Timbeeeeer! The No. 14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were one of the biggest winners in a Friday full of huge upsets in the 2016 NCAA Tournament as they chopped down the No. 3 West Virginia Mountaineers over in the East Region.
The Lumberjacks should be full of confidence heading into their second round showdown with No. 6 Notre Dame, who labored in a come-from-behind win over No. 11 Michigan.
Learn more about the Lumberjacks’ latest test with our complete preview below. Meanwhile, check out the only second-round tournament game featuring two double-digit seeds, No. 10 Syracuse vs. No. 15 Middle Tennessee.
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March Madness No. 6 Notre Dame vs No. 14 Stephen F. Austin Preview
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
When: Sunday, March 20, 2:40 PM ET
Line: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks – view all March Madness lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in the tournament in large part because of their offense (No. 11 in efficiency per KenPom.com) and they showed just how efficient that offense could be in their 70-63 win over Michigan.
Consider their 16 turnovers a bit of a fluke, though. They were actually the eighth most careful team with the basketball this season, turning the ball over just 12.8 percent of the time. That ability to take care of the ball will be vital against a Stephen F. Austin team that loves forcing turnovers.
But with the Irish’s defense (No. 168 per KenPom.com) as unreliable as it is, their chances of moving on to the Sweet 16 will be greatly reduced if leading scorer Demetrius Jackson (15 PPG) doesn’t play to his full potential. The junior point guard has been in a funk of late, averaging just 11 points on 30 percent shooting in five games this month.
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Betting on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Stephen F. Austin’s spectacular 70-56 upset of the No. 3-seed Mountaineers showed just how good the Lumberjacks can be if they perfectly execute their gameplan of pressing opponents into submission.
The Lumberjacks, who have now won 21-straight games, simply “out-Press Virginia-d” West Virginia. They were all over the place on defense, holding the Mountaineers to 30.8 percent from the field and forcing them to 22 turnovers, which the Lumberjacks turned into 29 points.
It also helped that Thomas Walkup was outstanding throughout. The senior stole the show with 33 points, and went 19-of-20 from the line. That performance isn’t a one-time thing for Walkup, either. He averaged 17.5 PPG on the season, and is putting up 28 PPG while shooting 62 percent from the field over his last four games.
The Lumberjacks play at such a high intensity that it’ll be tough for any team that’s unfamiliar with their style to prepare. That should give them the advantage over the unsuspecting Irish, who might not know what’s about to hit them.
Look for the Lumberjacks’ heavy pressing style to eventually wear down a shallow Irish team. Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson played all 40 minutes of their first round game against Michigan, but it’s very unlikely that he can last that long amid the Lumberjacks’ pressure.
Writer’s Prediction
Stephen F. Austin scores another big win, 75-66.
