LAFAYETTE – After opening its Sun Belt Conference slate with a pair of close setbacks on the road, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Basketball team returns home on Thursday to host league rival Southern Miss 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.
Fans are encouraged to attend a Conference Kickoff Tailgate Party with games and a Koozie giveaway outside the Cajundome from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The game is being designated as Boy Scouts Night with $5 tickets available by accessing RaginCajuns.com/BoyScouts [offer.fevo.com].
Louisiana (10-4, 0-2 Sun Belt) wrapped up a four-game roadtrip on New Year’s Eve with a 70-66 setback at SBC newcomer Old Dominion. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed a 22-point gap early in the second half to 60-58 on Terence Lewis II’s three-point play with 2:04 left.
Jordan Brown and Greg Williams, Jr., each scored 16 points to lead Louisiana with Brown pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Brown (19.8) leads the Ragin’ Cajuns in scoring with Lewis leading the team with 8.7 rebounds per game. Themus Fulks, the SBC leader in assists, increased his season-average to 6.5 per game after handing out 12 against ODU.
Southern Miss (13-2, 2-0 Sun Belt), off to its best start in more than a decade, opened league play with home wins over Troy (64-60) and App State (76-70). Austin Crowley (17.1 ppg.) and Felipe Haase (15.9) are the top scorers for the Golden Eagles, who have earned road wins at Vanderbilt and Liberty.
The contest will be the 58th all-time between the schools and first as Sun Belt Conference rivals. USM holds a 32-25 lead in the overall series with Louisiana leading the series, 17-11, in games played in Lafayette.
Louisiana claimed a 66-45 victory in last year’s non-conference battle in Hattiesburg with Williams scoring a team-high 18 points to lead three players in double figures.
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 15 PREVIEW – Louisiana (10-4, 0-2 SBC) vs. Southern Miss (13-2, 2-0 SBC)
Date / Time: January 5, 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: Southern Miss leads, 32-25
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 17-11
In Hattiesburg: USM leads, 21-7
At Unknown Sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +1
Last meeting: Louisiana, 66-45 (11/12/21 at Hattiesburg)
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 231-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 456-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 579-337 (30th season)
SOUTHERN MISS
Head Coach: Jay Ladner (Southern Miss, 1988)
Record at USM: 37-67 (fourth season), Career Record: 113-155 (ninth season)
STORY LINES
• Louisiana returns home from a four-game roadtrip as it faces Sun Belt Conference newcomer Southern Miss to the Cajundome.
• While the game is the first-ever meeting between the schools as SBC members, the schools shared time in the Gulf States Conference from 1948-52 with Louisiana winning five of seven meetings.
• The game features teams both ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll (USM - 5th; Louisiana - 11th).
• Louisiana claimed a 66-45 win in last year’s non-conference game at Reed Green Coliseum - its first win in Hattiesburg since a 70-65 win on Feb. 12, 1985.
• Thursday’s game is the first in the Cajundome between the schools since a 79-72 Golden Eagle victory on Nov. 14, 2009.
• Southern Miss has won the previous two meetings in Lafayette and are 6-2 all-time at the Cajundome.
QUICK HITS
• Themus Fulks is fifth among Division I players in total assists (91) and eighth in assists per game (6.5).
• Louisiana is 23rd nationally in scoring offense (81.6), 23rd in 3-point field goal percentage (.384) and 29th in field goal percentage (.487).
• Louisiana’s 81.8-percent rate at the free throw line (18-for-22) through the opening weekend of SBC play was ranked first overall.
• Terence Lewis II enters the week ranked 11th nationally in field goal percentage (.640).
• Jordan Brown leads the Sun Belt Conference and is 31st nationally in free throw attempts (89) and leads the league in free throws made (50) while ranking 50th among all Division I players.
• Brown ranks 22nd nationally in points per game (19.8) and is 30th in points scored (277).
• Louisiana was picked as the 2022-23 preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns reached the SBC Championship Game for the first time since winning the league’s automatic berth in 2014.
• With 456 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is 33rd among active coaches.
• Marlin is a native of Tupelo, Miss.
• 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. His current record at the Division I level is 456-301 (.603).
• Marlin was 123-35 in five seasons (1990-95) at Pensacola Junior College, leading the team to the 1993 NJCAA National Championship.
• 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.
UP NEXT
• Louisiana closes out its homestand on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it faces Georgia State in a rematch of last season’s SBC Championship.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns will then head back out of the road for the next four games beginning on Jan. 12 at ULM before facing South Alabama (Jan. 14), Arkansas State (Jan. 19) and Texas State (Jan. 26).
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