By Malcolm Butler
The Thomas Assembly Center will be the site of tonight’s CUSA title tilt as the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs host the Sam Houston Bearkats.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the winner clinches at least a share of the CUSA regular season title. Fans can hear the game on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the action.
Tech (21-8, 11-3) and Sam Houston (18-11, 11-3) are tied for first place in the league standings with only two games remaining. The Bulldogs will close out their regular season Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee while Sam Houston will host Jacksonville State Saturday.
Tonight’s match-up is the second of the year between the two teams. Sam Houston defeated Tech 81-77 on January 6 in Huntsville, Texas, in the league opener for both programs.
Nearly two months later, the two will square off in a battle of the top teams in the league.
Tech leans on a deep roster that includes arguably the two best defenders in the league in senior forward Isaiah Crawford and junior center Daniel Batcho. The tandem rank No. 1 and No. 2 in CUSA in blocked shots and headline a Bulldog team that is the best in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 63.9 points per game.
The Bulldogs are 13-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming in an 81-76 setback against WKU on Feb. 7, a game that Tech avenged with a 90-84 win over the Hilltoppers last week in Bowling Green.
In just its first year as a member of CUSA, Sam Houston shook off a tough start to the season that saw the Bearkats lose eight out of 15 and put itself in position for a regular season title. Sam has won five straight contests by an average of 14 points since losing back to back games in early February.
Lamar Wilkerson and Davon Barnes are the one-two punch for the Kats, with each averaging 14 points a game. Wilkerson netted 24 in the in over Tech in the first meeting.
The Bearkats are particularly known for being one of the top rebounding teams in CUSA. They rank top 75 in the country in both rebounds per game (38.00) and offensive rebounds per game (11.79). They have outrebounded 10 of their 14 league opponents, seven of which were outrebounded by 10+ boards.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 5-3, including a 3-0 mark in Ruston.
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Pre-sale tickets are on sale now for $5 which guarantees the best available seat(s). Those can be purchased at LATechSports.com/PackTheTAC or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.
You can also be one of the first 1,000 fans at the TAC, receiving a free ticket courtesy of Origin Bank (the $5 tickets will still be available if the 1,000 free tickets are gone).
Doors will open to the TAC starting at 6:30 p.m.
