No. 9 Midwestern State goes for its 12th straight and 53rd win in its last 54 games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum Wednesday night as the Mustangs take on Incarnate Word in a Lone Star Conference tilt under the dome.
 
The Mustangs look to maintain its three-game edge in the loss column over the remainder of the LSC field and keep pace with front running Tarleton State which owns a one-game edge at the top of the league.
 
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. or 25 minutes following the conclusion of the women's game which begins at 6.
 
WHERE TO FIND THE GAME
 
100.9 BOB-FM – The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of two-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. The Taco Casa Pregame Show begins immediately following the women's broadcast.
ON THE WEB – BOB-FM's audio broadcast simulcasts on BOBRadio.fm.  LINK
ON THE AIR – Wednesday night's game airs via delayed broadcast via Time Warner Sports. The game will air on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Channel 15 and on The Texas Channel (Time Warner Digital Channel 888).
LIVE STATS – Live stats are available courtesy of the Midwestern State Athletic Communications Office.  LINK
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
Midwestern State enters Wednesday night's game against Incarnate Word just one game out of first place.
 
With next Monday's Top 10 rematch against league leading Tarleton State looming large on the horizon, the Mustangs must take care of a pair of very tough opponents this week.
 
If MSU can do that, it will play the Texans for a shot to draw even in the LSC race on its home floor. TSU plays only Arlington Baptist Thursday in Stephenville as its lone contest of the week.
 
The Mustangs have found ways to win while taking a pair of one-point decisions over Abilene Christian and Angelo State last week despite suffering through a combined 35-for-76 (46.1 percent) week from the charity stripe.
 
Senior guard Michael Loyd continues to lead the Mustangs in scoring at 13.1 points per game while dishing out 3.6 assists a contest. The Las Vegas, Nev. native has scored in double figures in each of his last seven and 10 of his last 11 contests.
 
Junior forward Anthony Harris adds 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds a game for the season, but has tallied 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game over his last three outings which include a pair of 20-point performances against Tarleton State and Abilene Christian.
 
Junior guard JaMichael Rivers gives the Mustangs a third double-digit scorer at 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds a contest. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native struggled to a 1-for-7 shooting night Saturday against Angelo State finishing with just two points.
 
Senior forward David Terrell has been on fire over his last three outings with 13 points and five rebounds at Tarleton State, 12 points and three rebounds at Abilene Christian and 12 points and seven rebounds against Angelo State. During the stretch his has connected on 18-of-20 shots (90 percent) from the field, but is 1-for-12 from the charity stripe.
 
Midwestern goes for its 12^th straight win under the dome Saturday against one only three opponents who sport winning records at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Incarnate Word has beaten MSU in six of its 10 trips to Wichita Falls.
 
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
 
Incarnate Word (13-8, 9-5) has burst into 2012 having won seven of eight games.
 
The Cardinals are fresh off of a 62-51 win over Tarleton State Saturday which snapped the Texans' 17-game winning streak.
 
UIW is led by reigning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week Chris Johnson.
 
The 6-7 senior from San Antonio averages 13.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game after notching 20 points and six rebounds Saturday night against Tarleton State. The steady scoring Johnson has scored in double figures in 14 of 19 games this season including three 20-point outings.
 
Senior guard Shaun Umeh, a returning second-team All-LSC performer, adds 11.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game while junior forward Dionelle Rucker pitches in 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.
 
Junior guard Lyndale Brown (7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds), junior 7-footer Ian Markolf (7.8 points, 6.1 rebounds), freshman guard Denzel Livingston (6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds), senior forward Jordan Roddy (6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds) and freshman guard Darrell Southworth (5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds) add to the Cardinals' balanced rotation.
 
Ken Burmeister owns a 92-54 (.630) record in his sixth year at the helm at UIW. He is 220-178 (.553) in 15 years as a head coach with stops at Loyola Chicago, Trinity and UTSA.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
 
Midwestern State meets Incarnate Word for the 21st time on the hardwood Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Cardinals are one of only 10 teams with at least 10 games played against MSU to own an edge over the Mustangs at 11-19.
 
But Midwestern has won six of the last seven meetings between the programs dating back to the 2006-07 season.
 
UIW is also one of only three teams with more than three games against MSU at D.L. Ligon Coliseum to boast a winning record against the Mustangs at 6-4.
 
Interestingly, the Mustangs and Cardinals locked up in five straight overtime games from 2001 to 2007.