Trinity |
Sewanee |
Sean Devins, Trinity |
|
2004 |
Trinity |
Oglethorpe |
Sean Devins, Trinity |
|
2003 |
Trinity |
Centre |
Jason Morris, Trinity |
*The SCAC did not conduct a postseason basketball tournament prior to the 2002-2003 season; the league champion was determined by regular season finish.
