San Marcos — The road to Katy, home of the Southland Conference tournament, begins Saturday.

There are no more non-conference games for teams in the SLC as they gear up for conference play this weekend. All 12 mens and womens teams are in action.

Texas State plays UT Arlington, Sam Houston State gets Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State battles UTSA, Southeastern Louisiana matches up with Lamar, Central Arkansas takes on Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi and Nicholls State duels with Northwestern State.



Parity, like usual, on the men’s side

There’s a logjam in the standings on the men’s side of the SLC, with six teams posting six or more wins in their non-conference slates.

SFA and UTSA lead the way with 10 wins, as both schools have fought their ways through a tough non-conference schedule.

The Lumberjacks hit the road for games against Minnesota and Arkansas, but hosted Texas Tech and Cal State Fullerton. SFA lost to the Red Raiders and Razorbacks by a total of five points.

The Roadrunners have posted two quality wins in non-conference games against Iowa and Houston. UTSA also played Oklahoma State (a 14-point loss) and Utah (a 22-point defeat).

SHSU, Southeastern Louisiana and Lamar are each gridlocked at eight wins, but the Bearkats have played a far tougher schedule.

After opening the season with two pushovers, SHSU traveled to Kentucky and kept up with the Wildcats. The Bearkats lost 102-92, but hit a school-record 18 3-pointers.

SHSU also played — and beat — Auburn, Florida International and Rider.

The Lions, on the other hand, have yet to beat a quality Division I opponent. SLU lost to both LSU and Nebraska in recent weeks.

The Cardinals aren’t slouches, but didn’t play as tough of a non-conference schedule as they usually do. Lamar traveled to Texas Tech and Middle Tennessee (both losses), but beat Rice and Tulane at home.

Further down in the standings, two teams are locked in at six wins (Central Arkansas and Texas State) while three (Northwestern State, McNeese State and Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi) have five.

The Bears had their share of tough games, with tilts with No. 1 Kansas, Memphis and Cal State Fullerton.

The Demons took it on the chin against Texas Tech, Indiana, LSU, Hawaii and Texas A&M;, while the Cowboys fell to Mississippi, Rice and LSU.

TAMUCC has played well in its non-conference schedule even though its record doesn’t show it. The Islanders lost to both Texas Tech and Mississippi by seven points and held a late lead against No. 2 Texas before falling by six.

Nicholls has played in its share of tournaments (Basketball Travelers World Vision Classic and Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout) and lost tough decisions. The Colonels hung with Washington State (but lost by nine) and led No. 25 Oklahoma by two points at halftime, but fell by 21.

“I’ve looked at the rest of the conference and everybody is playing really well,” Texas State forward Jonathan Sloan said. “I don’t think anybody has momentum since we’re all going to start 0-0, but there’s no doubt who the talented teams are right now.”



Usual favorites pacing the women

There aren’t many surprises on the women’s side of the SLC, as Central Arkansas and Lamar are leading the way.

The Sugar Bears are 10-3, but haven’t played any team of significance. UCA’s toughest test so far has been against Tulsa on Dec. 1 (a 86-77 win).

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have stacked their non-conference schedule. Lamar took its lumps against Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas A&M;, but will only be tougher once SLC play begins.

TAMUCC (8-4) is reaping the benefits of having an experienced squad. It was just two years ago that the Islanders were a team laden with freshmen and sophomores. TAMUCC beat Air Force and Alabama at the Islander Tip-Off Tournament and recently dropped a close game to TCU (a 78-74 loss).

NSU, UTSA and SLU are all bunched together with seven and six wins, respectively.

The Lady Demons fell to North Carolina State and Alabama, but beat Austin-Peay. The Roadrunners fell to Texas, Houston and Florida State, but topped Arkansas and Navy. The Lions had a four-game winning streak against lesser competition, but recently fell to LSU and Tulane.

SFA and UT Arlington each have five wins and played similar opponents. The Lady Jacks beat Rice, while the Mavs fell to the Owls and both have stomped Texas Southern.

Texas State and McNeese State have both struggled in their non-conference schedules, only picking up four wins.

SHSU and Nicholls round up the women's side with three wins apiece and back-end the West and East Divisions, respectively.