SAN ANTONIO - In its third season under head coach Shane Heirman the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team finished 12-19 overall with a 7-15 record in the Southland Conference.
As the 2025-2026 season got underway it seemed that UIW men's basketball wins and losses were determined by whether the Cardinals were at home, on the road, or at a neutral site. Starting things off 8-0 at home, 0-8 on the road, and 1-1 in tournament games.
At home the Cardinals couldn't be beat. UIW came out swinging, scoring at least 100 points in each of its first three games. In game number one the Cards hit a single game record 17 3-pointers, they were led by Harrison Reede who set a record of his own knocking down 12 shots beyond the arc. They rode that momentum into the second home contest of the season where Tahj Staveskie recorded 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, for the first triple double in UIW men's basketball history. Two weeks later the Cardinals scored a program high 117 points in a win over TLU and took down the now three-time defending SLC champion McNeese Cowboys for the highest NET ranking win in program history, 44. The home win streak continued for eight straight games until UIW fell on January 19 to East Texas A&M at the McDermott Center.
Early in the season the Cardinals returned to Daytona Beach for the Boardwalk Battle where they split games. Davion Bailey was dominant in both games scoring 27.5 ppg, hitting nine 3 pointers, and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Bailey was rewarded for stuffing the stat sheet by being named to the Boardwalk Battle All-Tournament team and Southland Conference Player of the Week.
UIW had several big tests on the road. They first traveled to Bloomington, Indiana where they lost to the Hoosiers by nine. The Cardinals then took on the TCU Horned Frogs. This game would be a bit different as UIW dominated the first half, only trailing for 30 seconds and building a 14-point lead. The Cardinals held onto that lead until just under seven minutes remaining in the game and ultimately fell 65-69 in Fort Worth. Despite showing up when the lights are bright the Cardinals were unable to finish with a win on the road through January.
In the month of February the Cardinals only won three games, contrary to the beginning of the season, two of these were on the road. First the Cardinals took on the Islanders on CBS Sports Network. Davion Bailey exploded for 36 points and led UIW to a two-point road win in one of a few Southland games broadcast on linear television this season. A few weeks later the Cardinals defeated the team which gave them their first home loss of the season, East Texas A&M, 82-73.
While the Cardinals struggled through the season there was still a chance to earn a spot in the Southland Conference tournament with two home games left on the schedule. Against Lamar on senior night, Bailey and Staveskie combined for 47 points and a massive win over the other Cardinals.
In the final game of the season it was all on the line as the one seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were headed to San Antonio. With a win the Cardinals were in the SLC tournament and if SFA pulled it out they would earn the SLC regular season outright. The Lumberjacks were on the Cardinals early but Herriman stuck behind his guys playing four players all 20 minutes of the first half. It paid off when the Cardinals came roaring back in the second half. Unfortunately the eventual SLC champions, Stephen F. Austin outlasted the Cardinals and UIW fell by a final score of 68-76.
This is the second consecutive 10+ win season for the Cardinals, first time it has been done in nearly 10 seasons at UIW. Davion Bailey was named to the Southland All-Conference Second team. Stay tuned for all the information on UIW men's basketball including signings, coach hires, and schedules on the UIW Athletics website.
