Preview: Incarnate Word at Northwestern State NATCHITOCHES, La. (Interstat) — Two Southland Conference men’s basketball teams seeking momentum for the final stretch of the regular season will meet Monday when the Northwestern State Demons host the Incarnate Word Cardinals at Prather Coliseum. Both teams enter with sub-.500 overall records. The visiting Cardinals are 11-17, while the Demons sit at 9-19. Despite the records, their previous meeting this season was a tightly contested affair, with Incarnate Word securing a 76-74 home victory on Jan. 17. The matchup features two of the league’s top offensive talents. Incarnate Word will lean on guard Davion Bailey, who is coming off a 19-point performance in an 82-73 road win at Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday. Bailey has been a consistent scoring threat, including a 36-point outburst in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earlier this month. Northwestern State counters with its own standout guard, Micah Thomas. He led the Demons with 27 points in a loss to McNeese State last Monday but was instrumental in their most recent outing, a 71-53 home victory over Houston Christian on Saturday. The game pits teams with contrasting recent trajectories. The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with their win on Saturday. The Demons, meanwhile, have shown flashes, alternating wins and losses over their past five games after a prolonged skid. With the Southland Conference tournament on the horizon, both sides view this as a critical opportunity to build confidence and improve seeding. The Cardinals will look to complete a regular-season sweep, while the Demons aim to defend their home court and avenge the narrow January loss. Monday’s contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CST tipoff. Following this game, Incarnate Word will host Lamar on Feb. 28, while Northwestern State travels to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the same day.