University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, March 8
Hot Springs, Ark.
6:30 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
North Texas
Cajuns Open SBC Championship vs. North Texas
3/4/2013 12:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 32
2012 Sun Belt Championship
No. 9 North Texas (12-19, 7-13) vs. No. 8 Louisiana (12-19, 8-12)
Date: Friday, March 8, 2013
Time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Site: Convention Center Court, Hot Springs, Ark.
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via SunBeltSports.org.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 21-15
Last Meeting: Louisiana 105, UNT 74 (1/31/13, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 42-50 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 267-181 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 390-216 (20th year)
vs. North Texas: 5-4
NORTH TEXAS
TONY BENFORD (Texas Tech '92)
At UNT: 12-19 (1st year)
Overall: 12-19 (1st year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-2
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens play in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference championship as the No.8 seed and will play No.9 North Texas on Friday, March 8 beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the Convention Center Court of Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. The Cajuns enter the tournament with a 12-19 overall record and finished third in the west division with an 8-12 record. North Texas (12-19, 7-13), which was picked to win the west division this season, struggled to fourth place finish. Louisiana swept the two meetings with North Texas this season, claiming an 80-76 decision in Denton, Texas on Dec. 1 and winning, 105-74, on Jan. 31 in Lafayette. The Cajuns are 24-16 all-time in the Sun Belt championship but have dropped seven straight games. Last year, Louisiana swept the season series against UNT only to drop a 65-62 decision to the Mean Green in a quarterfinal game of the tourney.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is happy with the progress made during 2012-13 season, but not happy with the win total. The team on the floor in February bares no resemblance to the one that opened the season in November, growing and improving all season. To allow the new faces time to acclimate to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.8, 5.6, 5.4). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (8.5 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.0, 3.8), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (5.8, 2.6), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (2.8) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. The Cajuns use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (March 4) and included games through March 3. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fifth nationally in double-doubles (17), 14th in rebounds (10.3) and 57th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 12th in steals (2.5) and 38th in assists (5.4).
TOURNAMENT DEJAVU: The first round matchup with North Texas this week marks just the second time in 22 Sun Belt Conference championship appearances that the Cajuns will play the same team in consecutive games over two seasons. Last year, Louisiana dropped a 65-62 decision to North Texas in a quarterfinal game. The first came in 1995 UL lost to WKU in a semi-final game and came back to beat the Hilltoppers in a first round game in 1996.
. . . AND MORE DEJAVU: The game against North Texas is not only the second time that Louisiana will play the same team in back-to-back games, but it is just the fourth time that the Ragin' Cajuns have faced the same team in back-to-back tournaments. The Cajuns played WKU in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and then came back to face the Hilltoppers in both 2001 and 2002. South Alabama was the other opponent, squaring off with UL in both 1997 and 1998.
A FAREWELL TO HOT SPRINGS: Forgive the Cajuns if they aren't upset about the Sun Belt Conference championship moving to New Orleans in 2014 after being held the last four years in Hot Springs, Ark. Louisiana has dropped its first game in the tournament since first appearing in Hot Springs in 2010. Going back a little further, Louisiana owns a 6-6 record in the six SBC tourneys held in the state of Arkansas, falling in the semi-finals in Little Rock, Ark. in 1995, 1996 and 1997. After a two-year hiatus, Louisiana returned to Little Rock in 2000, defeating New Orleans, Louisiana Tech and South Alabama to win the 2000 title.
PAYTON & LONG CLOSE IN ON 500 POINTS: The duo of Elfrid Payton (489 points) and Shawn Long (489) enter the league tourney needing just 11 points to become the first Cajuns duo since 2006-07 to score 500 point in the same season. Tyren Johnson was the last Cajuns player to score 500 points in a season when he had 538 in 2009-10. The last duo was Ross Mouton (514) and David Dees (504) in 2009-10.
. . . AND LONG TOPS THE 300 BOARD MARK: With 13 rebounds against WKU on Feb. 23, Shawn Long has become just the sixth player in school history to grab 300 or more rebound in a single season. Long enters the Sun Belt championship ranked sixth on the Louisiana single season chart with 319 rebounds, 38 rebounds short of Roy Ebron (1972-73), who is fourth with 357 rebounds. Marcus Stokes, who is one of two players to grab 300 rebounds twice in a career, was the last Cajun player to reach the figure, grabbing 370 boards in 1991-92.
