Lamar University (18-13) enters the Southland Conference Championship tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season and will be the league's No. 4 overall seed after posting a 12-6 (.667) Southland Conference record. The Cardinals came on strong at the end of the season to secure the No. 4 seed winning three straight and five of their last seven games. Due to earning the conference's fourth seed, the Cardinals have received a first-round bye and await the winner of Sunday's first-round game between No. 8 New Orleans and fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana. The Cardinals posted a perfect 4-0 combined record against the Privateers and Lions. Monday's quarterfinal contest is slated for a 5 p.m. tipoff Monday from the Legacy Center in Lake Charles, La. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+. Should the Cardinals advance to the semifinal round they will take on SLC regular-season champion, and No. 1 overall seed McNeese. The Cowboys earned the league's top seed after posting a 28-3 (.903) overall record and a 17-1 (.944) mark in conference play. The conference semifinals are set for a 5:30 p.m. tip off and will be televised on ESPNU.
Ides of March
The Cardinals are making their 21st appearance in the SLC Championships. Big Red enters the 2024 version of the tournament looking to win its fifth title and make its seventh apparance in the NCAA tournament.
We're Back!
LU has qualified for its first Southland Conference tournament since the 2020-21 season. Big Red heads to Lake Charles, La., as the No. 4 seed, the highest seed for the Red and White since the 2011-12 season. That year the Cardinals went 3-0 and defeated McNeese in the championship game to advance to the the NCAA Championships.
The Bracket
The Cardinals enter the postseason with the No. 4 overall seed. The rest of the bracket consist of top seed McNeese, No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christian, No. 3 Nicholls, No. 5 Southeastern Louisiana, No. 6 Northwestern State, No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 8 New Orleans. The Cardinals posted a 10-4 (.714) record this season against the other seven teams in the tournament.
The Last Time Here
The Cardinals entered the 2021 Southland Conference Championships as the league's No. 6 overall seed and made one of the best touranment runs in program history. The Cardinals shocked the league by advancing to the conference semifinals before running out of steam against then No. 2-seed Abilene Christian. The Cardinals knocked off 10th-seeded Houston Christian (who pulled off an upset on the opening night of the tournament), and then followed that up with a shocking one-point victory over third-seeded Sam Houston. Including the regular-season finale, Lamar had played four games in a six-day stretch.
LU in Opening-Round Games
The Cardinals have had a great deal of success in their first game of the SLC Championships, regardless of the round. LU is 16-4 (.800) all-time in its opening-round games.
LU in the Southland Championships
LU has been one of the Southland's more dominant teams in tournament history. Big Red is making its 21st appearance in the SLC touranment with a 24-15 (.615) all-time record. The Cardinals have won four tournament titles with two runner-up finishes.
Being the 4
The 2024 Southland Conference Championship tournament marks the third time in program history that Big Red enters the postseason as the No. 4 overall seed (1987, 2002, 2024). The Cardinals are 2-2 (.500) all-time in tournament play when entering as the four seed.
LU vs. No. 1-Seed Cowboys
The rivalry between Lamar and McNeese dates back to the 1951-52 season with the Cardinals holding a 62-54 (.534) series lead. McNeese one both meetings this season and has won four of the past five. If the two meet in the semifinals, it would be the first postseason meeting since 2019-20 when LU defeated McNeese in the opening round before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
LU vs. No. 2-Seed Islanders
The series between Lamar and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi dates back to the 1954-55 season with the Cardinals holding a nine-game advantage, 24-15 (.615). The Islanders took both meetings this season and have won four of the last five. The two schools have never met in the postseason.
LU vs. No. 3-Seed Colonels
The series between LU and Nicholls dates back to the 1959-60 season with Big Red holding a 30-16 (.652) all-time series advantage. The Cardinals have won three of the past four meetings including a series sweep in 2023-24. The two schools have met on a neutral court only one other time which was the original meeting in 1959.
LU vs. No. 5-Seed Lions
The series between Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana dates back to the 1958-59 season, with the Cardinals holding a five-game advantage, 30-25 (.545). The Cardinals took both meeetings this season but the two schools have split the previous four. The two schools have met on a neutral site three times with Lamar taking two of those games. The last time the two squared off in SLC touranment play was the 2016-17 season when Big Red posted a 77-65 victory.
LU vs. No. 6-Seed Demons
The series between Big Red and Northwestern State dates back to the 1951-52 season with Lamar holding a 31-29 (.517) series advantage. The Cardinals took both meetings this year including one in overtime in Natchitoches, La. Lamar has won seven of the previous 10. The two schools have met on a neutral court three times (last time in March, 2012) with Lamar holding a 2-1 (.667) record in those games.
LU vs. No. 7-Seed Lions
The series between LU and Texas A&M-Commerce dates back to the 1951-52 season despite only meeting 28 times overall. The series is even at 14-14 (.500) with Lamar gaining the upperhand this season taking both meetings. Should the two teams meet in Lake Charles it would be the first game on a neutral court.
LU vs. No. 8-Seed Privateers
The series between Lamar and New Orleans dates back to the 1976-77 season and has been one that has favored the Privateers. UNO holds a 32-10 (.762) advantage but the Cardinals began to flip the script this season taking both meetings. The two have met only one other time in postseason play (March, 2019) when Lamar dropped a four-point decision.
LU in March
The Cardinals are 65-73 (.471) all-time in the month of March.
Double-Double
Junior Terry Anderson led Lamar with seven double-doubles this season. He outpaced teammate Adam Hamilton who had six. As a team the Cardinals finished the year with 13 double-doubles.
Trending in the Right Direction
For a second consecutive season, Lamar has posted at least a seven-game improvement from its previous season. Big Red recorded nine-win improvement this season, which comes on the heels of a seven-game improvement last season.
Winning Season
In addition to securing the No. 4 overall seed, Lamar also locked up a winning season this year, no matter what happens in the tournament. It's the Cardinals first winning season since the 2019-20.
The Cardinal Rule
Lamar has been one of the Southland's more dominant teams. LU has won nearly 53 percent of its league games and has more NCAA tournament appearances than any of the current SLC schools (6), and their five NIT berths are also tops in the league. LU has had 84 players earn All-SLC honors, including 32 first-teamers. Six have been named SLC newcomer of the year, five SLC tournament MVPs, four SLC Players of the Year, two freshmen of the year and a defensive player of the year.
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