For some teams, playing in the NCAA Tournament is a given. For Stephen F. Austin, it's a new thrill.

The Lumberjacks, a No. 14 seed and winner of the Southland Conference championship, are now on the floor at AmericanAirlines Arena for their first tournament practice and spent the better part of the last hour in their first NCAA press conference.

"It's been a great experience," Lumberjack coach Danny Kaspar said. "To be honest, this is a reward for the hard work put in over a season. I'm not the easiest guy to play for...we've worked very hard to get to this point."

The one drawback? The Lumberjacks tip-off tomorrow at 12:15 eastern, and Kaspar's worried some of the Stephen F. Austin fans back in Nacogdoches, Texas won't get to see the game.

But the team is expecting some fans to head to South Florida...included in that group should be the parents of guard Eric Bell.

Bell got some friendly ribbing from teammates on Thursday because his parents have never missed a game.

"Yes, it's true. I don't think my parents have missed a game since junior college," Bell said. "They're on their way here right now."

--Christy Cabrera Chirinos

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