BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University has hit the stretch run of the 2024-25 season where teams begin the final push for seeding in the upcoming Southland Conference tournament next month in Lake Charles, La. While the Cardinals are currently in the midst of a hot streak – winners in six of their last seven and two straight – Big Red now hits the road for a pivotal four-game stretch that has Lamar traveling to East Texas A&M, Northwestern State, Houston Christian and UIW. The good news for Lamar is it currently sits in a two-way tie for second place just 3.0 back of McNeese. Unfortunately, Southeastern Louisiana currently holds the tiebreak over Lamar. LU and Southeastern are just a game up on Nicholls and 2.0 up on a trio of other teams (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Houston Christian and Northwestern State).
 
The Cardinals could officially lock up their spot in the conference tournament Saturday. Big Red's magic number stands at just two. Any combination of two Lamar wins or two losses from UIW, Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley would secure the Cardinals a spot in the tournament.
 
A win Saturday would also be a big one for LU head coach Alvin Brooks. Now in his fourth season with the Red and White, Brooks is just one win shy of 100 for his career.
 
For all of those things to happen, Lamar will have to do it against East Texas A&M on its home floor. It has been a tough season for the Lions (3-22/1-13 SLC) who are still fighting for a spot in the SLC tournament which makes them even more dangerous. ETAMU is just a game back of New Orleans in the standings and 4.0 back of the final playoff spot. While the Lions have dropped three straight their last win during that stretch was an impressive 22-point drubbing of Northwestern State where they held the Demons to fewer than 60 points.
 
In fact, all three of ETAMU's wins this season have come at home and have been impressive victories. In addition to NSU, the Lions have also knocked off Abilene Christian and Southern.
 
The Cardinals own a slim one-game lead in the series, 15-14 (.517), but ETAMU (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce) holds the advantage when games are played in Commerce. Saturday's contest is slated to begin 2:15 p.m. from the Commerce Fieldhouse. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.
   
LU vs. the Lions
Dating back to the 1951-52 season, Lamar University and East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce) have met 29 times with Big Red holding a slim one-game lead in the series (15-14/.517). The all-time series flips in ETAMU's favor in Commerce by the same margin as the Cardinals are 6-7 (.462) all-time on the road. The Cardinals have won three straight and 11 of the previous 13 including an overtime victory in Beaumont earlier this season.
 
LU in February
The Cardinals are 293-293 (.500) all-time in the month of February. Big Red has produced above .500 records in the month 28 times in program history, which includes four perfect months (1960-61, 1963-64, 1983-84 and 2007-08). The Cardinals posted a school record 10 wins in the month twice (1960-61 and 1983-84). The February record jumps to 190-111 (.631) all-time in home games.
 
Tournament Seeding
While there is still a lot of basketball yet to be played the Cardinals are currently in a two-way tie for second in the conference standings. If the SLC tournament was held today the Cardinals would the No. 3 seed, which would be the highest tournament seed for Lamar since 2011-12. 
 
Back-to-Back Winning Seasons
Following Lamar's win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, LU needs just two more wins to secure its second-straight winning season. The Cardinals are looking for back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2018-19 and 2019-20.
 
Pursuing a Benchmark
A benchmark for success in basketball is a 20-win season. The Cardinals finished one game shy of that mark last year but still have a shot at 20 wins this season. Lamar needs just five more wins this season to get to 20. It would be LU's first 20-win season since 2018-19 and 14th overall.
 
Magic Number
Although it is still too early to be focusing on the Southland tournament, due to Lamar's hot start in league play, the Cardinals' magic number to clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Championship tournament stands at two. Heading into Saturday's round of games, any combination of two Lamar wins or two UIW, Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley losses will secure LU's playoff spot.
 
Improving on the Past
Last season, the Cardinals posted a seven-game improvement in conference play winning 12 games – their first 12-win conference season since 2018-19. Big Red needs just three more SLC wins this year to surpass that mark.