SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team heads to Katy, Texas, to face Houston Baptist University (HBU) in its opening game of the 2022 Southland Conference (SLC) Basketball Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, at 5 p.m. CT at the Merrell Center.
 
FOLLOW THE GAME

• Watch the game live on ESPN+
• Follow live stats
• Listen Live on UIW Sports Network
• Buy tickets to the event here

 
LAST TIME THEY MET

• During the 2021-22 regular season, the Cardinals and Huskies faced each other on three different dates.
• In the first meeting, UIW defeated HBU (60-50) during the SLC Tip-Off Event. Josh Morgan led the Cardinal offense with 22 points.
• On Jan. 20, UIW fell, 68-65. On Feb. 24, HBU secured an 82-68 win. Robert "RJ" Glasper led the Cardinal offense in both contests with a total of 38 points (15 and 23, respectively).

 
UIW
The Cardinals (eighth seed in the SLC Tournament) registered two big wins against the University of New Orleans on Feb. 5 (78-70) and Southeastern Louisiana University on Feb. 19 (92-84). At the time, both programs were at the top of the SLC rankings and UIW capitalized on the challenge.
 
HBU
The Huskies enter the SLC tournament as the fifth seed. HBU is coming off a historic four-overtime win against McNeese State University. The Huskies secured a 149-144 victory.
 
UIW PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Glasper earned a spot on the SLC All-Conference third team after registering 471 points for an average of 15.7 per game this season.
• Josh Morgan is the Cardinals' second-leading scorer with 292 points (11.7 points per game). He had a season-best 28-point performance on Nov. 16 against Concordia of Texas.
• Drew Lutz leads UIW in assists, tallying 98 on the season and averaging 3.8 per game. He also has a team-best 31 steals, averaging 1.2 a game.
• Benjamin Griscti has registered the most blocks on the team with 15. Griscti is also second for most 3-pointers made with 51.
• Brandon Swaby has tallied the most rebounds for UIW, totaling 150 (52 offensive and 98 defensive). He is also the top Cardinal defender who typically guarded the opponent's leading scorer each game. His defensive versatility held several of the conference's leading scorers below their season average (Ex. Mushila from TAMUCC averages 14.1 but scored only six against UIW on March 5).

 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics, and like UIW Athletics on Facebook.  
Follow the team on Twitter @UIWMBB and Instagram @uiwmensbasketball.