University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, November 29
Lafayette
7:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Middle Tennessee
Cajuns Open Sun Belt Play At Home vs. Middle Tennessee
11/27/2012 12:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 7
Middle Tennessee (4-1) at Louisiana (2-4)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live. Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Middle Tennessee Leads 10-7
Last Meeting: MTU 65, Louisiana 53 (1/7/12, Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Tickets: $8, $10 & $15
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 32-35 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 257-166 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 380-201 (20th year)
vs. Middle Tennessee: 0-2
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
KERMIT DAVIS (Mississippi State '82)
At MSU: 184-134 (11th year)
Overall: 221-209 (18th year)
vs. Louisiana: 7-5
SETTING THE SCENE: Louisiana returns home to play for just the third time in the 2012-13 season when the Cajuns begin Sun Belt Conference play by hosting Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Nov. 29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. This will be the earliest conference opener for Louisiana in school history. The Cajuns are 2-4 on the year, dropping a last-second decision at No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday, but both of the wins have come at home as the Cajuns own wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66). Middle Tennessee has opened the year with wins in four of its first five games, including a 79-52 home win over Texas Southern, the only common opponent to the Cajuns to date. The Blue Raiders have a 10-7 lead in the all-time series, including victories in seven straight meetings going back 2005-06 season.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that takes the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (9.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (12.3, 5.2, 4.8). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (3.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (6.7, 4.5, 1.5 steals), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshmen Matthew Moss, Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (6.3 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (3.0) and Steven Wronkoski (8.3, 3.5) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
SOTO CLEARED TO PLAY BY NCAA: After missing the first six games of the year waiting to hear from the NCAA on whether they would accept a course he took in San Juan, Puerto Rico met NCAA initial eligibility requirements, Josh Soto was finally cleared to play on Monday and will be in uniform for Thursday night's game against Middle Tennessee.
SUN BELT SWITCHES TO 20-GAME BALANCED SCHEDULE: For the first time since the 1999-200 season when the Sun Belt had just nine basketball playing members, the SBC will use a double round robin format in league play. Each of the 11 members will playing each other twice this year, once at home and once on the road. The 20-game schedule is the most league games in Sun Belt history.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES: The Cajuns are definitely piling up the mileage during the early part of the 2012-13 season. After making a road swing to Texas Southern and Boise State two weeks ago that covered 4,332 miles, the Cajuns needed to travel 4,892 miles to play games at New Mexico State and Michigan State. In two weeks, Louisiana played five games in five different states (Louisiana included) and three different time zones, travelling 9,224 miles to get to and from the games.
. . . AND TRAVEL DELAYS HURT: The trips the last two weekends were hurt by busy airline schedules. Despite playing a Sunday afternoon game at Boise State, the Cajuns had to wait until the next morning to begin the trip home, leaving the hotel at 7:30 a.m. The squad landed in Lafayatte 10 hours later at 6:30 p.m. This past weekend, travel went well until it was time to come home and the Cajuns flight from Grand Rapids, Mich. to Houston was delayed enough to cause the team to miss their connecting flight home. The team spent Sunday night in Houston and bussed back to Lafayette on Monday morning, arriving around 1:00 p.m.
SLOWING DOWN After playing eight games in 15 days (Nov. 16-Dec.1), covering five different states and three different time zones to open the season, the Cajuns get a break from the fast-paced scheudle starting next week. Following the Saturday's game at North Texas, Louisiana will play just three games over the next 15 days (Dec. 8 at McNeese, Dec. 11 vs. Lamar and Dec. 15 at Houston).
SUN BELT OPENERS: Louisiana begins its 22nd season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference, owning a 15-6 record all-time in SBC openers. This is the second straight year that the Cajuns start Sun Belt play at home. Louisiana opened the 2011-12 league slate in Cajundome vs. FAU on Dec. 31, 2011. This will be the first time that Louisiana opens league play against Middle Tennessee.
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .667 (21-11) ranks first amongst all active coaches.
OH, SO CLOSE: Louisiana came close to accomplishing something no other team had ever done, defeat a Michigan State team in the Breslin Center in November. Trailing 62-60 in the final minute and with possession and a chance to take the lead, Louisiana nearly pulled off the upset. MSU is now 49-0 in November at the Breslin Center under Tom Izzo. Going back further, they have not lost a home game in November since Navy, led by David Robinson, beat them in 1989.
