Two seasons of losing for Northwestern State built levels of frustration. If the Demons win this afternoon, those two years will melt away into distant memories.
The top-seeded Demons face No. 2 seed Southeastern Louisiana for the Southland Conference tournament championship. ESPN2 will televise the game.
"(Today) will set off this program and take it to another level," forward Jermaine Spencer said.
The biggest game at Prather Coliseum tips off at 1 p.m. One of the arena's largest crowds will watch -- possibly the largest ever -- and a national television audience will tune in to see a champion crowned.
The situation exudes pressure. Yet, Northwestern State experienced too much hardship and too many losses the last two seasons to let this moment elude it.
The Demons took its lumps as the youngest team among all 323 Division I programs.
They were the little brother of the Southland Conference and night after night the league's 10 teams pounded them.
Five juniors and a redshirt sophomore on this year's squad endured those difficult seasons and the 38 combined losses. They were the force behind the Demons' first Southland Conference regular-season title and their first crown in 31 seasons.
They are one win from adding a conference tournament title to their belt and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"I knew all the hardships we went through we were going to reap the benefits," forward Clifton Lee said. "We're not going to let it slip away."
Guards Tyronn Mitchell, Jermaine Wallace, center Alfonse Dyer, forward Byron Allen, Spencer and Lee had to adapt quickly when they came into the program. The losses piled up as they learned the system not from the bench, but on the court.
Then there were the 6:30 a.m. workouts. The early morning practices became the standard for the team, giving them a couple of hours to focus on basketball.
"Everything is coming together now," Forges said. "Everything is paying off."
The Demons beat the Lions back on Jan. 15. The win became the tie-breaker to give them the top seed for the tournament.
"They can get physical, but we've got three more guys coming off the bench," Spencer said. "We can let them bang and get tired and we can come back with fresh people.
"We're too close to let it slip away. We've been working too hard."
The top-seeded Demons face No. 2 seed Southeastern Louisiana for the Southland Conference tournament championship. ESPN2 will televise the game.
"(Today) will set off this program and take it to another level," forward Jermaine Spencer said.
The biggest game at Prather Coliseum tips off at 1 p.m. One of the arena's largest crowds will watch -- possibly the largest ever -- and a national television audience will tune in to see a champion crowned.
The situation exudes pressure. Yet, Northwestern State experienced too much hardship and too many losses the last two seasons to let this moment elude it.
The Demons took its lumps as the youngest team among all 323 Division I programs.
They were the little brother of the Southland Conference and night after night the league's 10 teams pounded them.
Five juniors and a redshirt sophomore on this year's squad endured those difficult seasons and the 38 combined losses. They were the force behind the Demons' first Southland Conference regular-season title and their first crown in 31 seasons.
They are one win from adding a conference tournament title to their belt and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"I knew all the hardships we went through we were going to reap the benefits," forward Clifton Lee said. "We're not going to let it slip away."
Guards Tyronn Mitchell, Jermaine Wallace, center Alfonse Dyer, forward Byron Allen, Spencer and Lee had to adapt quickly when they came into the program. The losses piled up as they learned the system not from the bench, but on the court.
Then there were the 6:30 a.m. workouts. The early morning practices became the standard for the team, giving them a couple of hours to focus on basketball.
"Everything is coming together now," Forges said. "Everything is paying off."
The Demons beat the Lions back on Jan. 15. The win became the tie-breaker to give them the top seed for the tournament.
"They can get physical, but we've got three more guys coming off the bench," Spencer said. "We can let them bang and get tired and we can come back with fresh people.
"We're too close to let it slip away. We've been working too hard."
