KATY ? The 2008 Southland Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments will kick off at the Merrell Center in Katy this week. This is the 22nd annual women's postseason event and the 28th annual men's classic. It marks the second consecutive year that the event will be held at a neutral site. The winners of both tournaments will earn the league's automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament.
The festivities begin on Wednesday with four women's games. No. 2 seed UT Arlington, the defending champion, and No. 7 seed McNeese State open the tournament at noon, followed by No. 3 UTSA and No. 6 Northwestern State at 2:30. Top seed Texas State and No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi open the evening session at 6 p.m. and No. 4 Lamar and No. 5 Stephen F. Austin close the first-day action at 8:30 p.m.
The men begin play on Thursday, as No. 2 Lamar and No. 7 UT Arlington meet at noon. No. 3 Sam Houston State and No. 6 McNeese State will play at 2:30 p.m. Top seed Stephen F. Austin and No. 8 UTSA tip off at 6 p.m., while No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 5 Northwestern State close the day at 8:30 p.m.
Last year's men's tournament champion, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, missed this year's event and the tournament is without a defending champion for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Semifinal games for the women are set for noon and 2:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by the two men's semifinal games at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The women's championship game is slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest.
The men's championship game is scheduled for noon on Sunday and it will be televised on ESPN2.
Fans that can't attend this week's tournament can watch the first three days of the tournament on Southland TV. The 12-game tournament package costs $12.95 or single games can be purchased for $5.95 apiece.
2008 Southland Conference Tournament Schedule
March 12-16 ? Merrell Center ? Katy, Texas
Women
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 2 UT Arlington (18-9) vs. No. 7 McNeese State (10-20), noon
Game 2: No. 3 UTSA (20-9) vs. No. 6 Northwestern State (15-14), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Texas State (20-9) vs. No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11-19), 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 Lamar (17-12) vs. No. 5 Stephen F. Austin (12-16), 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, March 14
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, noon
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Championship Game: Saturday, March 15
Semifinals winners, 3 p.m. (FOX Sports Southwest)
Men
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 13
Game 1: No. 2 Lamar (19-10) vs. No. 7 UT Arlington (18-11), noon
Game 2: No. 3 Sam Houston State (22-7) vs. No. 6 McNeese State (13-15), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Stephen F. Austin (25-4) vs. No. 8 UTSA (13-16), 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana (17-12) vs. No. 5 Northwestern State (13-17), 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, March 14
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Championship Game: Sunday, March 16
Semifinals winners, noon (ESPN2)