OH, SO CLOSE PART II: The near upset of No. 15 Michigan State had the Cajuns on the verge of posting their first win over a ranked foe since downing then-No. 12 Mississippi State 79-76 in the 2002-03 season opener on Nov. 23, 2002 in Starkville, Miss.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin has said many times this fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in the first six games. He has posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. For the year, Wronkoski ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in free throw shooting (12-14, .857) and seventh in three-point shooting (7-15, .467) .
SLOW STARTERS: To say that the Cajuns have been a second half team so far in 2012-13 would be an understatement as Louisiana has found itself trailing at the intermission in five of the six games this season. In six games, the Cajuns have been outscored 32.8-25.5 (-7.3 ppg) in the first half, shooting .349 from the field (59-169), .220 from three-point (13-59) and .585 from the line (24-41). Louisiana has also been out-rebounded (23.3-15.5, -7.8) and have a -26 assist-to-turnover margin (22 assists, 48 turnovers).
. . . BUT STRONG FINISHERS: There must be something about the halftime speeches that Bob Marlin gives this year because the Cajuns have been a totally different team in the second half of games. In the second halves of the first six games, Louisiana has out-scored its opponents 42.0-36.3 (+5.7 ppg), shooting .469 from the field (90-192), .403 from three-point (25-62) and .723 from the line (47-65). The Cajuns have out-rebounded their opponents by 1.5 boards in the second half (18.7-17.2) and own a +1 assist-to-turnover margin (42 assists, 41 turnovers).
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG HASN'T SLOWED: Shawn Long's steady play has allowed the freshman to lead the Cajuns in scoring (15.2), rebounding (7.7) and blocks (2.2), shooting .474 from the field (37-78) and .769 from the line (10-13). After a modest 14 point, six rebounds effort in the season opener against Oakland, he exploded for 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Texas Southern on Nov. 16. In the second home game of his career, he posted his second double-double in less than a week, tallying a career-best 22 points with a dozen rebounds against SUNO. He came back to score 16 points with eight rebounds and three blocks at Michigan State.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has quickly earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting all six games and averaging 6.7 points. He leads the team in both field goal percentage (.552) and is second in steals (9) and blocks (7) and third in rebounding (4.5). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line.
AT HOME IN THE 'DOME: The win over SUNO on Nov. 21 improved Louisiana to 32-13 at the Cajundome since the 2009-10 season, which includes an impressive 21-4 mark against Sun Belt opponents. The Ragin' Cajuns are 22-9 (12-4 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin. Winning at home is nothing new as Louisiana has recorded a winning record in 25 of the 27 seasons since the Cajundome opened its doors in the 1985-86 season. The Cajuns are currently on a string of 17 consecutive seasons with a .500 mark or better at the Cajundome. Louisiana is 260-107 in games played in the Cajundome.
. . . AND CAJUNS REACH 2-0: The victory over SUNO also allowed the Cajuns to claim back-to-back wins at home to open a season for the first time since 2003-04.
FIRST TIME SUCCESS: The Cajuns were perfect this year against first time opponents, claiming home wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66), the only two teams on the 2012-13 slate that Louisiana had not played before.
. . . AND THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME: After averaging 64.0 points in road losses at Texas Southern (74-71) and Boise State (63-57), the Cajuns were happy to get back to the Cajundome where they have thrived offensively this year. In the two games in the 'Dome this year, Louisiana has averaged 83.0 points a game, upending Oakland, 90-79, and SUNO, 76-66. In the three games, the Cajuns have shot .516 from the field (63-122), forcing 43 turnovers and handing out 30 assists.
GOING OVERTIME: The loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 16 marked the ninth time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin. Louisiana is now 6-3 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season.
CAJUNS HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH (RECRUITING) HOUSTON: The Cajuns have made Houston one of their recruiting hot spots with three members from the city. Starters Bryant Mbamalu (Dulles HS) and Kevin Brown (Alief Elsik HS) and reserve guard Kasey Shepherd (Dekaney HS) have combined to average 23.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The Cajuns made the first of two trips to Houston last week with Mbamalu scoring 18 points with six rebounds and Brown adding nine points and four boards in an overtime loss to Texas Southern. Louisiana will be back in a month, playing at Houston on Dec. 15.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 26-for-36 (.722) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes of game and overtime. That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) performance during the 2011-12 season.
