University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
@RaginCajunsMBB Game 31 Preview: at Arkansas State
3/8/2019 4:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana can clinch first-round bye with win
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team will look to clinch a first-round bye in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championships when it faces league rival Arkansas State in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday at First National Bank Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Roger Twibell (pxp) and Al Grushkin (color) on the call. Fans can listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KHXT-FM (107.9) and worldwide on RaginCajuns.com with Jay Walker (PxP) providing the commentary.
A win in the regular-season finale would clinch a first-round bye for Louisiana (18-12, 9-8 SBC) in next week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The top six seeds automatically advance to Thursday's second round, played at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, with seeds 7-10 playing a first-round game on Tuesday at campus sites.
Louisiana, currently tied with Coastal Carolina for fifth-place in the league standings, rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to claim a 77-72 victory over Little Rock on Thursday behind a career-high 34 points from Cedric Russell. P.J. Hardy scored 15 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Jerekius Davis pulling down a team-high six rebounds.
JaKeenan Gant leads Louisiana in scoring (20.2), rebounds (8.6) and field goal percentage (.538) while leading the Sun Belt Conference in both blocked shots (2.7) and double-doubles (12). Marcus Stroman, the SBC leader in assists (6.4), is next in scoring (11.4) for the Ragin' Cajuns with Russell (9.5), Davis (9.5) and Justin Miller (8.9) next in the scoring column.
A-State (13-17, 7-10 SBC), which is looking to host a first-round game on Tuesday, snapped a two-game losing streak after a 73-72 win over ULM on Thursday. Ty Cockfield, the No. 2-leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference (22.0) and Grantham Gillard combined for 51 points for the Red Wolves.
GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (18-12, 9-8 SBC) at ARKANSAS STATE (13-17, 7-10 SBC)
Date / Time: March 9, 2019 / 4 p.m.
Site: Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena: First National Bank Arena (10,038)
RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Roger Twibell (PxP); Al Grushkin (color)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Social Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 51-25
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 30-9
In Jonesboro: Louisiana leads, 20-16
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Arkansas State +1
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 173-123 (ninth season), Career Record: 521-289 (26th season)
ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas [Fla.], 1998)
Record at A-State: 24-38 (second season), Career Record: Same
STORY LINES
• Louisiana enters the final day of the regular-season tied with Coastal Carolina for fifth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. A win by Louisiana, along with a victory by Georgia Southern (vs. Georgia State), would give the Ragin' Cajuns the No. 5 seed in next week's SBC Tournament in New Orleans.
• Louisiana is 21-16 overall in games played during the month of March under head coach Bob Marlin and a combined 64-37 in both February/March.
• The Ragin' Cajuns can reach the 10-win mark in Sun Belt Conference play for the ninth time in the past 10 years with a victory in Jonesboro.
• Marcus Stroman's 406 assists in his two-year Ragin' Cajuns career makes him the ninth player in school history with 400 assists. He is seven assists shy from becoming the first Louisiana player to record two seasons with 200 or more assists.
QUICK HITS
• Louisiana is 11-4 overall when scoring 80 or more points during the 2018-19 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 12-2 overall when holding an opponent to under 80 points.
• Louisiana is 7-2 this season in games decided by six points or less.
• Louisiana's JaKeenan Gant is the only Division I player averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 blocks during the 2018-19 season.
• Bob Marlin's 100 wins in Sun Belt Conference games are the most by an active coach in the league. Louisiana's 77-72 win at Little Rock on Thursday made Marlin the fifth coach in SBC history to earn 100 wins in league play.
• Louisiana is 15-1 overall in games in which it makes more 3-pointers than its opponent. The only loss for the Ragin' Cajuns was at then-No. 2 ranked Kansas.
• Louisiana's victory at Little Rock on Thursday marked its second comeback of the season from a double-digit deficit, and tied for the seventh-best comeback in the Bob Marlin era. The Ragin' Cajuns rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat New Orleans, 77-73, on Nov. 28, 2018.
• Louisiana has used 10 different starting lineups during the 2018-19 season, including six since losing senior Malik Marquetti to a knee injury in the non-conference finale on Dec. 29.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE
• Arkansas State edged ULM, 73-72, on Thursday to snap a two-game losing streak behind a combined 51 points from Ty Cockfield and Grantham Gillard. Cockfield, the No. 2-leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference (22.0), scored a game-high 26 points for the Red Wolves with Gillard scoring 25 on 7 of 9 aim from behind the 3-point line.
