Lamar Cardinals basketball
| Lamar Cardinals basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| University | Lamar University | ||
| First season | 1923 | ||
| Head coach | Alvin Brooks (4th season) | ||
| Conference | Southland | ||
| Location | Beaumont, Texas | ||
| Arena | Montagne Center (capacity: 10,080) | ||
| Nickname | Cardinals | ||
| Student section | The Flock | ||
| Colors | Red and white | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1963*, 1980 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1960*, 1962*, 1963*, 1964*, 1966*, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 2000, 2012 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1981, 1983, 2000, 2012 | |||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||
| 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 2008, 2012 | |||
| Conference division regular-season champions | |||
| Southland: 2008, 2012 (East) | |||
* at Division II level | |||
The Lamar Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cardinals currently play in the Southland Conference following a return from the Western Athletic Conference on July 11, 2022. They were one of four programs, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference on July 1, 2021, to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Lamar left the Southland Conference for the second time, having initially joined at the league's formation in 1963, left in 1987, and returned in 1999. After one season in the WAC, Lamar returned to the Southland Conference. The Cardinals have played home games in the Montagne Center since 1984.
The Lamar University basketball team is one of the school's most storied athletic programs. The Cardinals have appeared six times in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, most recently in 2012. The 1979–80 team appeared in the Sweet 16 at the 1980 NCAA tournament, its deepest tournament run in program history with upset wins over 7-seed Weber State and 2-seed Oregon State. The Cardinals made its most recent appearance in the Round of 32 in 1983 after an upset win over 6-seed Alabama.