NO LUCK ON THE ROAD: The loss at Michigan State on Sunday extended the Louisiana streak of consecutive losses in true non-conference road games to 17, including 16 under head coach Bob Marlin. The Cajuns have won non-conference road games over that span, including an 83-66 win over Northern Arizona in last season's opener, but that came in San Francisco on a neutral floor. Louisiana's last true non-conference road win was a 68-60 win on Dec. 19, 2009 at Lamar.
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 29 assists in the first six games to rank second in the Sun Belt averaging 4.8 assists per game. He had eight assists in the season opener against Oakland, which was one short of his career high of nine set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
TURNING TO THE BENCH: Although the 2012-13 season is less than two weeks old, the play of the Cajuns bench has played a deciding factor in four games to date. The UL reserves are averaging 24.0 points in the two victories this year and just 13.3 points in the four losses. With four of the five starters scoring in double figures against Oakland, the bench came through as freshmen Steven Wronkoski (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (7) and transfers Kevin Brown (6) and Braylon Lazare (4) helped Louisiana own a 28-3 lead in bench points. Against SUNO, Steven Wronkoski scored a career-high 12 points as part of a 20-point effort by the UL reserves.
TURNING UP THE TEMPERATURE: Bob Marlin said all pre-season that the Cajuns would take advantage of the quickness that the squad has this year by applying more pressure. The initial returns have been good as Louisiana forced 116 turnovers in the first six games (19.3 per game), turning those miscues into a 92 points off turnovers (15.3 ppg). The Cajuns are averaging 9.3 steals a game, including a season-high 12 against both Oakland and Michigan State.
IT WAS RAINING THREES: Head coach Bob Marlin said throughout the preseason that the three-point shot would play a more important role in the Cajuns offensive game plan this year. That was certainly the case against Loyola-New Orleans as UL made 16 of its 31 three-point attempts (.516) en route to a 20-point win. The total, had it occurred in a regular season game, and not an exhibition, would have broken the school record of 15 three-point field goals in a game set against Troy (1/10/09), Western Kentucky (3/2/96) and Ohio State (12/1/96). Even more impressive was the Cajuns did most of the damage in the first half, going 14-for-18 from beyond the stripe (.778) with seven different players knocking down treys in the game.
RAGIN' CAJUNS CELEBRATE 100TH SEASON: The Cajuns are celebrating the 100th season of basketball during the 2012-13 season. The first season was in 1911-12 when the Cajuns posted a 4-1 record. Louisiana has gone on to win 20 or more games 21 times since, entering the year with a 1,296-984 overall record. Louisiana did not have a team in either 1973-74 or 1974-75 because of NCAA sanctions. In the first 99 seasons, the Cajuns have advanced to postseason play 18 times, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning 16 conference titles. Eight UL players have earned All-America honors with 94 being named all-conference.
A NEW LOOK: Not only do the Cajuns have a new look on their bench this year, but they have a new look on the floor as well. . . literally. This fall, the court in the Cajundome was resurfaced, changing the outline color from red to black. The new design features "Louisiana" written along both sidelines, a fleur-de-lis in the lane next to both foul lines. The center court design utilizes the split level Ragin' Cajuns logo.
