Get ready New Orleans, here come the Kats

Sports

Related Photos

Bearkat players, from left, Corey Allmond, Gilberto Clavell, Lance Pevehouse and Drae Murray react after seeing Sam Houston State’s name revealed on the CBS NCAA Tournament selection show Sunday afternoon at Fat Boys. In their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in seven years, the Bearkats, seeded 14th in the South region, will play third-seeded Baylor at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans on Thursday. D.J. Shafer

Discussion

March 15, 2010

Southland Conference champion Bearkats to play Baylor in first round of NCAA tournament

By Cody Stark Assistant Sports Editor The Huntsville Item Mon Mar 15, 2010, 12:02 AM CDT

HUNTSVILLE — As each NCAA tournament regional was announced Sunday, the Bearkats were full of anticipation.

Junior forward Gilberto Clavell thought for sure that Sam Houston State was going to play fifth-seeded Temple in Jacksonville, Fla. when the Owls popped up on the television screen at Fat Boys during the selection-show party. He screamed out just as Temple’s opponent was announced, but the 13th seed happened to go to Cornell.

Slowly but surely, the Bearkats finally found out their fate and for one player, it couldn’t have worked out any better.

Senior point guard Ashton Mitchell will get to play the game he has been working four years for in front of his family and friends when 14th-seeded Sam Houston State plays third-seeded Baylor in New Orleans on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“It should be a fun experience for me, going back home in front of my family and friends,” the New Orleans native said Sunday. “My friend Tweety Carter also plays for Baylor. This should be a good experience for me.”

This is the second trip to the NCAA tournament for Sam Houston. The Bearkats were a No. 15 seed in 2003 and played the second-seeded Florida Gators in Tampa, Fla.

Sam Houston (25-7) thumped Stephen F. Austin 64-48 in the championship game of the Southland Conference tournament at the Merrell Center in Katy on Saturday to earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

As soon as CBS sports anchor Greg Gumbel announced Sam Houston would be facing Baylor on Sunday, all the Bearkat players immediately jumped to their feet in celebration.

After winning the SLC regular-season championship as well, the Kats were pumped to get a better seed this time around.

“We were excited to go to New Orleans, obviously, for Ashton Mitchell so he could return home,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “We were anxious to see where we fell as either a 13 (seed) or a 14. We are excited that we don’t have to travel across the country and look forward to playing in the NCAA tournament.”

The Bearkats are 3-6 all-time against the Bears, but things didn’t go well for Baylor in the last meeting. Sam Houston marched into Waco and came away with 81-64 victory during the 1999-2000 season.

But this is a different Bears squad under head coach Scott Drew. Baylor (25-7) finished third in the Big 12 with an 11-5 mark and advanced to the semifinals of the league’s postseason tournament before falling to Kansas State 82-75.

Baylor has three players averaging double figures in scoring with junior guard LaceDarius Dunn leading the way at 19.4. Carter adds 15.7 points per game and 6-foot-10 center Ekpe Udoh chips in 13.9.

“They have a lot of length and size. They have done a good job this year defensively,” Marlin added. “They lost two very good guards from last year and people thought they might take a step back. But they picked it right up.

“The Udoh kid, a transfer from Michigan, has made a huge impact on their club. They have had a great year in the Big 12 and are certainly deserving of their seed as well.”

There will be three other first-round games in New Orleans on Thursday. In the South bracket with SHSU and Baylor, sixth-seeded Notre Dame will face 11th-seeded Old Dominion.

The other two matchups are out of the East. Kentucky, which earned a No. 1 seed, will battle 16th-seeded East Tennessee State and eighth-seeded Texas will play ninth-seeded Wake Forest.

Ticket info

NCAA Regional tournament ticket allotment for the Sam Houston State and Baylor game at the New Orleans Arena will be made available for sale to the general public at 11 a.m. today at the SHSU Athletic Department Ticket Office, via phone at (936) 294-1729 or at www.gobearkats.com. Bearkat fans may purchase tickets to the two-game sessions in which SHSU plays. Tickets for each session are $66 each.

Text Only

Sports

Bigger, faster and stronger, Hornets can’t wait to kick off 2012 football campaign
This spring, the Hornets have overhauled their offensive plans and head coach Shane Martin, his assistant coaches, and most importantly, the players are pumped about the changes they’ve made.

May 26, 2012 3 Photos
Schallenberg: Kats now hoping résumé speaks for itself
Despite one of the best seasons in school and Southland Conference history, all the Bearkats can do now is watch scoreboards, wait and hope for the best.

May 26, 2012
The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat
The Bearkats knew exactly what they needed to get done and they were up to the task.
In order to reach championship day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Kats would have to stave off elimination twice just to get to today’s final round.
The Bearkats nearly pulled it off.

May 25, 2012 2 Photos
Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
May 25, 2012
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark.

May 24, 2012
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark.

May 23, 2012
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.

May 20, 2012 1 Photo
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds

May 19, 2012
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.

May 16, 2012 2 Photos
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.

May 14, 2012 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Get ready New Orleans, here come the Kats

Southland Conference champion Bearkats to play Baylor in first round of NCAA tournament

Site Map

Contact Us