BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team will look to close out its current homestand with a .500 record, but to do that the Cardinals need to get past a very tough Nicholls squad. It has been a tough stretch for the Cardinals who have dropped consecutive games and four of their last five. The Cardinals (4-13/2-6 Southland) are currently on the outside of the Southland Conference playoff picture looking in. Big Red enters the week 10^th in the league standings, a half game back of Houston Baptist and just a game back of New Orleans.
 
Nicholls comes to Beaumont currently fourth in the league chase just a game back in the loss column of the three teams tied for first. The Colonels had won eight straight games, but had that win streak snapped Saturday at Sam Houston.
 
The league standings are so jam packed that LU is just 2.5 games out of fifth place overall. The same can be said of the teams chasing Big Red. McNeese, Central Arkansas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi all sit within 1.5 games of the Cardinals.
 
The Colonels lead the league in rebounding, pulling down nearly 38 boards per game. Oddly, Nicholls pulls down just as many rebounds per game (37.6) as they surrender to their opponents. The Cardinals average better than 34 rebounds per contest.
 
Nicholls averages 76.9 points per game while the Cardinals are scoring better than 63 per contest. LU shoots the ball at a 40 percent clip, while Nicholls shoots 45 percent on the season.
 
The Cardinals lead the all-time series against Nicholls, 27-14 (.659), but enter the week looking to reverse the current trend. LU has lost three straight and four of the past five to Nicholls, with the last victory coming in 2018-19 (in Thibodaux). The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 18-5 (.783) in Beaumont, but LU is looking for its first home win in the series since the 2016-17 season. Nicholls took the first meeting between the two school last month when they recorded a 76-69 decision in Thibodaux.
 
Wednesday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center and will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI, and streamed live on ESPN+.