Southeastern Louisiana Lions
Southland (22-11, 15-3)
Coach Jay Ladner has slowly rebuilt Southeastern Louisiana. It took until last season, Coach Ladner’s third at the helm, for the Lions to have their first winning record since 2010-2011. And they built off that with a great 2017-2018 season, ending with a 15-3 record in Southland play and a share of the conference title.
Big Wins: 11/21 at Kent State (70-66), 12/28 Stephen F. Austin (73-62), 1/27 at Nicholls (67-63)
Bad Losses: 12/16 Grambling State (67-68), 1/13 McNeese (62-71), 1/31 TAMU-CC (54-67)
Coach: Jay Ladner
Why They Can Surprise:
Southeastern Louisiana has had success with their solid team defense. The Lions will create plenty of turnovers and they need to continue to turn those into easy buckets on the other end. Marlain Veal averages 2.0 steals per game on top of his 13.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds. He is the guy that makes this team tick on both ends of the floor. Joshua Filmore is the team’s most prolific outside shooter, while Eddy Polanco can do some scoring from the perimeter as well. The frontcourt boasts Jordan Capps and Moses Greenwood and both of them have emerged as consistent interior scorers.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Lions do not have much depth. James Currington and Jabbar Singleton were regular contributors until late February and will not return. Their absence has put Polanco into the starting lineup and leaves Greenwood and Brandon Gonzalez as the only regulars on the bench. And Gonzalez averages fewer than ten minutes per game. The sudden lack of depth could catch up to Southeastern Louisiana sooner or later.
Probable Starters:
Marlain Veal, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.0 spg
Eddy Polanco, Senior, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 1.7 apg, 3.4 rpg
Joshua Filmore, Senior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.1 apg
Keith Charleston, Junior, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.4 apg
Jordan Capps, Senior, Forward, 13.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Key Role Players:
Moses Greenwood, Junior, Forward, 10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.6 (216th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (82, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.5 (143, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (144, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (187, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.7 (139, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.8 (338, 11)
Rebound Margin: -0.5 (221, 9)
Assists Per Game: 14.8 (97, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.9 (274, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
No Recent Tournament History
*all team stats through 3/4