CAJUNS ADD TWO FOR 2013-14: Hours before the Cajuns tipped off with Texas Southern on Nov. 16, head coach Bob Marlin announced the signing of high school standouts Kimani Jackson (Arlington, TX/Seguin) and Hayward Register (Lafayette, La./Comeaux) to National Letters of Intent to attend Louisiana and play basketball starting next fall. Jackson, a 6-7, 220-pound forward, was a pre-season all-league selection this year. Ranked as the No. 88 player in the State of Texas by TexasHoops.com, he is averaging 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and 1.8 blocks this season at Arlington's Seguin High. Register, a 6-2, 170-pound shooting guard, earned second team all-state honors a year ago after averaging 20.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, helping Comeaux High to a 23-11 record. He was named the 2011-12 All-Acadiana MVP by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. “This is a very good start to our recruiting effort for the year. They both should fit into our system well” Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin said.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns continue Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday (Dec. 1), traveling to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 7
Middle Tennessee (4-1) at Louisiana (2-4)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live. Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Middle Tennessee Leads 10-7
Last Meeting: MTU 65, Louisiana 53 (1/7/12, Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Tickets: $8, $10 & $15
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 32-35 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 257-166 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 380-201 (20th year)
vs. Middle Tennessee: 0-2
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
KERMIT DAVIS (Mississippi State '82)
At MSU: 184-134 (11th year)
Overall: 221-209 (18th year)
vs. Louisiana: 7-5
SETTING THE SCENE: Louisiana returns home to play for just the third time in the 2012-13 season when the Cajuns begin Sun Belt Conference play by hosting Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Nov. 29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. This will be the earliest conference opener for Louisiana in school history. The Cajuns are 2-4 on the year, dropping a last-second decision at No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday, but both of the wins have come at home as the Cajuns own wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66). Middle Tennessee has opened the year with wins in four of its first five games, including a 79-52 home win over Texas Southern, the only common opponent to the Cajuns to date. The Blue Raiders have a 10-7 lead in the all-time series, including victories in seven straight meetings going back 2005-06 season.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that takes the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (9.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (12.3, 5.2, 4.8). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (3.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (6.7, 4.5, 1.5 steals), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshmen Matthew Moss, Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (6.3 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (3.0) and Steven Wronkoski (8.3, 3.5) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
SOTO CLEARED TO PLAY BY NCAA: After missing the first six games of the year waiting to hear from the NCAA on whether they would accept a course he took in San Juan, Puerto Rico met NCAA initial eligibility requirements, Josh Soto was finally cleared to play on Monday and will be in uniform for Thursday night's game against Middle Tennessee.
SUN BELT SWITCHES TO 20-GAME BALANCED SCHEDULE: For the first time since the 1999-200 season when the Sun Belt had just nine basketball playing members, the SBC will use a double round robin format in league play. Each of the 11 members will playing each other twice this year, once at home and once on the road. The 20-game schedule is the most league games in Sun Belt history.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES: The Cajuns are definitely piling up the mileage during the early part of the 2012-13 season. After making a road swing to Texas Southern and Boise State two weeks ago that covered 4,332 miles, the Cajuns needed to travel 4,892 miles to play games at New Mexico State and Michigan State. In two weeks, Louisiana played five games in five different states (Louisiana included) and three different time zones, travelling 9,224 miles to get to and from the games.
. . . AND TRAVEL DELAYS HURT: The trips the last two weekends were hurt by busy airline schedules. Despite playing a Sunday afternoon game at Boise State, the Cajuns had to wait until the next morning to begin the trip home, leaving the hotel at 7:30 a.m. The squad landed in Lafayatte 10 hours later at 6:30 p.m. This past weekend, travel went well until it was time to come home and the Cajuns flight from Grand Rapids, Mich. to Houston was delayed enough to cause the team to miss their connecting flight home. The team spent Sunday night in Houston and bussed back to Lafayette on Monday morning, arriving around 1:00 p.m.
SLOWING DOWN After playing eight games in 15 days (Nov. 16-Dec.1), covering five different states and three different time zones to open the season, the Cajuns get a break from the fast-paced scheudle starting next week. Following the Saturday's game at North Texas, Louisiana will play just three games over the next 15 days (Dec. 8 at McNeese, Dec. 11 vs. Lamar and Dec. 15 at Houston).
SUN BELT OPENERS: Louisiana begins its 22nd season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference, owning a 15-6 record all-time in SBC openers. This is the second straight year that the Cajuns start Sun Belt play at home. Louisiana opened the 2011-12 league slate in Cajundome vs. FAU on Dec. 31, 2011. This will be the first time that Louisiana opens league play against Middle Tennessee.
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .667 (21-11) ranks first amongst all active coaches.
OH, SO CLOSE: Louisiana came close to accomplishing something no other team had ever done, defeat a Michigan State team in the Breslin Center in November. Trailing 62-60 in the final minute and with possession and a chance to take the lead, Louisiana nearly pulled off the upset. MSU is now 49-0 in November at the Breslin Center under Tom Izzo. Going back further, they have not lost a home game in November since Navy, led by David Robinson, beat them in 1989.
