2018–19 Southland Conference men's basketball season

The 2018–19 Southland Conference men's basketball season, the conference's 56th, began with practices in October 2018, followed by the start of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 6, 2018. Conference play began on January 2, 2019 concluding on March 9, 2019. The Sam Houston State Bearkats won the regular season championship with a conference record of 16–2. The 2019 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held in Katy, Texas at the Merrell Center from March 13–17, 2019.[1][2] The 2nd seeded Abilene Christian Wildcats won the conference tournament championship and received the conference automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Two other teams also received bids to post season tournaments. Conference regular season champion, Sam Houston State, received the conference automatic bid to the NIT tournament. New Orleans received a bid to the CIT tournament.

2018–19 Southland Conference men's basketball season
League	NCAA Division I
Sport	Basketball
Duration	November 2018 through March 2019
Number of teams	13
Regular Season
Champion	Sam Houston State
Season MVP	Cameron Delaney (Sam Houston State)
Top scorer	Shannon Bogues – 536 pts (Stephen F. Austin)
Southland Tournament
Champions	Abilene Christian
Runners-up	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
Finals MVP	Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian)

2018–19 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Sam Houston State	16	–	2		.889			21	–	12		.636
Abilene Christian †	14	–	4		.778			27	–	7		.794
Southeastern Louisiana	12	–	6		.667			17	–	16		.515
New Orleans	12	–	6		.667			19	–	14		.576
Lamar	12	–	6		.667			20	–	13		.606
Texas A&M–CC	9	–	9		.500			14	–	18		.438
Central Arkansas	8	–	10		.444			14	–	19		.424
Houston Baptist	8	–	10		.444			12	–	18		.400
Stephen F. Austin	7	–	11		.389			14	–	16		.467
Nicholls	7	–	11		.389			14	–	17		.452
Northwestern State	6	–	12		.333			11	–	20		.355
McNeese State	5	–	13		.278			9	–	22		.290
Incarnate Word	1	–	17		.056			6	–	25		.194
† 2019 Southland Tournament winner

Preseason

Coaching changes

McNeese State University announced that it would not renew the contract of former head coach Dave Simmons on March 4, 2018.[3] Heath Schroyer was named head coach on March 15, 2018.[4][5]

Incarnate Word announced that Ken Burmeister would not return on March 6, 2018.[6] Carson Cunningham was named as men's basketball head coach on March 23, 2018.[7][8][9][10]

2018-19 Southland Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Rank	Team[11][12] ( ) = first place votes	Votes
1	Stephen F. Austin(23)	287
2	Southeastern Louisiana (2)	243
3	New Orleans	204
4	Abilene Christian (1)	196
5	Lamar	186
6	Sam Houston State	184
7	McNeese State	172
8	Central Arkansas	136
9	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	115
T10	Houston Baptist	101
T10	Nicholls State	101
12	Northwestern State	73
13	Incarnate Word	30

Preseason All-Conference Teams

Source:[13]

Award	Recipients
First Team	Marlain Veal (Southeastern Louisiana) Shannon Bogues (Stephen F. Austin) Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin) T. J. Holyfield (Stephen F. Austin) Ishmael Lane (Northwestern State)
Second Team	Josh Ibarra (Houston Baptist) Jalone Friday (Abilene Christian) Josh Nzeakor (Lamar) Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian) Marcus Harris (Sam Houston State)

Postseason

Southland Conference Tournament

• March 13–16, 2019: Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Leonard E. Merrill Center, Katy, Texas

Session	Game	Time*	Matchup^#	Score	Television
First round – Wednesday, March 13, 2019
1	1	5:00 pm	No. 5 Lamar vs. No. 8 Houston Baptist	81–79	ESPN+
	2	7:30 pm	No. 6 Texas A&M–CC vs. No. 7 Central Arkansas	53–73
Second round – Thursday, March 14, 2019
2	3	5:00 pm	No. 4 New Orleans vs. No. 5 Lamar	76–72	ESPN+
	4	7:30 pm	No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 7 Central Arkansas	79–65
Semifinals – Friday, March 15, 2019
3	5	5:00 pm	No. 1 Sam Houston State vs. No. 4 New Orleans	–	ESPN+
	6	7:30 pm	No. 2 Abilene Christian vs. No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana	-
Championship – Saturday, March 16, 2019
4	7	8:30 pm	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	–	ESPN2
*Game times in CDT. #-Rankings denote tournament seeding.

Source:[14]

NCAA tournament

Abilene Christian, winner of the conference tournament, was awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Abilene Christian's season ended losing to Kentucky in the first round.

National Invitation Tournament

Sam Houston State received the conference automatic bid to the NIT tournament. The Bearkats lost in the first round of the tournament to TCU.

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

New Orleans received a bid to the CIT. The Privateers lost in an overtime game to Texas Southern in the first round.

Awards and honors

SLC Player-of-the-Week

Nov. 12 – Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian)[15] Nov. 19 – Morgan Taylor (Incarnate Word)[16] Nov. 26 – Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian)[17] Dec. 3 – Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin)[18] Dec. 10 – Shannon Bogues (Stephen F. Austin)[19] Dec. 17 – Roydell Brown (McNeese State)[20] Dec. 27 – Nick Garth (Lamar)[21] Jan. 2 – Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin)[22] Jan. 7 – Ian DuBose (Houston Baptist)[23]

Jan. 14 – Payten Ricks (Abilene Christian)[24] Jan. 21 – Kai Mitchell (Sam Houston State)[25] Jan. 28 – Cameron Delaney (Sam Houston State)[26] Feb. 4 – Christian Barrett (Lamar)[27] Feb. 11 – Ishmael Lane (Northwestern State)[28] Feb. 18 – Nick Garth (Lamar)[29] Feb. 25 – Josh Delaney (Sam Houston State)[30] Mar. 4 – Nick Garth (Lamar)[31] Mar. 10 – Jerimiah Jefferson (Nicholls)[32][33]

