Louisiana Opens Sun Belt Hoops Schedule At Arkansas State

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team opens its 29^th Sun Belt Conference slate when it travels to face Arkansas State on Wednesday at First National Bank Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9 FM, ESPN 1420 AM and the ESPN 1420 app. The game will also be available on ESPN+ with live results available at CajunStats.com.

Closing out a stretch where it played seven of the past nine games on the road, Louisiana (5-5) opens league play against Arkansas State (7-3) for the third time in the past four seasons. The schools split the season series last year with each team winning on the road.

Louisiana has won the last two meetings against the Red Wolves in Jonesboro, including a 90-87 overtime victory to close out the 2018-19 regular season.

A-State has won five of six games at home this season. The Red Wolves picked up wins at Colorado State and Tulsa, and will return to the court since a 75-53 setback at Missouri State on Dec. 11.

Louisiana leads the all-time series, 53-26, and is 21-17 overall in Jonesboro. After facing A-State, Louisiana will return home for its next four games, beginning on Saturday (Dec. 21) against Little Rock in a 7 p.m. contest at the Cajundome.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsMBB), Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsMBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Men's Basketball.

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (5-5) at ARKANSAS STATE (7-3)
Date / Time: December 18, 2019 / 7 p.m.
Site: Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena: First National Bank Arena (10,038)

RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)
Live Video: ESPN+

LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 53-26
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 31-9
In Jonesboro: Louisiana leads, 21-17
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +1

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 179-129 (10^th season), Career Record: 527-295 (27th season)

ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas [Fla.], 1998)
Record at ASU: 31-43 (third season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens its 29th season of Sun Belt Conference basketball on Wednesday when it visits Arkansas State at First National Bank Arena.
• The meeting will be the 80th between the schools in a series that dates back to the 1963-64 season.
• Louisiana is 17-11 all-time in Sun Belt Conference openers.
• Wednesday's game will be the third time in the past four seasons that Louisiana and Arkansas State have been pitted against one another to open Sun Belt Conference play.
• The game with A-State ends a stretch where Louisiana has played seven of its past nine games away from the Cajundome.
• The meeting with A-State will be the sixth overall contest in the all-time series that the schools have played in the month of December. The Red Wolves hold a 4-1 lead.
• The game will mark the earliest meeting between the schools since Dec. 17, 2006 in Lafayette (a 73-63 A-State victory).
• Wednesday's game marks the earliest trip to Jonesboro for the Ragin' Cajuns since the first-ever trip on Dec. 11, 1965.
• Louisiana has won the last two meetings at First National Bank Arena and four of the past six contests in Jonesboro dating back to a 77-76 victory in the 2014 regular-season finale.

QUICK HITS
• Bob Marlin's 101 victories in Sun Belt Conference play are the most by any active coach in the league and fifth in league history. He is two wins shy of tying former Arkansas State coach Dickie Nutt for fourth-place in SBC history.
• Louisiana returns 26.7 percent of its scoring (700 points) and 15.8 percent of its rebounds (181) from the 2018-19 campaign.
• With his 400th win as a Division I coach on Nov. 5 against Loyola, Marlin became the 35th active NCAA Division I coach - and 224th overall in NCAA Division I history - to reach that mark.
• Louisiana's 98-81 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 3 marked the second time this season - and 21st time in Bob Marlin's tenure - that Louisiana has won a game after trailing by double digits.
• The 14-point deficit to SLU marked the second-largest comeback for the Ragin' Cajuns in the Marlin era.
• With 140 career 3-pointers, junior Cedric Russell is seven shy of cracking into the top-10 in Ragin' Cajuns history.
• Junior Dou Gueye is the third player from Senegal in Ragin' Cajuns history - Vieux Kande (2013-15) and Khadim Kandji (2001-03).

Louisiana Opens Sun Belt Hoops Schedule At Arkansas State

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Players Mentioned

Dou Gueye

Vieux Kande

Cedric Russell

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