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Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks basketball

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
2024–25 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks basketball team
UniversityStephen F. Austin State University
Head coachKyle Keller (9th season)
ConferenceSouthland
LocationNacogdoches, Texas
ArenaWilliam R. Johnson Coliseum
(capacity: 7,203)
NicknameLumberjacks
ColorsPurple and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament round of 32
1983†, 2014, 2016*
NCAA tournament appearances
1983†, 2009, 2014, 2015*, 2016*, 2018*
at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
Southland: 2009, 2014, 2015*, 2016*, 2018*
Conference regular season champions
Southland: 1987, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015*, 2016*, 2020
WAC: 2022
*Appearances vacated by NCAA

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Stephen F. Austin State University (popularly abbreviated as SFA) in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. (All SFA women's teams are known as Ladyjacks.)

History

In the 2013–2014 season the men's basketball team had its most successful year in more than 2 decades going 32–3 in the regular season and 18–0 in conference play. They won 29 games in a row including the conference semi-final and finals and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. SFA repeated the same feat in their 2015–2016 season by going 18–0 in conference and reaching the second round of the NCAA once again, but lost in a heartbreaker by Rex Pflueger's putback which gave Notre Dame a 76-75 win over the Lumberjacks.

On May 20, 2020, following the discovery of an administrative error in certifying eligibility for student-athletes, Stephen F. Austin reached an agreement with the NCAA to vacate hundreds of wins across multiple sports from 2013 to 2019, including all 117 men's basketball wins from the 2014–15 to 2018–19 seasons. As a result, three NCAA tournament appearances and three Southland conference titles were nullified.[2][3]

SFA was one of four schools, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference (SLC) on July 1, 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).[4] SFA had previously played in the SLC since the 1987–88 season. SFA's affiliation with the WAC would only last three seasons, as it announced on May 29, 2024 that it would return to the SLC effective with the 2024–25 school year.[5]

Postseason appearances

NCAA Division I

The Lumberjacks have appeared in five NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–5; however, as a result of their three vacated appearances, they have an "official" record of 1–2.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
2009 #14 Round of 64 #3 Syracuse L 44–59
2014 #12 Round of 64
Round of 32
#5 VCU
#4 UCLA
W 77–75OT
L 60–77
2015 #12 Round of 64 #5 Utah L 50–57
2016 #14 Round of 64
Round of 32
#3 West Virginia
#6 Notre Dame
W 70–56
L 75–76
2018 #14 Round of 64 #3 Texas Tech L 60–70

NCAA Division II

During their time in NCAA Division II, the Lumberjacks appeared in the tournament once. Their combined record was 1–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
1983 Round of 32
Regional Third Place
Central Missouri State
Tennessee–Martin
L 57–66
W 83–70

NIT results

The Lumberjacks have appeared in three National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 1–3.

Year Round Opponent Result
1987 First Round
Second Round
James Madison
Arkansas–Little Rock
W 70–63
L 48–54
2008 First Round Massachusetts L 60–80
2013 First Round Stanford L 57–58

CBI results

The Lumberjacks have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 0–1.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
2022 #4 First Round #13 UNC Asheville L 68-80

CIT results

The Lumberjacks have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 0–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2017 First Round Idaho L 50–73

Lumberjacks in the NBA

3 former Stephen F. Austin players have played at least one game in the NBA.

Name Draft Year Draft Team
Kevon Harris 2022 Undrafted
George Johnson 1970 Baltimore Bullets
James Silas 1972 Houston Rockets

References

  1. ^ SFA Official University Identity Standards Manual (PDF). June 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "NCAA Negotiated Resolution Agreement: What It Means for SFA". SFAJacks.com. Stephen F. Austin State University. May 20, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Rieken, Kristie (May 20, 2020). "Stephen F. Austin Gets Postseason Bans; Agrees To Sanctions". Associated Press. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "SFA Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25" (Press release). Southland Conference. May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.