Stephen F. Austin Basketball: How Lumberjacks stunned Duke in Cameron Indoor

Stephen F. Austin was more aggressive, fit, and gutsy

Stephen F. Austin did not just go into Cameron Indoor and play with the mindset of not getting killed. They went into Durham and pushed the Blue Devils around all night long. The Lumberjacks from the small town of Nacogdoches, Texas went in with a fiery attitude and were extremely feisty.

This is nothing new for Stephen F. Austin teams. Back between 2013 and 2016, they made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, winning their first-round games in 2014 and 2016. Then, they were led by Head Coach Brad Underwood and a very talented player in Thomas Walkup. He was known for his relentlessness and his fitness level that were superior to that of everyone else on the floor.

Last night, the NCAA basketball world was able to see that this Stephen F. Austin team is much like the team from a few years ago. They went 45 minutes with Duke’s highly touted lineup and proved they were more fit. Where Duke was gassed, SFA still had the will to keep playing.

They were not afraid to put bodies on the Duke players and even fouled quite a bit. This fouling and aggressiveness allowed Duke to attempt 40 free throws in the game. It sounds bad, but Duke was not hitting them. The Blue Devils went 24-40 from the foul line and their points were not coming easily.

One issue Stephen F. Austin faced is one that I was afraid would hurt their chances of winning. They quickly got into foul trouble. When this happens, most schools tap into their depth in order to save their guys. In a gutsy move, SFA was aware that if they were going to win, then they were going to have to take chances and let their guys play it out. It was wild, but with a few minutes left in regulation, there were three Lumberjacks on the floor with 4 fouls and two with 3.

We have all seen in NCAA Tournament games in the past that foul trouble can be what prevents mid-majors from winning big games due to the fact that they typically tone their defense back. This was not the case on Tuesday.

The SFA defense remained completely aggressive. With 4 minutes to play in regulation, Cassius Stanley attempted to drive toward the basket. Gavin Kensmil, while holding on to 4 fouls, stood in his way to take a charge. It was exciting to watch.

This type of aggressiveness and the gutsiness to play so many players in foul trouble proved to pay off in the end for Stephen F. Austin. They were the more physical team and it was clear that they wanted it more. They picked up the win that they greatly deserved.