Team: Stephen F. Austin University
Mascot: Lumberjacks
Head Coach: Kyle Keller (46-21 career record)
Record: 28-6, 14-4
KenPom Rank: 111
Haslemetric Rank: 107
T-Rank: 117 (stats to the right are from here)
Leading Scorer: Shannon Bougues (6-2/185) 15.4 PPG
Leading Rebounder: TJ Holyfield (6-8/220) 6.4 RPG
Leading Passer: Aaron Augstin (5-11/185) 3.4 APG
Leading Shot Blocker: TJ Holyfield (6-8/220) 1.3 BPG

How SFA Got Here: SFA only lost 6 games all year and moved through the Southland Conference at a really high rate, but didn’t actually win the regular season, they advanced as a result of winning the conference tournament. SFA’s best win is perhaps a 83-82 win over LSU in Baton Rouge and the very next game, SFA lost to Missouri on the road just 3 days later 82-81. So yes, they’re probably much better than you might want for a first round opponent.

What SFA Does Well: From the stats to the right, SFA is great at forcing other teams to turn the ball over, 26.1%, which is 1st in the nation. The Lumberjacks also do a very good job at offensive free throw rate of 40.0% (36th in the nation) and are also very good good at crashing the offensive boards, 32.7% (57th in the nation).
What SFA Does Not Do Well: SFA turns the ball over at a very high rate, 20.8% of their offensive possessions, they turn the ball over (313th in the nation). They also allow opponents to shoot at a high free throw rate, 50.5% (351st in the nation).