No. 5 seed Lamar (20-12, 13-6) vs. No. 4 seed New Orleans (17-12, 12-6)
Southland Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Leonard E. Merrell Center, Katy, Texas; Thursday, 5 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Lamar and New Orleans are prepared to match up in the quarterfinals of the Southland tournament. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Jan. 9, when the Privateers shot 46.7 percent from the field while limiting Lamar to just 37.3 percent en route to the seven-point victory.
TEAM LEADERS: The Cardinals have been led by seniors Josh Nzeakor and Nick Garth. Nzeakor is averaging 15.1 points and 7.7 rebounds while Garth is putting up 16.3 points per game. The Privateers have been led by Bryson Robinson and Scott Plaisance Jr., who have combined to score 20.7 points per outing.
BRILLIANT BRYSON: Robinson has connected on 35.5 percent of the 155 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 9 for 27 over his last five games. He's also converted 75.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
UNBEATEN WHEN: The Privateers are 5-0 when they record 13 or more steals and 12-12 when they fall shy of that mark. The Cardinals are 9-0 when they make nine or more 3-pointers and 11-12 when the team hits fewer than nine from long range.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Cardinals have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Privateers. New Orleans has an assist on 46 of 78 field goals (59 percent) across its past three matchups while Lamar has assists on 54 of 90 field goals (60 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Lamar defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 22.4 percent of all possessions, which ranks the Cardinals 27th among Division I teams. The New Orleans offense has turned the ball over on 22.3 percent of its possessions (ranking the Privateers 331st, nationally).
