Stephen F. Austin Basketball: 3 Reasons why the Lumberjacks beat Texas Tech

Reason 1: Scrappiness

How can I pose this in a way that makes this statistic sound as unbelievable as it is? Stephen F. Austin has forced 679 turnovers this season. The next highest mark? 596 by Portland State. If you are doing the math, that means in 34 games this season, the Lumberjacks have averaged 20 takeaways per game. That is astounding! And by the way, both of those numbers are best in the country. Let me add to that by saying that seven Lumberjacks average at least a steal per game too (their 350 team steals is best in the nation, by the way).

What makes these facts worrisome for Texas Tech is that they are one of the sloppier teams in the Big 12. On average, they turn the ball over 13 times per game, that is not a great number. The Lumberjacks are absolute hounds on the defensive end who could stifle the Red Raider offense before they have a chance to settle in. To make matters worse, the Lumberjacks are incredibly smart with the basketball on offense, never dumbing themselves down to their opponents level. Their 4.4 turnover margin is fourth best in the country.

Truthfully, the great defenses goes a long way in this tournament. Sure, we put the spotlight on terrific shooting performances, but if you can limit a team in the scoring column while frustrating them with scrappy defense, that’s a tough formula to lose with. Expect the Lumberjacks to employ that strategy heading into this game.