MBB Game 12 Preview: at Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens a four-game Sun Belt Conference roadtrip beginning Thursday when it faces league co-leader Little Rock in a 7:15 p.m. contest at the Jack Stephens Center.

The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM and on the internet at RaginCajuns.com. The game against Little Rock (12-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) is the first of four straight games away from the Cajundome for Louisiana (5-6, 1-1 Sun Belt), which will wrap up its weekend trip on Saturday at Arkansas State before traveling next week to face Georgia Southern (Jan. 14) and Georgia State (Jan. 16).

Louisiana earned its second consecutive win of the season last Saturday after posting a 79-58 win over Appalachian State at the Cajundome. Kasey Shepherd scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures for the Ragin' Cajuns with Shawn Long scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Bryce Washington chipped in with 12 points for Louisiana with Jay Wright adding 11.

Long, who reached the 1,900-point mark in his career, enters Thursday's game against Little Rock needing 14 rebounds to become the all-time leader in Sun Belt Conference history. The current Ragin' Cajuns all-time record holder has grabbed 1,170 rebounds in his career – 13 shy of the all-time mark set by South Alabama's Augustine Rubit.

GAME 12: Louisiana (5-6, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. Little Rock (12-1, 2-0 Sun Belt)
January 7, 2016 | 7:15 p.m. | Little Rock, Ark. | Jack Stephens Center (5,600)
TV/Web: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM | Talent: Steve Peloquin (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball
Series: UL leads, 25-17 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 15-5 | In Little Rock: LR leads, 12-8

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 441-249 (23rd season), Record at UL: 93-83 (6th season)

LITTLE ROCK
Head Coach: Chris Beard (Texas, 1995)
Career Record: 153-46 (7th season), Record at Little Rock: 12-1 (1st season)

STORY LINES
• The nation's 20th-ranked scoring offense (Louisiana, 84.3 ppg.) faces the nation's top scoring defense (Little Rock, 55.6 ppg.) in a key Sun Belt Conference game at Jack Stephens Center.

• Shawn Long is 13 rebounds shy of tying South Alabama's Augustine Rubit as the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leader. Long, who became Louisiana's all-time rebounder earlier this season, enters tonight's game with 1,170 rebounds in his career.

THE SERIES
• Louisiana leads the all-time series against Little Rock, 25-17, and has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The Ragin' Cajuns are 8-12 in games played in Little Rock and have won two of the last three games on the road, including an 83-79 overtime win in last year's game.

• The series against Little Rock dates back to the 1977-78 season with both teams playing every season since the 1991-92 campaign.

THE OPPONENT
• Under first-year coach Chris Beard, Little Rock is one win shy of equaling last season's total of 13. The Trojans, who are ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense (1st), free throw percentage (2nd), field goal defense (6th) and turnover margin (8th), are led in scoring by Marcus Johnson, Jr. (14.8), Josh Hagins (11.7) and Jalen Jackson (10.2).

• The Trojans, who earned wins on the road last week at South Alabama and Troy, have earned non-conference road wins at San Diego State, East Carolina, Tulsa and DePaul.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will conclude its trip to the Natural State on Saturday when it travels to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State in a 7:05 p.m. contest at the Convocation Center.

QUICK HITS
• Shawn Long is the NCAA Division I active leader in both double-doubles (59) and rebounds (1,170). He ranks second among active NCAA Division I players rebound average (10.4), is third in both field goals made (713) and field goal attempts (1,422), fourth in points (1,900) and seventh in blocked shots (229).

• Long is currently ranked fifth nationally in rebounds per game (12.2).

• The Ragin' Cajuns 0-6 record in road games equals the 2010-11 team that eventually dropped their first 10 road games of the season before winning their last four of the season.

• Louisiana is ranked eighth nationally in offensive rebounds (15.0) and is 31st among Division I schools in rebound margin (+7.2).

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Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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