SB Nation Houston - Southland Conference Tournament Final: Lamar Shuts Down McNeese State 70-49

Bracketology 2012: Lamar Looks To Potentially Line Up Vs. No. 1 Seed Michigan State

2012-03-11T16:35:36Z

The Lamar Cardinals were able to secure their first bid into the NCAA tournament under the reigns of head coach Pat Knight on Saturday, and their reward could be a first (second) round matchup against the Michigan State Spartans in Columbus, Ohio based off Chris Dobbertan's latest bracketology update.

That matchup is pending the result of the Big Ten tournament final between the Spartans and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday. If Michigan State wins the conference tournament, then their No. 1 seed is likely secured. If they lose, then teams like Missouri, Ohio State and Duke could leapfrog Michigan State and secure the final No. 1 seed.

Give Lamar some credit, as they have scheduled some heavy hitters in their non-conference schedule. The Cardinals faced the Big East tournament champion Louisville Cardinals, the regular season Big Ten champion Buckeyes and the No. 1 overall team in the country Kentucky Wildcats. Lamar lost all three contests by 20+ points.

It doesn't seem likely that Lamar will be able to budge off the No. 16 spot, so a matchup with a No. 1 seed is inevitable. However, although Lamar lost all three, its safe to say that these Cardinals won't be scared of whoever they face when March Madness begins.

For more March Madness news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's College Basketball page.

Selection Sunday 2012: Time, TV Schedule And More

2012-03-11T12:00:44Z

The Lamar Cardinals won't have to sweat out their wait on Selection Sunday after punching their ticket for the Big Dance by winning the Southland Conference Tournament. Others like the Texas Longhorns will be huddled around the TV at 6 p.m. on Sunday and will be hoping to hear their name called.

Texas A&M didn't have a tournament worthy performance in its final season in the Big 12 as the Aggies struggled through a 14-18 campaign while going 4-14 in the conference under new coach Billy Kennedy. A&M did knock off Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament before falling to top seed Kansas in the second round.

The NCAA Selection Show will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday and will be televised on CBS. SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean projects Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina and Kansas as top seeds in the tournament.

Date/Time: Sunday, March 11, 6:00 p.m. ET

TV CBS

For more March Madness news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's College Basketball page.

Lamar Vs. McNeese State Final Score: Lamar Runs Away From McNeese State To Garner Southland Conference Championship, NCAA Automatic Bid

2012-03-10T22:13:36Z

The Lamar Cardinals raced out to a 33-21 halftime lead and kept their foot on the pedal in the second half to douse any upset hopes McNeese State had, earning a70-49 win over the Cowboys in the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas.

With the victory, Lamar receives the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. Mike James led the Cardinals with a game-high 26 points on just-under 50 percent shooting, and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Patrick Richard knocked down 16 points but only connected on four of his 20 field-goal attempts, and Dontae Cannon had 13 for McNeese State, which finished second to Lamar in the regular season East Division standings, with a 10-6 record in the conference and 17-15 overall. The Cowboys upset top-seed UT Arlington in the semifinal round to get their championship shot against Lamar.

This was the third meeting this season between these two schools. Each won on its home floor, but Lamar took the season series with the Southland Tournament win. Lamar upped its overall season record to 23-11. The Cardinals shot 47 percent from the field, and played tough defense, holding the Cowboys to just 31 percent shooting. The Cardinals also pounded the boards, taking a 38-27 rebound advantage for the game.

Coach Pat Knight's victorious Cardinals will now await the NCAA tournament pairings, which come out on Sunday, to learn where they will play and who their opponent will be.

For more March Madness news and information, be sure to go to SB Nation's college basketball page.

Southland Conference Basketball Tournament 2012, Day Four: Bracket, Schedule And More

2012-03-10T15:07:40Z

The 2012 Southland Conference Tournament draws to a close Saturday, with Lamar emerging as the favorite to win the conference following the upset win of McNeese State over favorite UT-Arlington. Since Lamar head coach Pat Knight's now-infamous sound bites regarding the play and behavior of his seniors, the team has won five straight.

The winner of the McNeese / Lamar final will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, and at the moment SB Nation's resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean has the Cardinals as a sacrificial No. 16 seed, playing No. 1 seed Kansas in the first round. That positioning isn't likely to change if McNeese can carry through and make an amazing upset run for the Southland bid, considering the Cowboys (17-14) have a weaker record than Lamar (22-11).

