BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University travels to Natchitoches, La. Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest at Northwestern State. The game – one of three remaining on the 2023-24 schedule – starts a two-game road swing that will see the Cardinals visit NSU and Texas A&M-Commerce before returning home to close out the regular season against Houston Christian.
 
The Cardinals enter the weekend currently in a two-way tie for fourth (Southeastern Louisiana) in the conference standings. The Cardinals have split their last four games but are coming off two very tough games against the top two teams in the standings, including a heartbreaking, last second loss to league-leading McNeese.
 
Big Red holds a two-game lead over NSU in the standings, but the Demons are looking to close the year with a surge and try and work their way into a first-round tournament bye. Northwestern State enters the weekend showdown playing some of its best basketball of the season having won three of its last four and coming off a 13-point victory at Houston Christian.
 
With three games remaining on the schedule, the Cardinals are fighting to improve their seeding in the tournament. Currently tied with Southeastern Louisiana for fourth, the Cardinals merely need to keep pace with the Lions to maintain the four seed due to the tiebreak, but Lamar can still move into the No. 2 spot with some help. The easiest path to the second seed (and a two-round bye) is to win out and have both Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi lose out. Should Lamar end in a tie with the Colonels LU holds the tiebreak, but A&M-Corpus Christi holds the advantage over Big Red. Sam rules apply for the third overall seed.
 
The Cardinals also have a shot at their first winning season since the 2019-20 season. Lamar needs just two more wins this season to secure an above .500 campaign.
 
Saturday's game is slated for a 3 p.m. tip off from Prather Coliseum and will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 and streamed live on ESPN+.