It's Tourney Time

In case you haven’t noticed by the 80-degree temperatures outside that it has turned to Spring and as the basketball teams hit postseason play the spring sport teams are getting their seasons in high gear as well.

The basketball teams will play in their conference tournaments this weekend. I anticipate a pair of highly-competitive events. Both teams seem to be playing at a high-level going into the tournament and both have legitimate shots at the titles.
Anytime you don’t return a starter, a back slide is expected. That is not been the case with the Cowgirls, who once again have won 20 games. It marks the 10th straight year the Cowgirls have won 20 games, which is tied for the fourth longest streak in the nation. The young Cowgirls have continued to progress as the season has gone along.

If they play as well as they can there is no reason they won’t be cutting down the nets on Sunday. It is a tough road to get there. HSU has to play Mississippi College in the first round and the Choctaws have improved greatly since the first meeting. A date with Howard Payne is likely in the semifinals. There is no doubt that HPU is a great team, but HSU is not that far away. A well played 40 minutes could get the Cowgirls to the Championship, where a crosstown showdown would not be out of the question.

There are a lot of unknowns for several Cowgirls how they will play in their first ASC Tournament. The talent is there. Best of luck to Shanna Briggs and the ladies in their quest for a seventh ASC Tournament title.

The men’s tournament on paper looks as competitive as ever. A first round loss or a championship is not out of the question for any of the eight teams. The Cowboys have several players with experience of playing in the tournament and that should help their prospects.

HSU has won at least one game the two previous times in the tournament and last year went to the finals. A win would be a nice reward for the Jean brothers in their senior year. Mardochee has had one of the best careers ever by an ASC player and it would be nice to see him play in the NCAA Tournament.

If the Cowboys continue to hit shots, I expect them to be in need of a pair of scissors on Sunday as well. To do that they will have to beat a very tough UT-Tyler team, then probably Mary Hardin-Baylor on their home court. They have beaten both teams this season, so it is not like they go in as a underdog, but it won’t be easy either.

The baseball, tennis and softball teams are all on the road this weekend as well against quality opponents. Coach Steve Coleman’s Cowboys are off to a 6-2 start. The softball team swept a doubleheader last week and is 2-0 on the year and the tennis teams play at arch-rival Trinity and open league play at Texas Lutheran.