BEAUMONT, Texas – As we approach the stretch run of the 2022-23 season, the Lamar University men's basketball team enters the week – a unique week – looking to lock down a spot in the Southland Conference tournament. Big Red enters Thursday's competition currently in a two-way tie for eighth with McNeese – who they've already played twice (in conference play) and split the series. With that being said, the conference standings have remained a log jam all season, and it appears that will continue through the end of the regular season.
 
The Cardinals are currently a game up on New Orleans in the standings, and just a game back of their next opponent, Houston Christian. In an odd quirk to the 2022-23 schedule, the Cardinals will face HCU Thursday and then turn right back around and face the Huskies Saturday in Houston. If everything goes LU's way, the Cardinals can move up two spots in the standings by the end of the week, at the very minimum with two wins this week Big Red would at least leapfrog Houston Christian.
 
Despite numerous injuries, the Cardinals seem to be playing their best basketball of the season. While the Cardinals have split their last four games, that stretch has also including a four-point loss against league co-leader Northwestern State, and a nine-point setback at the other co-leader, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – a game where Lamar had chances late but couldn't convert at key moments.
 
The Huskies are hoping they have righted the ship from their recent five-game slide. After getting out to a 3-2 start in league play (a stretch that included beating at the time league leading A&M-Corpus Christi), HCU then went on to drop five straight. The Huskies snapped that slide with a six-point victory Saturday at UIW.
 
The two teams are complete opposites of each other, as the Huskies bring the SLC's second leading scoring offense to Beaumont (78.2 ppg), but they have struggled defensively giving up nearly 84 points per game. On the flip side of that, Big Red currently ranks 10^th offensively, but the defense holding opponents to 73 points per contest.
 
Thursday's game is slated to tip off at approximately 7:30 p.m. (or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game) from the Montagne Center. It will be televised on ESPN+ and broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.