Click here for a complete look at the 2012 Southland Tournament bracket.

For more March Madness news and info, be sure to check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

2012 Southland Conference Tournament: Finals Preview

2012-03-09T22:37:57Z

In a surprising turn Thursday night, McNeese State beat Southland Conference favorite UT-Arlington to clinch a spot in the tournament finals against Lamar. Both teams will wait a day to play for the NCAA automatic bid, but it should be a great rematch.

It's a bit of a historic win for the Lamar Cardinals and first-year head coach Pat Knight. Everyone knows the YouTube rant at this point, but the Cards have won five straight games since then. Bob West of the Port Arthur News ran through some other historical tidbits here:

By winning two games in two nights, the Cardinals doubled their win total in the five years the SLC Tourament has been in the Merrell Center. They also reached the championship game for the first time since Mike Deane's team won it in 2000 as the No. 6 seed.

The two teams split their conference matchups, with McNeese winning a 57-54 game in the third conference game while Lamar beat the Cowboys 78-68 in the final conference game for each team in Beaumont.

The 44 points Lamar gave up in the victory over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday was its least points allowed all season. Lamar holds a 2-1 edge in Southland tournament games against McNeese, but the Cowboys won the most recent meeting, in the semifinals in 2004.

If Lamar wins, it'll be the first time since 2000 that the Cardinals have made the NCAA tournament. For McNeese, it'll be the first time since 2002.

Southland Conference Basketball Tournament 2012: Bracket, Schedule And More

2012-03-08T15:48:55Z

The 2012 Southland Tournament has reached the semifinal stage, as four remaining teams look to punch the conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The quarterfinals was all chalk, with the top four seeds moving on with convincing victories. That should set up a compelling series of games at the Merrill Center in Katy, TX on Thursday.

In the night's first game, No. 3 Lamar will take on No. 2 Stephen F Austin at 7 p.m. EST. Lamar topped No. 6 Northwestern State, 76-69, while Stephen F. Austin routed Sam Houston State, 68-46. In the nightcap, top-seeded UT-Arlington will square off against No. 4 seed McNeese State. UT-Arlington dismantled No. 8 Nicholls State, 96-48, while McNeese State edged UT-San Antonio, 78-74, in overtime. All games will be broadcasted on the Southland Conference TV network. To watch each game, click here.

For a complete look at the Southland Conference Tournament Bracket, click here. For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

UT-San Antonio Vs. McNeese State: Roadrunners Fall 78-74 In Overtime

2012-03-08T04:58:11Z

UT San Antonio led 30-21 at halftime but were outscored 42-33 in the second half and 15-11 in overtime to fall 78-74 to McNeese State.

After blowing the halftime lead in the second half, the Roadrunners were able to force overtime thanks to a Kannon Burrage three-pointer with just eight seconds remaining that tied the score at 63-63. The Cowboys pushed the lead out to 74-67 in overtime before UT San Antonio once again made a charge cutting the lead down to three with just seven seconds remaining. Desharick Guidry made one of two free throws to seal the victory with just five seconds remaining for McNeese State.

Dontae Cannon led the way for the Cowboys with 18 points while Patrick Richard added 16. Desharick Guidry pitched in 14 off the bench. Melvin Johnson III scored 19 points to lead UT San Antonio and Igor Nujic added 13.

For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

UT-San Antonio Vs. McNeese State Halftime Score: Roadrunners Lead 30-19

2012-03-08T03:25:23Z

At the half it is the No. 5 seed Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners leading the No. 4 McNeese St. Cowboys 30-19. UT-San Antonio is being led by Melvin Johnson III who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 15 points.

Overall, the offense for UT-San Antonio has been impressive as they are shooting 52 percent from the field and their defense possibly even better as they are holding McNeese State to 27 percent shooting. Even with that disparity in shooting the ball McNeese State is not out of this game and somehow are only down 11 points.

The first half was close until the midway point when UT-San Antonio built a lead when they got hot and went on a 16-3 run to double up McNeese State 28-14. McNeese State was able to cut into the lead some by scoring the next five points heading into the half trailing 30-19.

For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.