SLC All-Conference Teams and Awards

Source:[34][35][36]

Award	Recipients
Coach of the Year	Joe Golding (Abilene Christian)
Player of the Year	Cameron Delaney (Sam Houston State)
Defensive Player of the Year	Ishmael Lane (Northwestern State)
Freshman of the Year	Gerrale Gates (New Orleans)
Newcomer of the Year	Kai Mitchell (Sam Houston State)
First Team	Cameron Delaney (Sam Houston State) Marlain Veal (Southeastern Louisiana) Ishmael Lane (Northwestern Louisiana) Moses Greenwood (Southeastern Louisiana) Nick Garth (Lamar)
Second Team	Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin) Josh Nzeakor (Lamar) Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian) Shannon Bogues (Stephen F. Austin) Ian DuBose (Houston Baptist)
Third Team	Jaylen Franklin (Abilene Christian) Josh Delaney (Sam Houston State) Kai Mitchell (Sam Houston State) Ezekial Charles (New Orleans) Kareem South (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi)
Honorable Mention	Roydell Brown (McNeese State) Jeremiah Jefferson (Nicholls) Payten Ricks (Abilene Christian) Thatch Unruh (Central Arkansas)
All-Defensive Team	Ishmael Lane (Northwestern State) Jaylen Franklin (Abilene Christian) Braxton Bonds (Houston Baptist) Marlain Veal (Southeastern Louisiana) Hayden Koval (Central Arkansas)
First Team All-Academic	Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian) Jeremiah Jefferson (Nicholls) Hayden Koval (Central Arkansas) Ishmael Lane (Northwestern State) Oliver Lynch-Daniels (Houston Baptist
Second Team All-Academic	Ezekial Charles (New Orleans) Ian DuBose (Houston Baptist) Hayden Farquhar (Abilene Christian) Scott Plaisance, Jr. (New Orleans) Kareem Smith (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi)
All-Tournament Team	Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian) Jaylen Franklin (Abilene Christian) Payten Ricks (Abilene Christian) Scott Plaisance, Jr. (New Orleans) Josh Nzeakor (Lamar)
Tournament MVP	Jaren Lewis (Abilene Christian)

References

1. "Composite Schedule". Southland Conference. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
2. "Southland Conference". ESPN. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
3. "McNeese will not renew contract of MBB coach Dave Simmons". McNeese State University. March 4, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
4. "Heath Schroyer Named McNeese Men's Basketball Head Coach". Southland Conference. March 15, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
5. Jeff Call (March 15, 2018). "Heath Schroyer, who made big impact at BYU in 1 season, is taking job at McNeese State; who are candidates to replace him?". Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
6. "UIW Athletics Begins Search for Head Men's Basketball Coach". University of the Incarnate Word. March 6, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
7. "Cunningham Named UIW Men's Basketball Head Coach". Southland Conference. March 23, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
8. Nathan Baird (April 21, 2018). "Purdue basketball alum Carson Cunningham steps up to next challenge at Incarnate Word". Journal & Courier, a division of Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
9. "OFFICIAL: UIW Tabs Carson Cunningham as Men's Basketball Head Coach". Hoops Dirt.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
10. Mike Hutton (March 31, 2018). "Hutton: Carson Cunningham takes old-fashioned route to new job as Incarnate Word coach". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
11. "Stephen F. Austin Tabbed to Win Southland in Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". southland.org. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
12. Richard Dean (October 10, 2018). "SFA tops Southland preseason basketball poll". Hearst. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
13. "Southland Names 2018-19 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams". southland.org. Southland Conference. October 9, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
14. "2019 Southland Basketball Tournament". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
15. "LEWIS HONORED WITH SEASON'S FIRST WEEKLY AWARD". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
16. "TAYLOR NAMED MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
17. "LEWIS REPEATS AS MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
18. "SFA'S HARRIS SHINES INTERNATIONALLY TO CLAIM SOUTHLAND WEEKLY HONORS". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
19. "SFA'S BOGUES EARNS WEEKLY HONORS AFTER 33-POINT OUTPUT". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
20. "SFA'S BOGUES EARNS WEEKLY HONORS AFTER 33-POINT OUTPUT". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
21. "GARTH'S HOT SHOOTING LEADS TO PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
22. "HARRIS REPEATS AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK AFTER SECOND-HALF SURGE". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
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24. "ACU'S PAYTEN RICKS CROWNED MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
25. "SAM HOUSTON STATE'S KAI MITCHELL PICKS UP PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
26. "CAMERON DELANEY NAMED MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
27. "CHRISTIAN BARRETT EARNS WEEKLY HONORS AFTER BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
28. "NORTHWESTERN STATE'S ISHMAEL LANE EXTENDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE STREAK EN ROUTE TO WEEKLY HONORS". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
29. "LAMAR'S NICK GARTH NAMED MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
30. "JOSH DELANEY'S OT PERFORMANCE EARNS SAM HOUSTON STATE GUARD PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
31. "GARTH'S LONG-RANGE SHOOTING GARNERS THIRD PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
32. "NICHOLLS' JEREMIAH JEFFERSON NAMED FINAL MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
33. "GARTH'S LONG-RANGE SHOOTING GARNERS THIRD PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
34. "SAM HOUSTON STATE'S CAMERON DELANEY WINS MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Southland Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
35. "NO. 2 ABILENE CHRISTIAN GOING DANCING AFTER 77-60 VICTORY OVER NO. 4 NEW ORLEANS". Southland Conference. March 16, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
36. "JAREN LEWIS CROWNED MEN'S BASKETBALL STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR". Southland Conference. March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.