OH, SO CLOSE PART II: The near upset of No. 15 Michigan State had the Cajuns on the verge of posting their first win over a ranked foe since downing then-No. 12 Mississippi State 79-76 in the 2002-03 season opener on Nov. 23, 2002 in Starkville, Miss.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin has said many times this fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in the first six games. He has posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. For the year, Wronkoski ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in free throw shooting (12-14, .857) and seventh in three-point shooting (7-15, .467) .
SLOW STARTERS: To say that the Cajuns have been a second half team so far in 2012-13 would be an understatement as Louisiana has found itself trailing at the intermission in five of the six games this season. In six games, the Cajuns have been outscored 32.8-25.5 (-7.3 ppg) in the first half, shooting .349 from the field (59-169), .220 from three-point (13-59) and .585 from the line (24-41). Louisiana has also been out-rebounded (23.3-15.5, -7.8) and have a -26 assist-to-turnover margin (22 assists, 48 turnovers).
. . . BUT STRONG FINISHERS: There must be something about the halftime speeches that Bob Marlin gives this year because the Cajuns have been a totally different team in the second half of games. In the second halves of the first six games, Louisiana has out-scored its opponents 42.0-36.3 (+5.7 ppg), shooting .469 from the field (90-192), .403 from three-point (25-62) and .723 from the line (47-65). The Cajuns have out-rebounded their opponents by 1.5 boards in the second half (18.7-17.2) and own a +1 assist-to-turnover margin (42 assists, 41 turnovers).
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG HASN'T SLOWED: Shawn Long's steady play has allowed the freshman to lead the Cajuns in scoring (15.2), rebounding (7.7) and blocks (2.2), shooting .474 from the field (37-78) and .769 from the line (10-13). After a modest 14 point, six rebounds effort in the season opener against Oakland, he exploded for 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Texas Southern on Nov. 16. In the second home game of his career, he posted his second double-double in less than a week, tallying a career-best 22 points with a dozen rebounds against SUNO. He came back to score 16 points with eight rebounds and three blocks at Michigan State.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has quickly earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting all six games and averaging 6.7 points. He leads the team in both field goal percentage (.552) and is second in steals (9) and blocks (7) and third in rebounding (4.5). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line.
AT HOME IN THE 'DOME: The win over SUNO on Nov. 21 improved Louisiana to 32-13 at the Cajundome since the 2009-10 season, which includes an impressive 21-4 mark against Sun Belt opponents. The Ragin' Cajuns are 22-9 (12-4 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin. Winning at home is nothing new as Louisiana has recorded a winning record in 25 of the 27 seasons since the Cajundome opened its doors in the 1985-86 season. The Cajuns are currently on a string of 17 consecutive seasons with a .500 mark or better at the Cajundome. Louisiana is 260-107 in games played in the Cajundome.
. . . AND CAJUNS REACH 2-0: The victory over SUNO also allowed the Cajuns to claim back-to-back wins at home to open a season for the first time since 2003-04.
FIRST TIME SUCCESS: The Cajuns were perfect this year against first time opponents, claiming home wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66), the only two teams on the 2012-13 slate that Louisiana had not played before.
. . . AND THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME: After averaging 64.0 points in road losses at Texas Southern (74-71) and Boise State (63-57), the Cajuns were happy to get back to the Cajundome where they have thrived offensively this year. In the two games in the 'Dome this year, Louisiana has averaged 83.0 points a game, upending Oakland, 90-79, and SUNO, 76-66. In the three games, the Cajuns have shot .516 from the field (63-122), forcing 43 turnovers and handing out 30 assists.
GOING OVERTIME: The loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 16 marked the ninth time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin. Louisiana is now 6-3 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season.
CAJUNS HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH (RECRUITING) HOUSTON: The Cajuns have made Houston one of their recruiting hot spots with three members from the city. Starters Bryant Mbamalu (Dulles HS) and Kevin Brown (Alief Elsik HS) and reserve guard Kasey Shepherd (Dekaney HS) have combined to average 23.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The Cajuns made the first of two trips to Houston last week with Mbamalu scoring 18 points with six rebounds and Brown adding nine points and four boards in an overtime loss to Texas Southern. Louisiana will be back in a month, playing at Houston on Dec. 15.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 26-for-36 (.722) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes of game and overtime. That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) performance during the 2011-12 season.
