SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team prepares for its final week of the regular season with three games, starting today with a 7:15 p.m. CT tip-off against New Orleans in the Cardinals' home finale. The winner will clinch a spot in next week's 2021 Hercules Tire Southland Basketball Tournament.
UIW is on the road for their final two games of the season, traveling to Houston Baptist on Wednesday, March 3, 6:30 p.m. CT, and Abilene Christian on Saturday, March 6 at 3:30 p.m. CT.
THE GAMES THIS WEEK
- UIW looks to make a playoff push in the final three games of the regular season.
- The Cardinals are seeking to avenge losses to each of their final three opponents of the season.
- The Cardinals host New Orleans on Monday, March 1 at 7:15 p.m. in their home season finale. The winner will clinch a spot in the SLC tournament.
- UIW travels to HBU on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. and wraps up the regular season with a trip to Abilene Christian on Saturday, March 6 for a 3 p.m. tip against the Wildcats.
TUNE IN
- vs. New Orleans, Monday, March 1, 7:15 p.m. CT
- at HBU, Wednesday, March 3, 6:30 p.m. CT
- at ACU, Saturday, March 6, 3:30 p.m. CT
THE CARDINALS
- With a win, the Cardinals will tie their best conference start in back-to-back seasons and clinch their first SLC postseason appearance under third-year head coach Dr. Carson Cunningham.
- UIW is the nation's sixth-best team in 3-point offense (39.6%), good for the program's fifth-best mark in a single season.
- Sophomore Keaston Willis is the nation's 43rd-best scorer, averaging 19.2 points per game.
- Willis, freshman Logan Bracamonte and sophomore Brandon Swaby are the league's top-20 best 3-point shooters. Willis is eighth averaging 2.1 3s per game, Bracamonte is right behind with 2.1 and Swaby sits 16th with 1.6 3s per game.
- Senior Des Balentine and sophomore Drew Lutz are the only pair of teammates in SLC's assists-to-turnover ratio top-10. Balentine ranks fifth with a 2.2 A/T ratio, Lutz is seventh with a 1.7 A/T ratio.
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.
- This season, the Cardinals are second in SLC scoring defense, holding opponents to 69.6 points per game and fifth in the league averaging 7.9 3-pointers per game.
SERIES HISTORY vs. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
- UIW is 5-6 all-time against New Orleans. The Privateers won, 86-64, on their home court earlier this season.
- The Cardinals are 7-7 all-time against HBU. The Huskies stole a 73-57 victory inside the McDermott Center earlier this season.
- UIW is 12-9 all-time against ACU. The Cardinals are looking to snap a seven-game skid against the Wildcats, who won, 75-67, in the last meeting on Jan. 30.
SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS
- New Orleans pushed league-leading Nicholls to the brink in a 101-105 overtime loss on Saturday.
- Derek St. Helaire made six 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 32 points against the Colonels.
- UNO is the Southland Conference's third-best shooting team (46.4%).
- Damion Rossier leads the Privateers and ranks fourth in the league, averaging 15.8 points per game. Rossier scored 18 points in the previous meeting against UIW.
- UNO scored 46 of its 86 points in the paint and shot 64.8% (345-54) last time against the Cardinals.
- Troy Green ranks fourth in the conference shooting 77.9% (74-of- 95) from the free-throw line. Just ahead of Keaston Willis (5th, 77.6%).
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- Houston Baptist is averaging 71.6 points per game but giving up a league-most 81.7 points to opponents.
- HBU is second in the SLC with a 73.5% free throw conversion rate (238-of-324).
- The Huskies are also second in the league averaging 3.95 blocks per game.
- Pedro Castro has recorded five double-doubles this season. He scored 14 points and seven rebounds last time out against the Cardinals.
- Darius Lee led all scorers with 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench in the Jan. 27 meeting.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
- Abilene Christian is the league's number one scoring defense, holding opponents to just 60.7 points per game.
- The Wildcats lead the conference with a +16.1 scoring margin.
- ACU knows how to take care of the rock, averaging a league-low 13.1 turnovers per game while collecting a league-leading 9.9 steals per game.
- The Wildcats lead the nation in both forced turnovers (20.3) and turnover margin (+7.3).
- ACU's Reggie Miller and Damien Daniels are tied for second in the conference averaging 2.0 steals per game.
- Five Wildcats scored in double figures in the Jan. 20 meeting at UIW. Joe Pleasant led with 17 points with Kolton Kohl adding 16 and Daniels finishing with 12. Mahki Morris and Airion Simmons each scored 10 points.
FOLLOW ALONG
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