TAKING CHARITY: The Cajuns are experiencing a surge at the foul line of late, making 123 of their 170 free throws over the last seven games (.724), including a 23-for-28 effort (.821) in the win over Troy on Feb. 21. It has been a season of ups and downs at the stripe. UL opened the year by going 195-for-280 (.696) in the first 15 games before going cold, shooting .596 (113-190) over the next nine games.
. . . AND INDIVIDUALS FIND THEIR MARK: The upswing at the foul line has resulted in several Ragin' Cajuns posting solid numbers from the line. Bryant Mbamalu had his string of 14 straight free throws made snapped at UALR on Feb.28 and has now made 30 of his 34 free throw attempts (.882) over his last nine games. Elfrid Payton, who went nine-for-nine on Feb. 21 vs. Troy, had his streak of 21 consecutive free throws made snapped late in the WKU game and is now 40-for-56 (.714) over the last seven contests. Freshman Shawn Long has gone 21-for-27 (.778) over the last five games and Steven Wronkoski is 17-for-21 (.810) over the last seven games. Alan-Michael Thompson had hiss streak of 14 straight makes over a 13-game period come to an end at ULM on March 2.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 10 or more rebounds in 10 of his last 14 games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 319 rebounds in 31 games (10.3 rpg) to rank ahead of Binghamton's Jordan Reed (9.6). Long is 14th in rebounding overall.
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks ninth among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and scoring (15.8).
PAYTON PASSES 1,100 MINUTES: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton played 38 minutes at ULM on Saturday to become the 10th player in Louisiana history to play 1,100 minutes in a season. Payton has played 1,101 minutes in 31 games to rank second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.5 minutes a game. The 1,101 minutes are the most by a Cajuns player since Tiras Wade played 1,153 minutes in 2004-05 (6th best). Dion Brown holds the school record with 1,215 minutes played in 1983-84.
PAYTON AT THE LINE: One large improvement that has gone relatively unnoticed this year has been the development at the foul line by Elfrid Payton. As a freshman, Payton was 75-for-133 from the stripe (.564) but he has improved that figure to .658 this year (123-18). Over the last seven games, he has gone 40-for-56 from the stripe (.714), including a string of 21 straight makes. He was nine-for-nine in the win over Troy,
. . . AND A RECORD PERFORMANCE: Elfrid Payton spent a good portion of the WKU game (Feb. 23) at the foul line as he shattered his personal bests by making 13 of hi 19 free throw attempts. The 19 attempts fell one short of the school record 20 by Dean Church vs. Northwestern State (2/26/65) and Larry Simon vs. Nicholls State (2/23/62). The 19 attempts were the most ever by a Cajuns player in a Sun Belt game, topping the old mark of 18 by Anthony Johnson at New Orleans (1/11/03) and by Lonnie Thomas vs. UNO (2/5/00).
PAYTON KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE: Elfrid Payton turned 19 on Feb. 22 and turned in his best week of basketball to celebrate and in the process, earn Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. The day before his birthday (Feb. 21), Payton scored 23 points, going nine-for-nine from the foul line, with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in a win over Troy. On Saturday (Feb. 23), the day after his birthday, he scored a career-high 31 points, the most points by a Cajun since David Dees had 36 points vs. Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, 2007. For the week, Payton averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the two games, shooting .615 from the field (16-26) and .786 from the line (22-28).
BACK TO THE FUTURE: With Alan-Michael Thompson playing well since Bryant Mbamalu went down with an injury and Mbamalu playing even better, head coach Bob Marlin made a lineup change at South Alabama on Feb. 14, putting Mbamalu back into the lineup and taking freshman Steven Wronkoski out. It is the same lineup that the Cajuns used in games 1, 3 & 4 this year, getting wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66) and dropping a close 63-57 decision at Boise State. The new lineup has now been used in six straight games and is 5-4 for the season.
BEST AGAINST THE WEST: The oddity of the 2012-13 season for the Cajuns is that they excelled against the west division and struggled vs. the east. Louisiana finished the year with a 6-2 record against the four west division foes, tops in the division, handing losses to both Arkansas State (5-1) and UALR (4-2). At the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana was 2-10 against the east division, winning two of the last three games.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 3-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76), when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home on Jan. 12 and last week's 58-57 win over FAU. For the year, the Cajuns are 1-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
. . . AND EASY ONES: The Cajuns played their best at home this year, winning seven of their 10 home wins by 10 points or more and owning a 13.0 margin of victory in the 10 wins.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. The Cajuns enter the week ranked second in the Sun Belt, averaging 6.8 treys per game (212 in 31 games). FIU leads the league with a 6.9 average, making 199 treys in 29 games with the difference between first and second place just one three-pointer over the course of the entire season. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.3 three-pointers (138 total) over the last 19 contests with five double-figure games.
