Basketball Game Preview: Clark Cougars vs. Brandeis Broncos

The Clark Cougars will head out to face off against the Brandeis Broncos at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

On Tuesday, Clark was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 42-37 to Madison. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Cougars came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 111th, while the Mavericks are ranked 514th).

Meanwhile, Brandeis was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. The game between them and Churchill didn't end well, with Brandeis falling 68-52.

Clark will have to keep a close watch on Finley Montoya and Sean Tisdall, a pair of players who had a big impact on Brandeis' prior game. Montoya went 8 for 13 en route to 20 points along with five rebounds and three steals, while Tisdall went 7 of 11 on his way to 18 points. The match was Montoya's sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tj Byrd, who posted five points.

Clark's defeat dropped their record down to 19-9. As for Brandeis, their loss dropped their record down to 17-12.

Clark was able to grind out a solid win over Brandeis when the teams last played on January 7th, winning 56-47. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clark since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.