UL Takes on Denver Seeking to Gain Separation in SBC Standings

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012
Location: Denver, Colo.
Opponent: Denver (18-8, 8-5 Sun Belt)
Site: Magness Arena (7,200)
Game Time: 6 p.m. (CST)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KHXT) – Jay Walker, play-by-play
Television: Root Sports (DirecTV 683/Dish Network 414) – Marc Stout (Play-by-Play), Greg Lackey (Analysis)
Live Stats/Video: www.DenverPioneers.com

LOUISIANA-DENVER SERIES
The Series: Louisiana leads 19-8
In Denver: Tied 6-6
In Magness Arena: Denver leads 6-4
Series Streak: Louisiana – won 2
Last Meeting: Louisiana 72, Denver 71 (OT) (Cajundome // Feb. 2, 2012)
Noteworthy: The home team has won the last nine series meetings. UL was the last visiting team to post a victory, doing so on Feb. 17, 2007 (W, 67-65) at Magness Arena.

LOUISIANA
11-12 Record____________________     15-12
11-12 Sun Belt Record____________        9-4
Last Game______________________      Feb. 11, 2012
                                                                             vs. Arkansas State W, 68-65 (OT)
Head Coach____________________        Bob Marlin
   UL Record____________________       29-27 (2^nd Season)
   Career Record_________________     377-193 (19^th Season)
   Marlin vs. Denver______________         2-1
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

DENVER
11-12 Record____________________     18-8
11-12 Sun Belt Record____________        8-5
Last Game______________________      Feb. 11, 2012
                                                                             at FIU W, 77-63
Head Coach____________________       Joe Scott
   Denver Record________________        76-73 (5^th Season)
   Career Record_________________      165-181 (12^th Season)
   Scott vs. UL___________________       4-5
Web Site_______________________     www.DenverPioneers.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens its final road trip of the regular season on Thursday at Magness Arena in Denver. The Cajuns and Pioneers battle is being aired on Root Sports (formerly FSN Rocky Mountain) at 6 p.m. (CT).
>>> The Cajuns and Pioneers are only two weeks removed from a dramatic overtime finish at the Cajundome. Louisiana won 72-71 when Elfrid Payton made a free throw after drawing a foul with 0.4 seconds remaining.
>>> Louisiana makes its final appearance at Magness Arena for a Sun Belt contest. Denver is departing the league for the WAC after this season.
>>> UL enters Thursday's action trailing SBC West leader UALR by a half game. The Trojans are hosting FIU in a Sun Belt Network broadcast at 6 p.m.
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-2 on the road in Sun Belt Conference play and won both of their last road outings (at La.-Monroe and at Troy).
>>> The Cajuns seem to have a flair for the dramatic lately. Six of the last seven games have been decided by five points or less. Additionally, three of the last four games have gone to overtime.
>>> In Sun Belt play, Josh Brown is averaging a team-best 12.0 points and team-best 7.4 rebounds per game.
>>> UL has held the opposition to 70 points or less in regulation 14 of the last 17 games.
>>> UL leads the Sun Belt averaging 41.6 rebounds per game in conference play. The Cajuns collected 40-plus rebounds each of the five games prior to Saturday's Arkansas State game, and have reached 40-plus in 10 of 13 SBC games this season.
>>> In SBC play, the Cajuns have held opponents to 38.5% shooting including a meager 28.3% (54-of-191) from 3-point range. UL ranks second in the league behind only Middle Tennessee (37.5%) in field goal percentage defense in conference play.
>>> The Cajuns have shot 40 percent or higher in 20 of 27 contests.

HIGH WATER MARK
>>> The next victory will give UL 16 total wins this season which would mark the most since posting 20 wins in the 2004-05 season.

FREE BASKETBALL, ANYONE?
>>> Louisiana has played five overtime games this season. It's the most overtime games since six were played during the 1985-86 season.
>>> All five OT games have come in Sun Belt play and the Cajuns sport a 4-1 mark.

ON TARGET
>>> Bob Marlin-coached teams have won a division title each of the past three seasons. Louisiana enters Thursday's play a half game behind SBC West leader UALR.

TAMING THE SUN BELT
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns are 20-9 in Sun Belt action under the direction of Bob Marlin.
>>> Marlin's current SBC win percentage of .690 ranks ninth (9^th) all-time in SBC history.

