One of the most overlooked teams in this year’s tournament is 14th seeded Stephen F. Austin. They draw a winnable match-up with the three seed, Texas Tech.
Did you know that Stephen F. Austin was the “Father of Texas”? I bet you did not know that. It is starting to make more sense as to why a university is named after the man now, right? Austin was the first to convince American families to move to Texas in the early 1800s after his father was essentially given a land grant in Texas.
For those who are unaware, Texas was still controlled by Mexico at that time. Never the less, Austin was one of the first Americans to actually live in Texas (Hence his nickname). If you know anything about American history, Austin was constantly jostling with the Mexican government. That jostling escalated into the Texas Revolution which eventually spawned forgettable movies starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton.
Anyway, that movie (and Texas in general) may not have existed if it not for Stephen F. Austin. “The Father of Texas” now has a namesake school and it has become possibly the most consistent program in the state over the last five years. They have played in four out of the last five NCAA Tournaments, having notched two upset victories in that time.
After taking a year off, the Lumberjacks (very odd name considering the actual Stephen F. Austin had nothing to do with the timber industry. The school is known for its forestry program though which is also odd since Texas is not a major timber exporter) are back. This time they play a flailing Texas Tech team that struggled mightily at the end of the season.
Stephen F. Austin may have his namesake revived as the team has the capability to defeat the Red Raiders. Here is how they do it…