• Marquis Eaton averages 11.1 points per game for the Red Wolves with Grantham averaging 10.2. Gillard pulls down 5.7 rebounds to lead A-State.
• The Red Wolves are 10-3 at home in 2018-19, including a 5-3 mark in Sun Belt games.
LAST MEETING - ARKANSAS STATE 94, LOUISIANA 83
• Marcus Stroman scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half while JaKeenan Gant and Justin Miller each added 19 points, but Arkansas State built a 16-point lead in the second half and held off a Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns rally in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams at the Cajundome.
• Marquis Eaton scored a career-high 24 points and Grantham Gillard added 20 as A-State (7-7, 1-0 SBC) used a 19-4 run to build a double-digit lead and fend off a pair of Louisiana (9-5, 0-1 SBC) rallies.
• Louisiana opened the game on a 17-9 run and led 27-22 on a bucket by Gant before the Red Wolves would chip away at the lead. A three-point play by Ty Cockfield and bucket by Eaton tied the game at 27-all before two free throws by Salif Boudie and a 3-pointer by Cockfield gave Arkansas State a 32-27 lead.
MARLIN JOINS SELECT SBC COMPANY
• With Louisiana's 77-72 win over Little Rock on March 7, head coach Bob Marlin became the fifth coach in league history to reach the 100-win mark.
• Marlin, who is 100-63 in Sun Belt games in his career, joins a list that includes Kermit Davis, Jr. (Middle Tennessee, 117), Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama, 112), Gene Bartow (UAB, 111) and Dickey Nutt (Arkansas State, 103) as coaches with 100 victories in Sun Belt Conference play during their careers.
THE RAGIN' CAJUNS LEGACY LIVES ON
• Two members of the 2018-19 Ragin' Cajuns squad are following in the footsteps of their fathers, who each played for then-USL.
• Freshman forward Kobe Julien (Baton Rouge) is the son of former Ragin' Cajuns forward Wayne Julien (1977-81) with freshman guard Eli Mouton (Lafayette) the son of former Ragin' Cajuns player and current ESPN+ analyst Eric Mouton.
BORN ON THE BAYOU
• Eight of the 15 players on the 2018-19 Ragin' Cajuns basketball team hail from the state of Louisiana.
• Baton Rouge - Kobe Julien (Madison Prep) and Jalen Johnson (University Lab); Lafayette - Eli Mouton (Ascension Episcopal School); Lake Charles - P.J. Hardy (St. Louis Catholic); Alexandria - Cedric Russell (Peabody); Luling - Mason Aucoin (Hahnville); DeRidder - R.J. Gladney (DeRidder); Roseland - Jeremy Hayes.
STROMAN DISHING IT OUT
• With 193 assists during the 2018-19 season at Louisiana, senior Marcus Stroman looks to become the first-ever Ragin' Cajuns floor general to reach the 200-assist mark twice in a career.
• With 406 career assists in his two-year career, Stroman became the ninth player in school history - and first since for Cajun and current New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (2011-14) - to reach the 400-mark with eight assists at Little Rock on March 7.
TROPHY MARLIN
• Head coach Bob Marlin is in his ninth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns with his teams from 2013-15 equaling the most wins (45) since a period from 1982-84 which saw then-USL post records of 22-10 (1982-83) and 23-10 (1983-84).
• During the past two seasons, Louisiana's 48 wins equaled the 1970-72 teams for the best two-year mark in school history.
• Under Marlin's guidance, the Ragin' Cajuns have made five postseason appearances, including a berth in the 2014 NCAA Championships.
• He is 173-123 in his career at Louisiana and has taken two teams - Louisiana (2014) and Sam Houston State (2003, 2010) to the NCAA Championships.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• During the Bob Marlin era, Louisiana is 51-47 in games decided by six points or less with at least nine wins recorded in both 2010-11 and 2013-14.
• The Cajuns were 3-1 in games decided by six points or less in 2017-18 and are 7-2 this season.
• In one-point contests, Louisiana's 73-72 victory at Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 29 was its first since defeating ULM, 85-84, on Feb. 18, 2017.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-4 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 55-49 overall in school history.
SUN BELT CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Tickets booklets for the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for March 13-17 at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, are currently on sale on-line at RaginCajuns.com, using Account Manager, or by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• For more information, call the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357.
