MBB Game 32 Preview: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team will open postseason play for the fourth time in the past five seasons on Wednesday when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round of the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. and will follow the Ragin' Cajuns women's team that plays host to Northwestern State in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational.

The game between Louisiana (17-14) and A&M-Corpus Christi (25-7) can be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM and on the internet at RaginCajuns.com. A live video stream will also be available at CollegeInsider.com.

Tickets are available for both games at the Cajundome Box Office and on-line at RaginCajuns.com. Tickets are $30 (Courtside), $15 (first and second levels), $10 (second level curves) and $7 (student companion). The first 1,000 UL students will be admitted free, courtesy of Coca-Cola and Buffalo Wild Wings, by presenting a valid University ID.

The Ragin' Cajuns make their second consecutive trip to the CIT and their third trip overall since 2012 after falling in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last weekend in New Orleans. Louisiana opened last year's CIT with wins at Incarnate Word and Sam Houston State before falling to eventual champion Evansville in the quarterfinals at Blackham Coliseum.

Shawn Long, who is the Ragin' Cajuns all-time leader in rebounds (1,422) and blocked shots (267), earned a spot on the Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team and moved past Kevin Brooks into third place on the school's all-time scoring list with 2,305 points. The 6-foot-11 senior, who leads the Sun Belt Conference in rebounds and is second in blocked shots, is 15 points shy of passing former South Florida standout Charlie Bradley as the league's No. 2 scorer behind UNO's Bo McCalebb.

Long, who is the Sun Belt Conference leader in scoring (19.5), rebounds (12.5) and blocked shots (1.8), has recorded 21 double-doubles on the season and has 73 in his career – one shy of tying Memphis' Keith Lee and Navy's David Robinson for 12th place on the NCAA's all-time list.

A&M-Corpus Christi, making its third straight trip to the CIT, fell to Stephen F. Austin in the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament last week in Katy, Texas. The Islanders have reached the second round of the CIT the past two seasons, including a win at Florida Gulf Coast.

GAME 32: Louisiana (17-14) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (25-7)
March 16, 2016 | 7:15 p.m. | Lafayette, La. | Cajundome (11,550)
TV/Web: CollegeInsider.com
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM | Talent: Steve Peloquin (PBP)
Video: CollegeInsider.com/watch
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball; @ULRaginCajuns
Series: UL leads, 4-0 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 2-0 | In Corpus Christi: UL leads, 2-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 453-257 (23rd season), Record at UL: 104-91 (6th season)

TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Head Coach: Willis Wilson (Rice, 1982)
Career Record: 294-330 (21st season), Record at A&M-CC: 75-84 (5th season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana makes its fourth postseason appearance in the past five seasons when it opens play in the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

• The Ragin' Cajuns are in the CIT for the third time overall (2012, 2015) and reached the quarterfinals of last year's tournament.

• With 73 career double-doubles, Shawn Long is the NCAA active leader and is one shy of tying Keith Lee (Memphis State) and David Robinson (Navy) for 12th-place on the NCAA's all-time list.

• Long is the NCAA active leader in both double-doubles (73) and rebounds (1,422), is second among active Division I players in points scored (2,305) and field goals made (859), third in field goal attempts (1,707) and fifth in rebound average (10.8).

• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference and is 10th among NCAA Division I schools in rebound margin (+8.5).

• The Ragin' Cajuns will look for their first postseason victory in Lafayette since a 93-87 win over UT Pan American (now UT Rio Grande Valley) in first round of the 1989 American South Conference Tournament.

THE SERIES
• The game will be the fifth all-time between the schools with the first three meetings coming in the 1957-58 season. The last meeting on the hardwood - an 85-77 victory by Louisiana - came in the Islander's first year of resuming athletics (1999-2000).

• Louisiana is 4-0 all-time in the series, including a 2-0 mark in games played in Lafayette.

• Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin is 8-3 in games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

QUICK HITS
• The Cajuns are 0-5 this season in games decided by five points or less.

• Louisiana is 2-2 all-time in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament with both wins coming on the road (2015 at Incarnate Word; at Sam Houston State).

• The Cajuns are 0-1 in CIT games played in the Cajundome (Rice, 2012) and 0-1 at Blackham Coliseum (Evansville, 2015).

• With his next appearance, Kasey Shepherd will move into a tie for sixth-place with Byron Starks on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time list for games played (121).

• The Ragin' Cajuns are 12-2 this season when holding opponents below 70 points and are 0-7 when held below 70 points.

WHAT'S ON TAP
A win by the Ragin' Cajuns, coupled with losses by either UC Davis (at North Dakota State), UT Arlington (at Savannah State) or Columbia (vs. Norfolk State), would give Louisiana a bye into the CIT Quarterfinals, that are scheduled for March 22-24. A win by all four teams would have the Cajuns traveling to a second-round game to be determined on March 18-20.

MBB Game 32 Preview: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

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Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

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