SAN ANTONIO – University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team opens the 16-game Southland Conference schedule with two games on the road at Northwestern State (Jan. 6) and at New Orleans (Jan. 9). Games are set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. CT, respectively. The matchup at New Orleans will be streamed by Southland TV on ESPN+.

THE GAMES THIS WEEK  

• Northwestern State dropped its Southland Conference opener, 99-93 in overtime, to HBU on Jan. 2.  
• UIW looks to snap a four-game losing streak against the Demons.  
• New Orleans fell to conference preseason favorite SFA, 78-67, to open SLC play on Jan. 2. The Privateers play at Central Arkansas on Jan. 6 before taking on the Cardinals.  
• The Cardinals seek to improve on their current two-game winning streak over the Privateers.

TUNE IN 

• at Northwestern State, Jan. 6, 6:30 p.m. 
  • Watch - https://nsudemons.com/showcase?Live=2197 
  • Live Stats - http://www.sidearmstats.com/nsula/mbball 
• at New Orleans, Jan. 9, 6 p.m. 
  • Watch - https://www.espn.com/watch/ 
  • Listen - https://www.nashfm1061.com/ 
  • Live Stats - https://unoprivateers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/ 

THE CARDINALS  

• The Cardinals are shooting the SLC's third-best FG pct. (47.8) and fifth-best 3-pt FG pct. (35.5).  
• UIW is limiting opponents to 29.5 3-pt FG pct., the third-best mark in SLC.  
• The Cardinals are 4-4 all-time in games played on Jan. 6 and 5-3 on Jan. 9.  
• Keaston Willis leads the league and ranks 31st in the country with an average of 21.0 ppg. He recorded a career-best 34 points in the Dec. 31 win over McMurry.  
• Marcus Larsson set new career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (13) posting his second double-double of the season in the win against McMurry on Jan. 1. He leads the league with 7.9 rebounds per game.  
• Bradley Akhile (11), Brandon Swaby (15) and Logan Bracamonte (13) each recorded season-highs in points scored against McMurry on Jan. 1.

THE CUNNINGHAM CULTURE  

• Since taking over as head coach in 2018-19, Dr. Carson Cunningham has guided the Cardinals to new heights in the classroom, in the community and on the court.  
• Overall team GPA rose from sub-3.0 in 2017-18 to 3.23 in 2018-19, 3.46 in 2019-20 and a Fall 2020 GPA of 3.35.  
• In 2018-19, the Cardinals registered the program's first 1,000 APR score.  
• In 2018-19, UIW completed 282 hours of community service. The team was also the top men's program at UIW by completing 261.5 service hours in 2019-20.  
• UIW had a five-win improvement in conference play, going from one (2018-19) to six (2019-20) - the highest conference wins total since the team went 7-11 in the 2016-17 season.  
• The Cardinals' field goal percentage (47.8) is the 59th-best mark in the country and its 3-pt field goal defense (29.5) comes in as the 62nd-best defense in the nation this season.

UIW HISTORY 

• UIW began playing men's basketball in 1980-81. Our teams have achieved a 602-467 record. The Cardinals transitioned to Division I status when they joined the Southland Conference in 2013-14.  

• The Cardinals are 90-114 all-time in Southland Conference games.  
• UIW is 194-204 (.487) all-time in games on the road.  
• UIW, the largest Catholic university in Texas, was founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Enrollment is 10,389.  

HISTORY vs. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS 

• UIW is 2-6 all-time against Northwestern State. The Cardinals are looking to snap a four-game losing streak when they take the floor on Wednesday. The last meeting was a 70-60 win for the Demons in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on Dec. 12, 2020. 
• UIW is 5-5 all-time against New Orleans. The Cardinals want to build on their two-game win streak over the Privateers after a last-second victory on Feb. 15 at New Orleans; the red and black are 3-2 on the road against UNO.

SCOUTING THE DEMONS  

• Northwestern State finished fourth in the 2019-20 Southland Conference standings with a 15-15, 11-9 SLC record.  
• The Demons scored a season-high 93 points with seven blocks, to go along with 45.2 percent shooting and were 83.3 percent at the line against HBU to open conference play on Jan. 2.  
• The Demons are averaging 8.2 3-point field goals per game and are converting on the SLC's fourth-best mark of 33.3 percent shooting beyond-the-arc, just behind UIW (third).  
• Trenton Massner and Jairus Roberson lead the Demons' scoring attack, averaging 11.5 and 11.3 ppg, respectively. Massner scored 22 points against HBU.  
• Larry Owens recorded a career-high 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line against HBU.

SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS  

• New Orleans was slated to finish eighth in the SLC preseason polls after a 9-21 overall, 5-15 SLC record in 2019-20.  
• The Privateers rank sixth in league in field goal percentage, converting 43.4 percent of their shots.  
• New Orleans forced a season-best 22 steals against SFA. Troy Green leads the team with 12 steals on the season.   
• Green, a SLC preseason all-conference selection, is leading the Privateers and is third in the conference with 16.2 ppg. 
• Damion Rossier scored a team-high 22 points against SFA, his third 20-point game this season. He shot 9-for-14 and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, adding six rebounds and four steals against the Lumberjacks. He is sixth in league scoring at 14.6 ppg.

FOLLOW ALONG
 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwathletics.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook.

Follow the team on Twitter @UIWMBB and on Instagram @uiwmensbasketball.