LAKE CHARLES, La. (Interstat) — The Southland Conference men’s basketball championship and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth will be on the line Tuesday when the top-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks face the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. The Lumberjacks (27-4), the conference’s dominant force all season, enter as heavy favorites. They defeated the Islanders twice during the regular season, including a 78-68 victory in Corpus Christi on Feb. 16. Star guard Lateef Patrick, who scored 21 points in that win, is Stephen F. Austin’s primary offensive threat. He averaged 22.5 points over his final four regular-season games. The Islanders (18-14), however, are playing their best basketball at the right time, riding a four-game winning streak into the final. Their surge has been fueled by guard Daniel MicheliniJackson, who erupted for a career-high 28 points in Monday’s 74-61 semifinal win over New Orleans. His scoring punch will be critical for an Islanders team that lost both prior meetings with the Lumberjacks this season by an average of 9.5 points. Stephen F. Austin boasts the league’s best record and most efficient offense, but showed vulnerability in a home loss to New Orleans on Feb. 23. The Lumberjacks have not played since a March 2 win at Incarnate Word, potentially facing rust versus a battle-tested Islanders squad playing on consecutive days. The championship game tips off at 8:30 p.m. CDT at the Legacy Center. The winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament. Stephen F. Austin seeks its first bid since 2018, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi aims for a second trip in three years.