No. 7 New Orleans Privateers (10-19, 7-11 SLC) vs. No 6 HCU Huskies (10-21, 7-11 SLC)
Sunday, Mar. 5 – 7:30 p.m.
Legacy Center - Lake Charles, Louisiana
TV (ESPN+)
Audio (Husky Sports Network/Garrett Jones)
Live Stats
Game Notes
Tickets
LAKE CHARLES, La. – The 2023 Jersey Mike's Southland Conference Basketball Championships presented by Louisiana Travel begins on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. for the HCU men's basketball at the Legacy Center on the campus of McNeese State against an opponent the Huskies haven't seen in two months, the New Orleans Privateers.
The Huskies (10-21, 7-11 SLC) and Privateers (10-19, 7-11 SLC) concluded their season series within the first three dates of the SLC schedule, playing on Dec. 30 and Jan. 7. HCU won at home, a 101-96 overtime win, before falling in New Orleans, 82-59. The two teams tied for sixth in the league standings with the Huskies earning the No. 6 seed in the tournament by virtue of having a win against league champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi while New Orleans lost both meetings with the Islanders.
In HCU's home win over UNO,
Bonke Maring led the Huskies with 24 points while
Andrew King,
Maks Klanjscek,
Brycen Long and
Sam Hofman all scored in double-figures. Jordan Johnson poured in 39 for the Privateers in the loss. At UNO, the Huskies were undone by 22 turnovers and a rough shooting day, making just 33.3 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from three.
HCU's Maring was selected to the SLC All-Defensive team, announced on Friday, after a season in which he finished second in the conference in blocked shots. He totaled 35 blocked shots and 30 steals during the regular season. Last time out, Long established himself at the top of the program's single-season three-pointers list after heading into the game tied for the record at 91. He knocked down a pair of threes for a new record of 93 in a single season. Klanjscek has been among the league's top scorers in conference play, ranking seventh with 17.1 points per game.
The Privateers endured a nine-game losing streak in the middle of the conference schedule but rebounded to win four of their last five and make the tournament. Johnson leads the team with 17.7 ppg and is making threes at a 48 percent (85-of-177) clip, the second-best mark in the country. Tyson Jackson and Khaleb Wilson-Rouse are averaging 11 and 11 ppg, respectively. Sunday will be the first time HCU and New Orleans have met at the SLC Tournament.
The Huskies have won a game at the SLC Tournament in each of the last two seasons before falling in the quarterfinals.
Sunday's game will be shown on ESPN+ with Jack Benjamin and Brian Burton on the call. Husky fans can listen to the Husky Sports Network audio broadcast with Garrett Jones at HCUHuskies.com.
The winner of Sunday's game will face Southeastern on Monday, Mar. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