NO LUCK ON THE ROAD: The loss at Michigan State on Sunday extended the Louisiana streak of consecutive losses in true non-conference road games to 17, including 16 under head coach Bob Marlin. The Cajuns have won non-conference road games over that span, including an 83-66 win over Northern Arizona in last season's opener, but that came in San Francisco on a neutral floor. Louisiana's last true non-conference road win was a 68-60 win on Dec. 19, 2009 at Lamar.
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 29 assists in the first six games to rank second in the Sun Belt averaging 4.8 assists per game. He had eight assists in the season opener against Oakland, which was one short of his career high of nine set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
TURNING TO THE BENCH: Although the 2012-13 season is less than two weeks old, the play of the Cajuns bench has played a deciding factor in four games to date. The UL reserves are averaging 24.0 points in the two victories this year and just 13.3 points in the four losses. With four of the five starters scoring in double figures against Oakland, the bench came through as freshmen Steven Wronkoski (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (7) and transfers Kevin Brown (6) and Braylon Lazare (4) helped Louisiana own a 28-3 lead in bench points. Against SUNO, Steven Wronkoski scored a career-high 12 points as part of a 20-point effort by the UL reserves.
TURNING UP THE TEMPERATURE: Bob Marlin said all pre-season that the Cajuns would take advantage of the quickness that the squad has this year by applying more pressure. The initial returns have been good as Louisiana forced 116 turnovers in the first six games (19.3 per game), turning those miscues into a 92 points off turnovers (15.3 ppg). The Cajuns are averaging 9.3 steals a game, including a season-high 12 against both Oakland and Michigan State.
IT WAS RAINING THREES: Head coach Bob Marlin said throughout the preseason that the three-point shot would play a more important role in the Cajuns offensive game plan this year. That was certainly the case against Loyola-New Orleans as UL made 16 of its 31 three-point attempts (.516) en route to a 20-point win. The total, had it occurred in a regular season game, and not an exhibition, would have broken the school record of 15 three-point field goals in a game set against Troy (1/10/09), Western Kentucky (3/2/96) and Ohio State (12/1/96). Even more impressive was the Cajuns did most of the damage in the first half, going 14-for-18 from beyond the stripe (.778) with seven different players knocking down treys in the game.
RAGIN' CAJUNS CELEBRATE 100TH SEASON: The Cajuns are celebrating the 100th season of basketball during the 2012-13 season. The first season was in 1911-12 when the Cajuns posted a 4-1 record. Louisiana has gone on to win 20 or more games 21 times since, entering the year with a 1,296-984 overall record. Louisiana did not have a team in either 1973-74 or 1974-75 because of NCAA sanctions. In the first 99 seasons, the Cajuns have advanced to postseason play 18 times, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning 16 conference titles. Eight UL players have earned All-America honors with 94 being named all-conference.
A NEW LOOK: Not only do the Cajuns have a new look on their bench this year, but they have a new look on the floor as well. . . literally. This fall, the court in the Cajundome was resurfaced, changing the outline color from red to black. The new design features "Louisiana" written along both sidelines, a fleur-de-lis in the lane next to both foul lines. The center court design utilizes the split level Ragin' Cajuns logo.
CAJUNS ADD TWO FOR 2013-14: Hours before the Cajuns tipped off with Texas Southern on Nov. 16, head coach Bob Marlin announced the signing of high school standouts Kimani Jackson (Arlington, TX/Seguin) and Hayward Register (Lafayette, La./Comeaux) to National Letters of Intent to attend Louisiana and play basketball starting next fall. Jackson, a 6-7, 220-pound forward, was a pre-season all-league selection this year. Ranked as the No. 88 player in the State of Texas by TexasHoops.com, he is averaging 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and 1.8 blocks this season at Arlington's Seguin High. Register, a 6-2, 170-pound shooting guard, earned second team all-state honors a year ago after averaging 20.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, helping Comeaux High to a 23-11 record. He was named the 2011-12 All-Acadiana MVP by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. “This is a very good start to our recruiting effort for the year. They both should fit into our system well” Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin said.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns continue Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday (Dec. 1), traveling to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas beginning at 7:00 p.m.
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