The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 146 is Stephen F Austin basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Stephen F Austin basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 5
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 17.4
- Bids per season: 0.12
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 2
- Conference Players of the Year: 8
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 11
- Conference tournament titles: 5
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Stephen F Austin basketball
With an all-time record of 732-507, Stephen F Austin’s winning percentage of .591 is one of the highest we’ve had so far in these rankings.
The Lumberjacks have been especially good in the 21st century. Since Danny Kasper took over in 2000, 21 of their 25 seasons have been winning records. 14 have been 20-win seasons and a 32-3 season in 2013-14 stands alone.
Before the 21st century? It was the exact opposite. In the 16 seasons Sports Reference accounts for, they had just five winning seasons and two 20-win campaigns. This was one of the worst programs in college basketball.
But Kasper turned it around, with back-to-back 21-win seasons in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Then, in 2007-08, he led the Lumberjacks to a 26-6 record. The following year? They made their first-ever NCAA Tournament. They would become a consistent winner in the Southland, marked by a 27-5 campaign in Kasper’s final season in town. He wound up bringing them four regular season Southland titles and had a 246-141 record in town.
But the moment Brad Underwood showed up in 2013, the Lumberjacks started to gain national attention. His first season was the 32-win campaign, marked by an upset of 5-seed VCU in the round of 64. They didn’t lose a single game in the Southland. The following season, SFA went 29-5, winning at Memphis in the non-conference, but losing in the round of 64. In Underwood’s final season, the Lumberjacks went 28-6, took down 3-seed West Virginia, and fell just a point short of Notre Dame, or else they would have had a Sweet 16. Underwood went 89-14 in his three seasons there, winning Southland Coach of the Year all three years.
Those Stephen F Austin teams also featured Thomas Walkup – a true-life Lumberjack whose beard and skills took over America during March Madness.
When Underwood left for Oklahoma State, Kyle Keller came in and did as good of a job as a coach could do replacing a masterpiece. In year two, he led them to a 28-7 record and back to the big dance. Then, in 2019-20, he had Stephen F Austin at 28-3, which included an upset of No. 1 Duke in November. Unfortunately, COVID canceled the NCAA Tournament that year, or else they would have likely had a sixth NCAA Tournament bid.
Keller did well for a few more years, but was fired in the middle of the 2024-25 season. Last season, in year one, Matt Braeuer led them to a 28-6 record, so it seems like all is well in Lumberjack land.
But the best way to prove to you how dominant they have been? 10 of their 11 regular season conference titles have come since 2007-08. That’s good for about one every two years for a 19-year period. It seemed like not too long ago, they were the hot team on the block, but realistically, Stephen F Austin has been dominant for seasons.