LONG RANGE SCORING, PART 2: The Cajuns enter the Sun Belt Championship with 212 three-pointers this year, the sixth-highest total in school history. Louisiana has 40 more treys than the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season. The Cajuns have made 200 or more treys in a season 15 times in the 24 years since the three-point shot was adopted in 1986-87, including a record 251 in 1989-90.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 17-point, 10-rebound effort at ULM on March 2 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 17th double-double in 31 games, good for fifth nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala and UNC-Wilmington's Keith Rendleman share the national lead with 20 double-doubles. Long has had a double-double in nine of the last 14 games, giving him 10 double-doubles in 20 league games this season.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 168 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.4 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists in each of the last three games against North Texas. His 168 assists are seventh best in school history.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 63 blocked shots in 31 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 57th nationally in blocks. His block total ranks him sixth on the Louisiana single season chart, five short of fifth place Michael Southall (68 in 2002-03). Long's 2.0 blocks per game are fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana ranking second in the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 70.9 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 31 games this year, Louisiana players have scored 20 points or more 24 times. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (8), Bryant Mbamalu (5) and Alan-Michael Thompson (2) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 were the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.8) ppg), freshman Shawn Long (15.8) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (1,348 of 2,197). Together, they have reached double figures 75 of the possible 89 times this year, including 21 games of 20 points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 61 vs. Troy on Feb. 21, 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more 10 times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Elfrid Payton (15.8 ppg), Shawn Long (15.8 ppg) and Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) rank third, third and 11th, respectively in league scoring. Florida Atlantic and FIU are the only other team that has two players in the top 11 in scoring, but neither has a third scorer in the top 20. In Sun Belt games only, Payton (17.1), Long (15.5) and Mbamalu (14.8) rank third, ninth and 10th, respectively.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS MARK: Alan-Michael Thompson is closing his senior season on a high note offensively, averaging 11.1 points in league play, shooting .481 from the field (63-131) to score in double figures in 10 of the 17 league games that he has played in. He has found his long-range scoring, going 40-for-96 from three-point (.417) over the last 17 games.
MBAMALU PASSES 750-POINT MARK: With 26 points over his last two games, junior guard Bryant Mbamalu surpassed the 750-point mark for his Louisiana career. Mbamalu has started 67 of his 87 career games, scoring 764 points in 2,204 minutes played.
. . . AND PAYTON IS RIGHT BEHIND HIM: A 16-point performance against UALR on Feb. 28 allowed Elfrid Payton to surpass the 700-point mark for his career. He enters the league tourney with 718 career points. Payton has played in 63 games during his two seasons, starting 42, scoring 718 points (11.4 ppg) in 1,827 minutes of action.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.5 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. He came back to almost do it again vs. Troy on Feb. 21, playing all but the last 11 seconds of the game. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 1,028 minutes played.
A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by scoring 13 points and setting career highs for rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.0 minutes a game.
. . . AND HE HAD A GOOD NIGHT AT SOUTH ALABAMA: One of the bright spots in the Feb. 14 loss at South Alabama was the play of Kasey Shepherd, who came off the bench to set a career-high with 16 points. He was five-for-eight from the field and made three of his four three-point attempts in 20 minute of action.
PAYTON MOVES INTO THIRD ON STEALS LIST: With 22 steals in his last seven games, sophomore Elfrid Payton has raised his Sun Belt leading steal total to 76, good for 12th in the nation in the latest NCAA statistics. His effort allowed him to move past Brian Hamilton (2004-05), who was third with 75 steals. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, had a career-high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
. . . AND PAYTON PASSES THE CENTURY MARK: The five steals against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 16 allowed sophomore Elfrid Payton to pass the 100 mark for his Cajuns career. Payton, who had 37 steals as a freshman, has 113 steals in his career to rank 19th on the Louisiana career chart.
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 135-for-188 (.718) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14, .929), Shawn Long (21-28, .750) and Steven Wronkoski (14-19, .737) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .776 shooter (45-58), is 24-for-29 this year (.828). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
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.
NEXT UP: A win over North Texas would advance Louisiana to the quarterfinal round of the SBC Championship where the Ragin' Cajuns would face regular season champion and top tournament seed Middle Tennessee (27-4) on Saturday, March 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Summit Arena in a game that will be televised by the Sun Belt Network.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 32
2012 Sun Belt Championship
No. 9 North Texas (12-19, 7-13) vs. No. 8 Louisiana (12-19, 8-12)
Date: Friday, March 8, 2013
Time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Site: Convention Center Court, Hot Springs, Ark.
