Louisiana Opens Homestand Against Sun Belt Rival Little Rock

LAFAYETTE – After playing six of its last seven games on the road, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Cajundome for the first of a season-high, four-game homestand on Saturday when it plays host to Sun Belt Conference rival Little Rock.

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.

The game is being designated as the Holiday Game with mystery trinket presents (bobbleheads, shirts, food vouchers, etc.) being given out to the first 500 fans in attendance. Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to the game and participate in the "Teddy Bear Toss" at halftime. All teddy bears collected at the game will be donated to the local Salvation Army for the holidays.

Beginning with Saturday's game against Little Rock and upcoming home games against UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 29), South Alabama (Jan. 2) and Troy (Jan. 4), fans can "Be A Student Again" and sit in the student section for just $6.

Louisiana (5-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) opened its league schedule on Wednesday in a bizarre 79-67 setback at Arkansas State. Cedric Russell led the Ragin' Cajuns with 16 points with junior Tirus Smith making the most of his first start of the season with a season-high 15 points and a career-high tying eight rebounds.

Little Rock (7-5, 1-0 Sun Belt) overcame a six-point deficit in the final minute to upend host ULM, 73-72 on Thursday. Markquis Nowell scored 33 points, including a 40-foot, 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift the Trojans to the win.

Season tickets for the 2019-20 campaign are currently on sale at the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, by phone at (337) 265-2357, or on-line at RaginCajuns.com/MBBTix.

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 (5-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) vs. LITTLE ROCK (7-5, 1-0 Sun Belt)
Date / Time: December 21, 2019 / 7 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (PxP); Eric Mouton (color)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 31-22
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 17-7
In Little Rock: Little Rock leads, 14-11
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 3-1
Streak: Louisiana +2

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 179-130 (10^th season), Career Record: 527-296 (27th season)

LITTLE ROCK
Head Coach: Darrell Walker (Arkansas, 2012)
Record at Little Rock: 17-26 (second season), Career Record: 63-44 (fourth season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens the home portion of its Sun Belt Conference schedule as it hosts Little Rock at the Cajundome.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 20-8 overall when opening their Sun Belt Conference home slate (compared to 17-12 in overall Sun Belt openers), and are 7-2 at home during the Bob Marlin era.
• Louisiana looks to avoid its first 0-2 start in Sun Belt Conference play since 2010-11 after losses at New Mexico State and Denver.
• Louisiana swept the season series against Little Rock in 2018-19 and have won six of the last seven meetings dating back to the Trojans' 2015-16 squad that reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Championships.
• The game will feature four of the top six players in minutes played per game among Sun Belt Conference student-athletes (Little Rock's Markquis Nowell - 38.1; Ben Coupet, Jr. - 35.1; Ruot Monyyong - 33.4; and Louisiana's Jalen Johnson - 33.3).

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.
• Mylik Wilson leads all Sun Belt Conference freshmen in steals per game (2.1) and minutes played per game (32.1).
• Louisiana is holding opponents to 31.8 percent (90-for-283) from behind the 3-point line - the second-lowest in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Junior Tirus Smith went 5-for-6 from the floor against Arkansas State and posted the top percentage (83.3) during opening night in the Sun Belt Conference.
• 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 141 career 3-pointers, junior Cedric Russell is six 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 Homestand Against Sun Belt Rival Little Rock

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Players Mentioned

Dou Gueye

Jalen Johnson

Vieux Kande

Cedric Russell

Tirus Smith

Mylik Wilson

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