With only six games remaining in the regular season for the Colonels and Lady Colonels basketball teams, the race to make the conference tournament is coming down to the wire.The Southland Conference tournament is set to begin in early March with the top eight seeds playing for a berth in the NCAA tournament. The top four seeds earn home field advantage for the first round of games; the highest remaining seed will host the lowest seed in the semifinals and finals.

The Colonels are currently 8-13 overall with a 4-6 conference record leading into the final stretch of the regular season.

After only winning one conference game last year, this year’s squad is in a good position to make the tournament for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.

“I think we’ve learned a lot as a team,” head coach J.P. Piper said. “I think it’s very realistic that we can make tournament this year.”

In the beginning of the season, the Colonels were picked to finish last in the standings, but the team ended up winning three of its first four conference games.

The struggles would come for Piper’s team; the Colonels would lose the next five games, including one at home to then conference-leading Lamar.

Road games have been tough for the Colonels where they are 1-5 as opposed to being 3-1 at home.

“I think we have a great chance to win at home, and the routine is easier,” Piper said. “Being at home helps, particularly for the young players on our team.”

Northwestern has the best record in the conference with a mark of 8-1, followed by McNeese at 6-2 and Sam Houston at 6-3. Every other team in the conference is at or below .500.

“We have a chance with our bye dates coming up to sit and see who falls back,” Piper said. “What you don’t want is some of those teams that are near us to start upsetting the teams at the top because then it makes it tough on us.”

With four of the last six games at home, the Colonels will have a favorable schedule going into season’s end. After traveling to face SFA, the team will have three straight games at home against Northwestern, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas-Arlington. The final two games of the season will be at Lamar and at home against Texas State.

“When we shoot the ball well, we’re as good as any other team in the league, but with a young team we don’t always shoot it well,” Piper said. “But I still think we have the talent to beat any team on any given night.”

As of now the Colonels are sixth in the conference due to the three-way tie for fifth between Southeastern, Texas-Arlington and Louisiana-Monroe, but if the season were to end today, they would still make the tournament being the eighth seed.

“I think right now, realistically, we are a seven or eight seed,” Piper said. “We were picked by everybody in the league to finish last, if we cannot do that it would be a heck of an accomplishment.”

The Lady Colonels are 3-18 overall, and at 2-8 in conference the team is in last place, but only a half a game out of tenth place behind McNeese.

“We’ve been very competitive, especially at home,” head coach Mark Cook said. “So far I’m pleased with our effort at home, but I’d like to see us play on the road better.”

The team has seen its share of blowouts to top ranked Stephen F. Austin and Texas-Arlington but have been in close games with Southeastern and Lamar.

“The mistakes we made in the past, we want to correct now,” Cook said. “When we’re in a tight game, we need to be able to talk through them to give our team a chance to win.”

SFA and Texas-Arlington sit atop the conference with 8-1 records; behind them is Texas-San Antonio at 7-2 and fourth is Louisiana-Monroe at 6-3. Every other team in the conference has five or more losses.

Cook believes that his team will need at least four or five wins to make the conference tournament. If they run the table and win most of them, they can be seeded as high as sixth.

“Our fate is still in our hands,” he said. “The more games you win, you worry less about who else is winning or losing in the conference.”

There are only two home games left for the Lady Colonels against SFA and Lamar; the final stretch of road games are at Northwestern State, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas-Arlington and Texas State.

“Everybody knows now that when you come into our gym, we’re not giving up an easy win,” Cook said. “If you beat us here, you’re going to earn it.