NATCHITOCHES – It has not taken second-year Northwestern State men's basketball coach Rick Cabrera long to form an opinion on the state of the Southland Conference.
 
"This league, the Southland, is an animal," he said. "It's a very good league."
 
Cabrera's Demons will get their next bite at the animal that is the Southland schedule Monday night when they host Lamar at 6:30 p.m. on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
Nothwestern (11-14, 8-7) dropped a two-point decision to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday – its fifth one-possession game of the Southland schedule. The Demons are 3-2 in such games, underscoring the neck-and-neck nature of the league this season.
 
Lamar (16-10, 11-4) grabbed a 65-55 win at East Texas A&M on Saturday, remaining in a second-place tie in the league.
 
While the Cardinals have posted five double-figure conference wins through 15 games – including a 69-59 victory against Northwestern in Beaumont on Jan. 27 – they too have had their share of close victories.
 
Even the win against Northwestern was a five-point game with less than two minutes to play.
 
"Lamar's a really good program," Cabrera said. "Coach (Alvin) Brooks has had my number. I'll give him his flowers. They have good balance between guards and bigs. We had our chances in the last game we played. Conference games are always going to be tough and come down to the wire to some extent. We look to get this opportunity back."
 
The Demons led the first matchup by five at the half, but a game-long struggle at the free-throw line kept Northwestern from extending its then 6-3 start to conference play.
 
"We were 14 for 26 (from the line)," Cabrera said. "I told our team, 'I know you don't miss them on purpose, but what's your mind-set when you're up there?' If you make six more of the 12 we missed, it's a tie game with a minute and you at least give yourself a chance to win the game."
 
Lamar's most recent visit to Prather Coliseum also resulted in a close victory for the Cardinals, who grabbed an 82-77 overtime victory on March 2, 2024.
 
"It's a possession game," Cabrera said. "When you look back at the last game versus Lamar, it's a one-, two-, three-possession game for us. It's the team that makes the fewest mistakes and makes the most shots. They did that the first time, and we look to redeem ourselves."