Main Story: Stephen F. Austin hosts Sam Houston on Friday for an exhibition that opens Homecoming weekend and renews a rivalry dating to 1925. The game won’t count in the official series, but it offers both teams a final preseason test before the regular season.

By the Numbers
  • SFA leads the all-time series, 108-91.
  • SFA went 28-6 last season; Sam Houston finished 22-12.
  • SFA is picked second in the Southland preseason poll; Sam Houston is picked fourth.
  • Tip-off is Friday at 6 p.m.; SFA opens its regular season Nov. 2, and Sam Houston opens Nov. 3.
Yes, But

The exhibition won’t affect the official rivalry record. Still, last year’s overtime meeting—in which Keon Thompson scored 40 points for SFA—showed that even a preseason matchup can carry plenty of competitive edge.

State of Play
  • SFA returns five players and adds seven transfers and three freshmen after an NIT season.
  • Sam Houston also returns five players, including preseason all-conference guards Justin Begg and Jacobe Coleman, alongside six transfers and four freshmen.
What's Next

Friday is SFA’s last tune-up before its Nov. 2 opener against Lyon College. Sam Houston begins its season Nov. 3 at Alabama.

Bottom Line

The exhibition won’t change the record books, but it gives two reshaped, postseason-tested teams an early chance to set the tone for another chapter in a century-old rivalry.