BEAUMONT, Texas – Just two days after defeating Rice on the road, Lamar University (4-4) will be making a return trip to the Bayou City to take on the University of Houston. The Cardinals' victory over Rice put an end to a minor two-game slide, as well as moved LU back to .500 on the season. Big Red now turns its attention to a very tough Houston squad.
 
The Cougars are off to one of their best starts in program history posting a 6-0 mark heading into Tuesday's contest. Houston is coming off an upset of nationally ranked Oregon, 65-61, Saturday in Houston at the newly opened Fertitta Center. The Cougars have had a favorable schedule to this point in the season with all but one of their games being played in Houston. UH will hit the road for Oklahoma State following Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals are nearly one-third of the way through the 2018-19 campaign and have already posted some strong numbers. Entering the ninth game of the year, the Cardinals rank among the league's top three in 10 different statistical categories and own the Southland's top spot in several areas. LU leads the Southland in three-point field-goal percent defense, rebounding offense, offensive rebounds and rebound margin.
 
The Cardinals' are averaging better than 77 points per game and that offense is led by four players averaging in double figures. Seniors Josh Nzeakor and Nick Garth lead the team scoring just under 14 points per game (Nzeakor -13.8 ppg/Garth – 13.6 ppg), while junior Jordan Hunter is averaging 13.0 points per game and leads the team averaging nearly 5.0 assists per game. Classmate T.J. Atwood is off to one of the best starts in his career scoring 12.4 points and pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game.
 
Big Red has served as an imposing figure on the boards all season. The Cardinals are pulling down better than 42 rebounds per contest and recording nearly nine more rebounds than their opponent each time out.
 
UH is averaging nearly 77 points per game on the season, but the Cougars hang their hat on the defensive end of the floor. The Cougars are holding opponents to fewer than 59 points per game on the season and only one – Rice – has been able to score more than 62 this season. Three of their 2018-19 opponents have been unable to reach the 60-point barrier.
 
The 2018-19 version of the Cardinals enter Tuesday's game with the weight of the series resting squarely on their shoulders. Big Red has struggled in the series recording just three wins in 26 all-time meetings. The last time LU walked off the court victorious against Houston was the 1994-95 season, and all three Cardinal victories have come in Beaumont. Tuesday marks the first meeting between the two schools since the 2004-05 season.
 
Tuesday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Fertitta Center and will be streamed live on ESPN3. Fans can catch the full radio broadcast of LU men's basketball games on Newstalk 560 KLVI.