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via SunBeltSports.org.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 21-15
Last Meeting: Louisiana 105, UNT 74 (1/31/13, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 42-50 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 267-181 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 390-216 (20th year)
vs. North Texas: 5-4
NORTH TEXAS
TONY BENFORD (Texas Tech '92)
At UNT: 12-19 (1st year)
Overall: 12-19 (1st year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-2
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens play in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference championship as the No.8 seed and will play No.9 North Texas on Friday, March 8 beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the Convention Center Court of Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. The Cajuns enter the tournament with a 12-19 overall record and finished third in the west division with an 8-12 record. North Texas (12-19, 7-13), which was picked to win the west division this season, struggled to fourth place finish. Louisiana swept the two meetings with North Texas this season, claiming an 80-76 decision in Denton, Texas on Dec. 1 and winning, 105-74, on Jan. 31 in Lafayette. The Cajuns are 24-16 all-time in the Sun Belt championship but have dropped seven straight games. Last year, Louisiana swept the season series against UNT only to drop a 65-62 decision to the Mean Green in a quarterfinal game of the tourney.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is happy with the progress made during 2012-13 season, but not happy with the win total. The team on the floor in February bares no resemblance to the one that opened the season in November, growing and improving all season. To allow the new faces time to acclimate to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.8, 5.6, 5.4). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (8.5 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.0, 3.8), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (5.8, 2.6), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (2.8) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. The Cajuns use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (March 4) and included games through March 3. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fifth nationally in double-doubles (17), 14th in rebounds (10.3) and 57th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 12th in steals (2.5) and 38th in assists (5.4).
TOURNAMENT DEJAVU: The first round matchup with North Texas this week marks just the second time in 22 Sun Belt Conference championship appearances that the Cajuns will play the same team in consecutive games over two seasons. Last year, Louisiana dropped a 65-62 decision to North Texas in a quarterfinal game. The first came in 1995 UL lost to WKU in a semi-final game and came back to beat the Hilltoppers in a first round game in 1996.
. . . AND MORE DEJAVU: The game against North Texas is not only the second time that Louisiana will play the same team in back-to-back games, but it is just the fourth time that the Ragin' Cajuns have faced the same team in back-to-back tournaments. The Cajuns played WKU in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and then came back to face the Hilltoppers in both 2001 and 2002. South Alabama was the other opponent, squaring off with UL in both 1997 and 1998.
A FAREWELL TO HOT SPRINGS: Forgive the Cajuns if they aren't upset about the Sun Belt Conference championship moving to New Orleans in 2014 after being held the last four years in Hot Springs, Ark. Louisiana has dropped its first game in the tournament since first appearing in Hot Springs in 2010. Going back a little further, Louisiana owns a 6-6 record in the six SBC tourneys held in the state of Arkansas, falling in the semi-finals in Little Rock, Ark. in 1995, 1996 and 1997. After a two-year hiatus, Louisiana returned to Little Rock in 2000, defeating New Orleans, Louisiana Tech and South Alabama to win the 2000 title.
PAYTON & LONG CLOSE IN ON 500 POINTS: The duo of Elfrid Payton (489 points) and Shawn Long (489) enter the league tourney needing just 11 points to become the first Cajuns duo since 2006-07 to score 500 point in the same season. Tyren Johnson was the last Cajuns player to score 500 points in a season when he had 538 in 2009-10. The last duo was Ross Mouton (514) and David Dees (504) in 2009-10.
. . . AND LONG TOPS THE 300 BOARD MARK: With 13 rebounds against WKU on Feb. 23, Shawn Long has become just the sixth player in school history to grab 300 or more rebound in a single season. Long enters the Sun Belt championship ranked sixth on the Louisiana single season chart with 319 rebounds, 38 rebounds short of Roy Ebron (1972-73), who is fourth with 357 rebounds. Marcus Stokes, who is one of two players to grab 300 rebounds twice in a career, was the last Cajun player to reach the figure, grabbing 370 boards in 1991-92.
TAKING CHARITY: The Cajuns are experiencing a surge at the foul line of late, making 123 of their 170 free throws over the last seven games (.724), including a 23-for-28 effort (.821) in the win over Troy on Feb. 21. It has been a season of ups and downs at the stripe. UL opened the year by going 195-for-280 (.696) in the first 15 games before going cold, shooting .596 (113-190) over the next nine games.
