Louisiana, Louisiana Tech Set To Renew Hardwood Rivalry on Saturday

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team renews its oldest hardwood rivalry in school history when it entertains in-state foe Louisiana Tech on Saturday at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (pxp) and former Ragin' Cajuns point guard Eric Mouton (color) on the call. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on both KPEL 96.5 FM and ESPN 1420 AM with Jay Walker providing the commentary. Live stats will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (3-1) and Louisiana Tech (4-1) meet for the 132^nd time since 1930 with the Bulldogs holding a 71-60 lead in the series. Louisiana has won four of the seven meetings since the in-state rivalry was resumed in 2013 after a five-year hiatus.

The Ragin' Cajuns have won their last three games after dropping the season-opener against then No. 1-ranked Baylor (Coaches' Poll) on Nov. 28 in Las Vegas. The game against Louisiana Tech is the third of four straight at home for the Ragin' Cajuns with Louisiana set to host New Orleans on Tuesday (Dec. 15) before wrapping up non-conference play on Friday (Dec. 18) at Atlantic 10-member VCU.

Season-ticket holders can download their tickets through mobile ticketing from Ticketmaster. Fans can download the #GeauxCajuns app to their smart phone to begin the process. Season-ticket holders who are unable to download tickets or wish to have printed can visit the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome to have them printed.

For more information on Men's Basketball tickets, fans can call the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2170.

The Cajundome will operate at a significantly reduced capacity for the 2020-21 season (unless state COVID-19 policy changes during the season). This will allow for fans and University students to be accommodated this season. The Department of Athletics will quickly communicate any schedule adjustments or changes to attendance protocols through its social media channels and RaginCajuns.com.

In the interest of public safety and following the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Best Practices Guide, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Athletics Department is implementing a clear bag policy at all venues that host ticketed events effective with the 2020-21 competition season. Information about the clear bag policy can be found by visiting www.RaginCajuns.com/clearbag.

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 (3-1) vs. LOUISIANA TECH (4-1)
Date / Time: December 12, 2020 / 6 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (PxP), Eric Mouton (color)
Radio: KPEL 96.5 / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana Tech leads, 71-60
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 37-23
In Ruston: Louisiana Tech leads, 43-16
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 4-0
Unknown Sites: Louisiana Tech leads, 5-3
Streak: Louisiana Tech +2
Last Meeting: Louisiana Tech, 77-59 (12/14/19 at Ruston)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 191-144 (11^th season), Career Record: 539-309 (28th season)

LOUISIANA TECH
Head Coach: Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2000)
Record at Louisiana Tech: 109-58 (sixth season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana continues its season-opening, four-game homestand on Saturday when it renews its in-state rivalry against Louisiana Tech at the Cajundome.
• The meeting against the Bulldogs will be the 132nd on the hardwood dating back to 1930.
• The Louisiana-Louisiana Tech series is the oldest rivalry in Ragin' Cajuns basketball history.
• Louisiana has won four of the seven meetings since the series was renewed in 2013 after a five-year hiatus.
• Louisiana is 49-10 in non-conference games at home in the Bob Marlin era including a 22-2 mark since the beginning of the 2016-17 season.
• Against in-state, non-conference opponents played at home under Marlin, Louisiana is 30-1 overall.
• Since Bob Marlin became head coach in 2010, Louisiana is 42-30 overall in games played in the month of December.

QUICK HITS
• Since the 2013-14 season, Louisiana is fifth among Division I programs scoring 80 points or more (121 games).
• Since the 1957-58 season – the first under legendary coach Beryl Shipley – Louisiana holds a 51-48 advantage in the series, including a 32-15 mark in games played in Lafayette (Earl K. Long Gym/Blackham Coliseum/Cajundome).
• The double-doubles recorded by Theo Akwuba (17 points/11 rebounds), Dou Gueye (17 points/11 rebounds) and Mylik Wilson (14 points/10 rebounds) against LSU Shreveport marked the eighth time in school history the Ragin' Cajuns had three or more players record a double-double in the same game.
• Theo Akwuba is fourth nationally among Division I players in field goal percentage (.815), tied for eighth in rebounds per game (11.3) and tied for 21st in blocks per game (2.8).
• Over the past five seasons, Louisiana has averaged 20 wins (103-66 record).
• Paced by Theo Akwuba, Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference and is 24th nationally in blocked shots per game (5.5).
• Cedric Russell's 19 points against LSU Alexandria moved him into a tie with Elvin Ivory (1966-68) for 45th place on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time scoring list with 1,028 points. The senior is 15 points shy of tying Lonnie Thomas (1998-01) for 44th place.
• With three 3-pointers against LSU-A, Russell became the sixth player in school history to record 200 or more 3-pointers in his Ragin' Cajuns career.
• With 200 career 3-pointers, Russell is eight shy of tying former Ragin' Cajuns guard Michael Allen (1991-94) for fifth place on the all-time list.
• Louisiana's 68 rebounds against LSU-A on Tuesday are the most by a Sun Belt school in 2020-21 and third nationally behind Murray State (79 vs. Greenville) and Georgia Tech (70, vs. Georgia State).

Louisiana, Louisiana Tech Set To Renew Hardwood Rivalry on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Theo Akwuba

Dou Gueye

Cedric Russell

Mylik Wilson

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