Cards versus HBU Saturday February 25th @ 4:30

[geezer]

Cards host HBU in their next to last home game tomorrow at 4:30 following the ladies game. A win in any of the last three games will get the Cards into the tourney as it would get the Cards to a guaranteed .500 conference record and all the teams below them either already have nine conference losses or in the case of SELA will have if Nicholls were to win out and LU has the tie-breaker with SELA. However, as I have posted several times just making the tourney is below my personal expectations and it is less than what it is going to take to rebuild the Lamar fan base. Lamar lost both games to HBU last year and had a split with a home win the year before that so HBU is definitely not a game the Cards can even think of taking lightly. The earlier game this year at HBU was one of Weisbrod's below average games this year so he personally has something to prove and overall HBU with 6-11 junior Josh Ibarra the Cards are up against another team that can disrupt the inside game which the Cards have needed for success this year. A win tomorrow and the Cards have a real shot at winning out for the regular season which would give them an outside shot at finishing in the top four depending on what the leaders do the rest of the way.

A win over HBU would bring the Cards into a tie with them for fifth place at worst assuming the hypothesis of the Cards winning out. HBU closes out the season at home against AMCC and ACU. I haven't looked at how the tie breakers work for seeding where the head to head records are equal. Sam Houston is currently in fourth place at 9-6 with home games against ACU and McNeese left, then close the season at SFA. A loss in any of those three games with the Cards winning out would drop them into a tie with Lamar and possibly HBU. SFA is currently tied with AMCC for 2nd and 3rd and short of them dropping all three of their final three games are pretty well locked into 3rd place at worst. SFA has a road game at UCA and then have NWST and Sam at home to finish the year. With the Cards having lost both games to AMCC and like SFA short of dropping their final three they too are pretty well locked into the 2nd or 3rd spot.

[geezer]

Cards down by five at the half despite a terrible early shooting performance. Cards end the half at just under 30% from the field but at one point in the half were 1 of 12. Cards probably only stayed in the game because of fouls on the critical players for HBU. Ibarra spent much of the first half on the bench with two fouls. How will the Cards come out in the 2d half?

[geezer]

So far it's been an up and down half for the Cards as they got down by as many as eleven in the first four minutes of the second half but since have worked it down to a one possession game with a couple of chances to take the lead, but so far as has been the case many times this season the Cards have a miscue of some kind and fail to take the lead when they have the opportunity.

[geezer]

Cards drop the game 75-68 never getting into the lead. Cards continue to have troubles against teams with a strong inside presence, that can seal off the lane. Although the Cards did a much better job in the second half of getting inside points. Cards didn't really have an answer for Ibarra in the second half as he scored 16 points all in the second half. Hate to say this but Lamar just didn't seem to put the effort into getting to the 50/50 balls. Nzeakor never got going and seemed to be intimidated by Ibarra on both ends.

[Skinny1]

HBU is a matchup nightmare for Lamar. Lamar does not have a size advantage at any position and HBU played a 3/2 zone forcing the cards to shoot jumpers over taller defenders. Kept Lamar offensively out of sync
the entire game. Their big guys plugged up the inside and denied Lamar inside players from getting the ball. Cards offense ended up being dribbling around the outside trying to get the ball inside, then jacking up a 3 PTS attempt with the shot clock expiring. HBU coaches worked the officials the entire game, with some success.