WHAT ROAD JINX?
>>> After starting the season 0-6 in “true” road games, UL has won four of the last six.

ALL-AROUND EFFORT
>>> Kadeem Coleby averaged 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks and played an average of 38.5 minutes per game during last week's homestand with the Arkansas schools.
>>> Coleby shot 70.6 percent (12-of-17) and turned in an 8-of-10 effort vs. UALR.
>>> Due to the limited availability of Darshawn McClellan (illness), Coleby was called upon to play more minutes, resulting in him playing 13 minutes more than his average (25.0 mpg).

WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS
>>> Freshman Elfrid Payton leads the Cajuns in assists, averages 7.1 points and had dramatic last-second winning plays against Western Kentucky and Denver.
>>> He's done all of this as a 17-year old playing college basketball. Payton will turn 18-years old on Feb. 22 which is three days before the Cajuns regular season finale.

MR. CONSISTENT
>>> It's been a solid debut season for Kadeem Coleby. Since the Beryl Shipley Classic (Nov. 18-20) he's averaged 10.0 points per game or higher and he leads the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage at 58.5 percent.
>>> He's picked up at least one blocked shot in all but four games this season which has led to him becoming the first Cajun since 2005-06 with 60-plus blocks (61 actual).

BROWN CLIMBING THE CHARTS
>>> Josh Brown's strong rebounding effort in Sun Belt games (7.4 rpg) has vaulted him into the Top 10 in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game. Averaging 6.4 rebounds per game for the season, Brown is currently sixth (6^th) in the league.

LAST TIME VS. DENVER (Feb. 2, 2012 – UL won 72-71 in OT at Cajundome)
>>> Elfrid Payton drew a foul with 0.4 seconds left in overtime and made a free throw to lift the Cajuns to a 72-71 victory at the Cajundome.
>>> Just 16 seconds earlier, it was Payton driving through the lane for layup that pulled Louisiana into a 71-all tie. A Raymone Andrews steal on the ensuing possession set up Payton's heroics.
>>> The teams swapped the twice in the final 10:30. DU used a 6-0 run to erase a 56-52 deficit and held on to the lead until a Josh Brown triple evened the score at 63-all at the 3:25 mark.
>>> Andrews made the first two attempts of a three-shot foul to forge a 67-all tie. He missed the last attempt and each team came up empty on a possession in the final minute resulting in OT.

BALANCED EFFORT
>>> UL had a different leading scorer each of the six games prior to previous Denver matchup.
>>> Louisiana has seven different players averaging at least six points per game.
>>> Seven different players average 20-plus minutes on a consistent basis.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING
>>> Just how strong has the Cajuns defense been in Sun Belt play? One look at the statistics for conference-games only tells the story.
>>> In Sun Belt play, Louisiana ranks second in field goal percentage defense (38.5%) and in defensive rebounds (28.7 drpg), and leads the league 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.3%), total rebounds (41.6 rpg), and blocked shots (5.3 bpg).

SERIES HISTORY (Louisiana leads 19-8, overall; Denver leads 6-4 in Magness Arena)
>>> Thursday's game marks the 13th meeting in Denver. Series is tied 6-6 in Denver, but the Pioneers hold a 6-4 edge in games played at Magness Arena. Louisiana went 2-0 against the Pioneers in Hamilton Gymnasium, claiming meetings held in that facility during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 season.
>>> DU has won six of the last seven meetings in Magness Arena. The Pioneers bring a four-game win streak over the Cajuns on their home court into Thursday's contest.
>>> Home team has won the last nine series meetings. UL was the last visiting team to post a victory, doing so on Feb. 17, 2007 (W, 67-65) at Magness Arena.
>>> Two schools have split the season series the past four seasons. Last season series sweep by either team came in 2006-07 when the Cajuns won both meetings that year.
>>> Louisiana won the first eight series meetings before Denver upset the Ragin' Cajuns 72-68 at the 2003 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Bowling Green, Ky.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> Louisiana departs Denver on Friday for the final road game of the regular season which is set for Saturday at North Texas.
>>> The Cajuns and Mean Green matchup is being broadcast on the Sun Belt Network. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at The Super Pit in Denton, Texas.
>>> UL won the season's first meeting on Jan. 25 at the Cajundome, 64-62, fending off a pair of NT three-point attempts in the final five seconds.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

UL Takes on Denver Seeking to Gain Separation in SBC Standings

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