FOLLOW THE CAJUNS
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.
Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Roger Twibell (pxp) and Al Grushkin (color) on the call. Fans can listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KHXT-FM (107.9) and worldwide on RaginCajuns.com with Jay Walker (PxP) providing the commentary.
A win in the regular-season finale would clinch a first-round bye for Louisiana (18-12, 9-8 SBC) in next week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The top six seeds automatically advance to Thursday's second round, played at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, with seeds 7-10 playing a first-round game on Tuesday at campus sites.
Louisiana, currently tied with Coastal Carolina for fifth-place in the league standings, rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to claim a 77-72 victory over Little Rock on Thursday behind a career-high 34 points from Cedric Russell. P.J. Hardy scored 15 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Jerekius Davis pulling down a team-high six rebounds.
JaKeenan Gant leads Louisiana in scoring (20.2), rebounds (8.6) and field goal percentage (.538) while leading the Sun Belt Conference in both blocked shots (2.7) and double-doubles (12). Marcus Stroman, the SBC leader in assists (6.4), is next in scoring (11.4) for the Ragin' Cajuns with Russell (9.5), Davis (9.5) and Justin Miller (8.9) next in the scoring column.
A-State (13-17, 7-10 SBC), which is looking to host a first-round game on Tuesday, snapped a two-game losing streak after a 73-72 win over ULM on Thursday. Ty Cockfield, the No. 2-leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference (22.0) and Grantham Gillard combined for 51 points for the Red Wolves.
GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (18-12, 9-8 SBC) at ARKANSAS STATE (13-17, 7-10 SBC)
Date / Time: March 9, 2019 / 4 p.m.
Site: Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena: First National Bank Arena (10,038)
RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Roger Twibell (PxP); Al Grushkin (color)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Social Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 51-25
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 30-9
In Jonesboro: Louisiana leads, 20-16
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Arkansas State +1
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 173-123 (ninth season), Career Record: 521-289 (26th season)
ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas [Fla.], 1998)
Record at A-State: 24-38 (second season), Career Record: Same
STORY LINES
• Louisiana enters the final day of the regular-season tied with Coastal Carolina for fifth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. A win by Louisiana, along with a victory by Georgia Southern (vs. Georgia State), would give the Ragin' Cajuns the No. 5 seed in next week's SBC Tournament in New Orleans.
• Louisiana is 21-16 overall in games played during the month of March under head coach Bob Marlin and a combined 64-37 in both February/March.
• The Ragin' Cajuns can reach the 10-win mark in Sun Belt Conference play for the ninth time in the past 10 years with a victory in Jonesboro.
• Marcus Stroman's 406 assists in his two-year Ragin' Cajuns career makes him the ninth player in school history with 400 assists. He is seven assists shy from becoming the first Louisiana player to record two seasons with 200 or more assists.
QUICK HITS
• Louisiana is 11-4 overall when scoring 80 or more points during the 2018-19 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 12-2 overall when holding an opponent to under 80 points.
• Louisiana is 7-2 this season in games decided by six points or less.
• Louisiana's JaKeenan Gant is the only Division I player averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 blocks during the 2018-19 season.
• Bob Marlin's 100 wins in Sun Belt Conference games are the most by an active coach in the league. Louisiana's 77-72 win at Little Rock on Thursday made Marlin the fifth coach in SBC history to earn 100 wins in league play.
• Louisiana is 15-1 overall in games in which it makes more 3-pointers than its opponent. The only loss for the Ragin' Cajuns was at then-No. 2 ranked Kansas.
• Louisiana's victory at Little Rock on Thursday marked its second comeback of the season from a double-digit deficit, and tied for the seventh-best comeback in the Bob Marlin era. The Ragin' Cajuns rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat New Orleans, 77-73, on Nov. 28, 2018.
• Louisiana has used 10 different starting lineups during the 2018-19 season, including six since losing senior Malik Marquetti to a knee injury in the non-conference finale on Dec. 29.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE
• Arkansas State edged ULM, 73-72, on Thursday to snap a two-game losing streak behind a combined 51 points from Ty Cockfield and Grantham Gillard. Cockfield, the No. 2-leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference (22.0), scored a game-high 26 points for the Red Wolves with Gillard scoring 25 on 7 of 9 aim from behind the 3-point line.
