LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Basketball team opens a season-high, four-game homestand on Thursday when it faces Troy in a Sun Belt Conference battle at the Cajundome.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (pxp) and Eric Mouton (color) providing the commentary. Fans can listen to the game on KPEL-FM (96.5) and the Varsity Network with Jay Walker calling the action.
SBC co-leader Louisiana (16-4, 6-2 Sun Belt) returns to its home floor for the first time since a 78-70 win over Georgia State on Jan. 7. The Ragin’ Cajuns completed an historic, four-game SBC road sweep after defeating Texas State, 60-51, last Saturday. The sweep was Louisiana’s first since a five-game sweep in the 1976-77 season.
Single-game tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, purchasing by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
GAME 21 PREVIEW – Louisiana (16-4, 6-2 SBC) vs. Troy (13-8, 5-3 SBC)
Date / Time: January 26, 2023 / 7 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)
RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (pxp), Eric Mouton (color)
Radio: KPEL-FM 96.5 / The Varsity Network
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 21-6
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 11-4
In Troy: Louisiana leads, 8-2
At Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 2-0
Streak: Louisiana +7
Last meeting: Louisiana, 66-57 (3/6/22 at Pensacola, Fla.)
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 237-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 462-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 585-337 (30th season)
TROY
Head Coach: Scott Cross (UT Arlington, 1998)
Record at Troy: 53-59 (fourth season), Career Record: 278-220 (16th season)
STORY LINES
• Louisiana begins a season-high, four-game homestand beginning Thursday when it hosts Troy in a Sun Belt Conference matchup.
• Louisiana heads into the homestretch of the 2022-23 regular season where it plays seven of its final 10 games at home.
• Louisiana’s 16 wins in the 2022-23 season equals its season total from last season and is one off its 2020-21 total (17-9).
• Thursday’s matchup is the first since Louisiana claimed a 66-57 win in the semifinals of the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championships
• With a win, Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin will tie J.C. “Dutch” Reinhardt for second on the school’s career win list at 238.
• The next win for Louisiana would officially be its 300th SBC victory.
• Louisiana has used the same starting lineup – Themus Fulks, Kentrell Garnett, Greg Williams, Jr., Terence Lewis II and Jordan Brown – in all 20 games during the 2022-23 season.
QUICK HITS
• Louisiana’s nine wins away (7 road, 2 neutral site) from the Cajundome are tied for second nationally behind Purdue and North Texas (10).
• Louisiana’s four-game road sweep was its first in conference play and its first since going unbeaten on a five-game trip in 1976-77.
• Kentrell Garnett enters the game as the NCAA active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.460).
• Jordan Brown has scored 809 points in a Louisiana uniform and has 1,153 in his collegiate career.
• Brown is one of five players to average 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block per game, joining Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Jake Stephens (Chattanooga) and Drew Pember (UNC Asheville).
• Louisiana’s Themus Fulks is sixth among Division I players in total assists (128) and assists per game (6.4).
• Terence Lewis II is fourth in the Sun Belt Conference and 13th among NCAA Division I players in field goal percentage (.641).
• Louisiana enters Thursday’s game seventh among 352 Division I ranked programs in 3-point field goal percentage (.396), ninth in field goal percentage (.495) and 15th in effective field goal percentage (.561).
• Louisiana is 23rd nationally in rebound margin (+6.4), 26th in scoring offense (80.0) and 34th in assists per game (15.7).
• With 462 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is 31st among active coaches.
• Among active coaches who have spent their entire career at the Division I level, Marlin’s 462 wins is 21st overall.
• Louisiana’s 32-for-52 (.615) performance from the floor at ULM on Jan. 12 was its third game during the 2022-23 season shooting above the 60-percent mark and its best outing against a Sun Belt team since shooting .617 (29-for-47) against Little Rock in 2017.
• In a 94-88 win over in-state rival Louisiana Tech on Nov. 17, Marlin earned his 450th career win at the Division I level in 25 seasons.
• Marlin was 123-35 in five seasons (1990-95) at Pensacola Junior College, leading the team to the 1993 NJCAA National Championship.
• Marlin is the all-time leader in Sun Belt Conference victories with a 133-93 record.
• Brown is 11th nationally in free throw attempts (138) and 30th in free throws made (93).
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are 16-8 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 60-53 overall in school history.
• Eight of Louisiana’s 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are in-state products.
• Six of the 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are first-year players.
THE FABULOUS CAJUN CHICKEN IS BACK ON FEB. 4
• The fowlest of the fowl is back, for a one-night roost at the Cajundome.
• For nearly two decades, the Fabulous Cajun Chicken delighted Ragin' Cajun athletic audiences with his unique brand of comedy, his never-ending list of characters and the level of zaniness he brought to his sideline and on-court antics.
• On Saturday, Feb. 4, when UL's basketball squad takes on Marshall at 7 p.m. in a key Sun Belt Conference game, the Chicken will make a one-night return to the court. It's a good bet that mayhem will result.
• That night is also Senior Night, when UL coach Bob Marlin and the Cajun program honors the senior members of the 2022-23 basketball squad. For the Fabulous Cajun Chicken, that's almost fitting.
• In addition to the festivities of Senior Night, UL will also have special ticket deals in place for the Feb. 4 game. Visit RaginCajuns.com/chicken [ragincajuns.com] for ticket information.
CLOSING IN ON 300 SBC WINS
• Louisiana enters Thursday’s game against Troy one victory shy of officially reaching the 300-win mark.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are 299-217 in league games in school history and have won 10 or more league games 19 times dating back to the 1991-92 season.
UP NEXT
• Louisiana continues its four-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 28) when it host Georgia Southern in a 7 p.m. contest.
• Louisiana will wrap up its four-game homestand next week with games against Texas State (Feb. 2) and Marshall for Senior Day on Feb. 4.
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