BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team is hoping the start of Southland Conference play is just what the doctor ordered. After opening the year winning eight of their first nine games, the Cardinals (8-5/0-0 SLC) have fallen on some tough times dropping all four games of a recent road swing that saw LU travel to Carbondale, Ill., Pittsburgh, Pa., and finish the trip with two games in Las Vegas. After taking a couple days off to celebrate the holidays, the Cardinals now look to get back in the win column against Houston Baptist in the Southland Conference opener.
 
While the Cardinals are looking to get back to the winning ways that saw them jump out to one of the best starts in program history, HBU is hoping the start of Southland Conference play will turn their season around. The Huskies are 4-9 (.308) on the year and have dropped consecutive games and five of their past six. Included the Huskies recent rough patch has been games against Vanderbilt and No. 2 Michigan State. The team's lone victory during the past six games was a 100-65 outcome against Barclay.
 
Despite the Huskies recent struggles, they bring one of the league's best front courts to Beaumont led by preseason All-Southland selection Josh Ibarra. One of four Huskies averaging double-figures Ibarra leads HBU averaging a double-double per game (16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds).
 
Offensively, there is very little difference between HBU and the Cardinals. Both squads have at least three players averaging in double figures, and both teams are scoring nearly 80 per game. The main difference comes on the defensive end. Houston Baptist has struggled to slow opponents down this season surrendering more than 84 points per game. The Huskies have held opponents to below 70 points only four times this season, and only one of those has been a Division I program (Texas State).
 
The Cardinals rank among the league leaders in scoring defense. Big Red is surrendering fewer than 66 points per game to opponents, and only four teams have been able to reach the 70-point plateau against the Red and White.  
 
A preseason first-team All-Southland selection, Colton Weisbrod is once again making a push for postseason honors. The senior Nederland native ranks among the league leaders averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game and is coming off one of his best games of the season. Despite a four-point setback to North Carolina A&T, Weisbrod scored 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
 
The Cardinals are receiving a significant boost from senior James Harrison off the bench. The UT Martin transfer has scored in double figures in each of the team's past three games and has set a new career high in each of the past two. He is averaging better than 15 points per game during that stretch.
 
The Cardinals lead the all-time series against Houston Baptist, but the Huskies have dominated the series lately. LU owns a 9-7 (.563) overall record against HBU, but the Huskies have won four straight and five of the last six meetings. The Cardinals are 9-3 (.750) all-time against HBU in Beaumont, but LU's last home victory in the series came during the 2014-15 season.
 
The Cardinals are 28-15 (.651) all-time in Southland Conference openers, including a 78-75 victory at Central Arkansas last season. Big Red has won three-straight Southland openers, and eight of the last 11. Thursday marks the first time in program history that LU will open a conference season against Houston Baptist.
 
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It will serve as the conference opener for both teams and can be heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and seen on ESPN3.
 
-LU CARDINALS-