• Marquis Eaton averages 11.1 points per game for the Red Wolves with Grantham averaging 10.2. Gillard pulls down 5.7 rebounds to lead A-State.
• The Red Wolves are 10-3 at home in 2018-19, including a 5-3 mark in Sun Belt games.
LAST MEETING - ARKANSAS STATE 94, LOUISIANA 83
• Marcus Stroman scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half while JaKeenan Gant and Justin Miller each added 19 points, but Arkansas State built a 16-point lead in the second half and held off a Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns rally in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams at the Cajundome.
• Marquis Eaton scored a career-high 24 points and Grantham Gillard added 20 as A-State (7-7, 1-0 SBC) used a 19-4 run to build a double-digit lead and fend off a pair of Louisiana (9-5, 0-1 SBC) rallies.
• Louisiana opened the game on a 17-9 run and led 27-22 on a bucket by Gant before the Red Wolves would chip away at the lead. A three-point play by Ty Cockfield and bucket by Eaton tied the game at 27-all before two free throws by Salif Boudie and a 3-pointer by Cockfield gave Arkansas State a 32-27 lead.
MARLIN JOINS SELECT SBC COMPANY
• With Louisiana's 77-72 win over Little Rock on March 7, head coach Bob Marlin became the fifth coach in league history to reach the 100-win mark.
• Marlin, who is 100-63 in Sun Belt games in his career, joins a list that includes Kermit Davis, Jr. (Middle Tennessee, 117), Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama, 112), Gene Bartow (UAB, 111) and Dickey Nutt (Arkansas State, 103) as coaches with 100 victories in Sun Belt Conference play during their careers.
THE RAGIN' CAJUNS LEGACY LIVES ON
• Two members of the 2018-19 Ragin' Cajuns squad are following in the footsteps of their fathers, who each played for then-USL.
• Freshman forward Kobe Julien (Baton Rouge) is the son of former Ragin' Cajuns forward Wayne Julien (1977-81) with freshman guard Eli Mouton (Lafayette) the son of former Ragin' Cajuns player and current ESPN+ analyst Eric Mouton.
BORN ON THE BAYOU
• Eight of the 15 players on the 2018-19 Ragin' Cajuns basketball team hail from the state of Louisiana.
• Baton Rouge - Kobe Julien (Madison Prep) and Jalen Johnson (University Lab); Lafayette - Eli Mouton (Ascension Episcopal School); Lake Charles - P.J. Hardy (St. Louis Catholic); Alexandria - Cedric Russell (Peabody); Luling - Mason Aucoin (Hahnville); DeRidder - R.J. Gladney (DeRidder); Roseland - Jeremy Hayes.
STROMAN DISHING IT OUT
• With 193 assists during the 2018-19 season at Louisiana, senior Marcus Stroman looks to become the first-ever Ragin' Cajuns floor general to reach the 200-assist mark twice in a career.
• With 406 career assists in his two-year career, Stroman became the ninth player in school history - and first since for Cajun and current New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (2011-14) - to reach the 400-mark with eight assists at Little Rock on March 7.
TROPHY MARLIN
• Head coach Bob Marlin is in his ninth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns with his teams from 2013-15 equaling the most wins (45) since a period from 1982-84 which saw then-USL post records of 22-10 (1982-83) and 23-10 (1983-84).
• During the past two seasons, Louisiana's 48 wins equaled the 1970-72 teams for the best two-year mark in school history.
• Under Marlin's guidance, the Ragin' Cajuns have made five postseason appearances, including a berth in the 2014 NCAA Championships.
• He is 173-123 in his career at Louisiana and has taken two teams - Louisiana (2014) and Sam Houston State (2003, 2010) to the NCAA Championships.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• During the Bob Marlin era, Louisiana is 51-47 in games decided by six points or less with at least nine wins recorded in both 2010-11 and 2013-14.
• The Cajuns were 3-1 in games decided by six points or less in 2017-18 and are 7-2 this season.
• In one-point contests, Louisiana's 73-72 victory at Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 29 was its first since defeating ULM, 85-84, on Feb. 18, 2017.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-4 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 55-49 overall in school history.
SUN BELT CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Tickets booklets for the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for March 13-17 at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena, are currently on sale on-line at RaginCajuns.com, using Account Manager, or by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• For more information, call the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357.
FOLLOW THE CAJUNS
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.
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