. . . AND INDIVIDUALS FIND THEIR MARK: The upswing at the foul line has resulted in several Ragin' Cajuns posting solid numbers from the line. Bryant Mbamalu had his string of 14 straight free throws made snapped at UALR on Feb.28 and has now made 30 of his 34 free throw attempts (.882) over his last nine games. Elfrid Payton, who went nine-for-nine on Feb. 21 vs. Troy, had his streak of 21 consecutive free throws made snapped late in the WKU game and is now 40-for-56 (.714) over the last seven contests. Freshman Shawn Long has gone 21-for-27 (.778) over the last five games and Steven Wronkoski is 17-for-21 (.810) over the last seven games. Alan-Michael Thompson had hiss streak of 14 straight makes over a 13-game period come to an end at ULM on March 2.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 10 or more rebounds in 10 of his last 14 games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 319 rebounds in 31 games (10.3 rpg) to rank ahead of Binghamton's Jordan Reed (9.6). Long is 14th in rebounding overall.
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks ninth among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and scoring (15.8).
PAYTON PASSES 1,100 MINUTES: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton played 38 minutes at ULM on Saturday to become the 10th player in Louisiana history to play 1,100 minutes in a season. Payton has played 1,101 minutes in 31 games to rank second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.5 minutes a game. The 1,101 minutes are the most by a Cajuns player since Tiras Wade played 1,153 minutes in 2004-05 (6th best). Dion Brown holds the school record with 1,215 minutes played in 1983-84.
PAYTON AT THE LINE: One large improvement that has gone relatively unnoticed this year has been the development at the foul line by Elfrid Payton. As a freshman, Payton was 75-for-133 from the stripe (.564) but he has improved that figure to .658 this year (123-18). Over the last seven games, he has gone 40-for-56 from the stripe (.714), including a string of 21 straight makes. He was nine-for-nine in the win over Troy,
. . . AND A RECORD PERFORMANCE: Elfrid Payton spent a good portion of the WKU game (Feb. 23) at the foul line as he shattered his personal bests by making 13 of hi 19 free throw attempts. The 19 attempts fell one short of the school record 20 by Dean Church vs. Northwestern State (2/26/65) and Larry Simon vs. Nicholls State (2/23/62). The 19 attempts were the most ever by a Cajuns player in a Sun Belt game, topping the old mark of 18 by Anthony Johnson at New Orleans (1/11/03) and by Lonnie Thomas vs. UNO (2/5/00).
PAYTON KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE: Elfrid Payton turned 19 on Feb. 22 and turned in his best week of basketball to celebrate and in the process, earn Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. The day before his birthday (Feb. 21), Payton scored 23 points, going nine-for-nine from the foul line, with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in a win over Troy. On Saturday (Feb. 23), the day after his birthday, he scored a career-high 31 points, the most points by a Cajun since David Dees had 36 points vs. Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, 2007. For the week, Payton averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the two games, shooting .615 from the field (16-26) and .786 from the line (22-28).
BACK TO THE FUTURE: With Alan-Michael Thompson playing well since Bryant Mbamalu went down with an injury and Mbamalu playing even better, head coach Bob Marlin made a lineup change at South Alabama on Feb. 14, putting Mbamalu back into the lineup and taking freshman Steven Wronkoski out. It is the same lineup that the Cajuns used in games 1, 3 & 4 this year, getting wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66) and dropping a close 63-57 decision at Boise State. The new lineup has now been used in six straight games and is 5-4 for the season.
BEST AGAINST THE WEST: The oddity of the 2012-13 season for the Cajuns is that they excelled against the west division and struggled vs. the east. Louisiana finished the year with a 6-2 record against the four west division foes, tops in the division, handing losses to both Arkansas State (5-1) and UALR (4-2). At the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana was 2-10 against the east division, winning two of the last three games.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 3-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76), when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home on Jan. 12 and last week's 58-57 win over FAU. For the year, the Cajuns are 1-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
. . . AND EASY ONES: The Cajuns played their best at home this year, winning seven of their 10 home wins by 10 points or more and owning a 13.0 margin of victory in the 10 wins.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. The Cajuns enter the week ranked second in the Sun Belt, averaging 6.8 treys per game (212 in 31 games). FIU leads the league with a 6.9 average, making 199 treys in 29 games with the difference between first and second place just one three-pointer over the course of the entire season. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.3 three-pointers (138 total) over the last 19 contests with five double-figure games.
