Southland Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview, predictions

Southland Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview and predictions

Mar 11, 2017; Katy, TX, USA; Members of the New Orleans Privateers raise the Southland Conference Championship trophy following their 68-65 overtime win over the Texas A&M Corpus Islanders in the Southland Conference Championship game at Merrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports /

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Southland Basketball Nicholls State Colonels Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

Key Players

G Ty Gordon, Nicholls (14.9 ppg, 3,7 apg, 45.5 FG%)

The Junior guard has been nothing short of great this season, leading the Colonels at the guard position. Gordon loves the three-ball, and it shows when he’s on. He posted a season-high 27 in a win over Houston Baptist and fell two assists short of a triple-double against North Western State. Teams can prep for him all they want, but if Gordon is able to stretch out the floor with his shooting, and pull his weight on the glass it’s going to be a very hard task to take down the #1 seeded Colonels.

F KeyShawn Feazell, McNeese (13.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg)

The 6’9″ Senior flat out dominated for the Cowboys this season, averaging a double-double while being an absolute menace to guard. After getting too much playing time the past few seasons, his minutes-per-game shot up to 29.6 and it’s no surprise why. His best game came over Southeastern Louisiana where he put up 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a 95-91 victory over the Lions.

If teams are going to get past McNeese they are going to have to figure out a way to keep Feazell off the boards or the scoreboard. Odds are they won’t be able to do both, so their best bet is to attack one and stick with it.

G Reggie Miller, Abilene Christian (6.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.4 apg)

The Wildcats are the exact definition of a team win. You never know who is going to light up the stat book, and that is exactly what led them to a 21-4 record (13-2 conference), good enough for the second seed. Enter Reggie Miller. The Senior guard let the Wildcats in minutes played this year, and he is all over the court.

He’s quick, and that speed has allowed him to set the tempo for Abilene. His best game saw him dish out 11 dimes while recording four steals. If Miller is able to set the pace for the majority of the game it’s going to be hard for anyone in the Southland to advance over the Wildcats.