LONG RANGE SCORING, PART 2: The Cajuns enter the Sun Belt Championship with 212 three-pointers this year, the sixth-highest total in school history. Louisiana has 40 more treys than the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season. The Cajuns have made 200 or more treys in a season 15 times in the 24 years since the three-point shot was adopted in 1986-87, including a record 251 in 1989-90.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 17-point, 10-rebound effort at ULM on March 2 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 17th double-double in 31 games, good for fifth nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala and UNC-Wilmington's Keith Rendleman share the national lead with 20 double-doubles. Long has had a double-double in nine of the last 14 games, giving him 10 double-doubles in 20 league games this season.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 168 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.4 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists in each of the last three games against North Texas. His 168 assists are seventh best in school history.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 63 blocked shots in 31 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 57th nationally in blocks. His block total ranks him sixth on the Louisiana single season chart, five short of fifth place Michael Southall (68 in 2002-03). Long's 2.0 blocks per game are fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana ranking second in the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 70.9 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 31 games this year, Louisiana players have scored 20 points or more 24 times. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (8), Bryant Mbamalu (5) and Alan-Michael Thompson (2) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 were the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.8) ppg), freshman Shawn Long (15.8) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (1,348 of 2,197). Together, they have reached double figures 75 of the possible 89 times this year, including 21 games of 20 points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 61 vs. Troy on Feb. 21, 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more 10 times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Elfrid Payton (15.8 ppg), Shawn Long (15.8 ppg) and Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) rank third, third and 11th, respectively in league scoring. Florida Atlantic and FIU are the only other team that has two players in the top 11 in scoring, but neither has a third scorer in the top 20. In Sun Belt games only, Payton (17.1), Long (15.5) and Mbamalu (14.8) rank third, ninth and 10th, respectively.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS MARK: Alan-Michael Thompson is closing his senior season on a high note offensively, averaging 11.1 points in league play, shooting .481 from the field (63-131) to score in double figures in 10 of the 17 league games that he has played in. He has found his long-range scoring, going 40-for-96 from three-point (.417) over the last 17 games.
MBAMALU PASSES 750-POINT MARK: With 26 points over his last two games, junior guard Bryant Mbamalu surpassed the 750-point mark for his Louisiana career. Mbamalu has started 67 of his 87 career games, scoring 764 points in 2,204 minutes played.
. . . AND PAYTON IS RIGHT BEHIND HIM: A 16-point performance against UALR on Feb. 28 allowed Elfrid Payton to surpass the 700-point mark for his career. He enters the league tourney with 718 career points. Payton has played in 63 games during his two seasons, starting 42, scoring 718 points (11.4 ppg) in 1,827 minutes of action.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.5 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. He came back to almost do it again vs. Troy on Feb. 21, playing all but the last 11 seconds of the game. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 1,028 minutes played.
A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by scoring 13 points and setting career highs for rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.0 minutes a game.
. . . AND HE HAD A GOOD NIGHT AT SOUTH ALABAMA: One of the bright spots in the Feb. 14 loss at South Alabama was the play of Kasey Shepherd, who came off the bench to set a career-high with 16 points. He was five-for-eight from the field and made three of his four three-point attempts in 20 minute of action.
PAYTON MOVES INTO THIRD ON STEALS LIST: With 22 steals in his last seven games, sophomore Elfrid Payton has raised his Sun Belt leading steal total to 76, good for 12th in the nation in the latest NCAA statistics. His effort allowed him to move past Brian Hamilton (2004-05), who was third with 75 steals. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, had a career-high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
. . . AND PAYTON PASSES THE CENTURY MARK: The five steals against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 16 allowed sophomore Elfrid Payton to pass the 100 mark for his Cajuns career. Payton, who had 37 steals as a freshman, has 113 steals in his career to rank 19th on the Louisiana career chart.
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 135-for-188 (.718) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14, .929), Shawn Long (21-28, .750) and Steven Wronkoski (14-19, .737) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .776 shooter (45-58), is 24-for-29 this year (.828). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
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.
NEXT UP: A win over North Texas would advance Louisiana to the quarterfinal round of the SBC Championship where the Ragin' Cajuns would face regular season champion and top tournament seed Middle Tennessee (27-4) on Saturday, March 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Summit Arena in a game that will be televised by the Sun Belt Network.
Quannas White Media Availability (May 4, 2025)
Monday, May 05
Quannas White Introductory Press Conference
Sunday, March 16
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 24, 2025)
Monday, February 24
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 17, 2025)
Monday, February 17
