Louisiana Hosts A-State In Sun Belt Men's Basketball

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team opens a final stretch of three games in a seven-day period on Wednesday when it hosts Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9 FM, RaginCajuns.com and the Hot 107.9 mobile app with Jay Walker on the call. The game will also be available on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (Play-By-Play) and Eric Mouton (Color) providing commentary.

Live stats will be available at CajunStats.com.

Annual Fund investors to the Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation (RCAF) can claim free tickets by calling the RCAF Office at (337) 851-2903. Fans are also encouraged to donate beads collected during Mardi Gras, with all beads collected going to LARC Developmental Disabilities Services.

For ticket information, contact the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome, by phone (337) 265-2170 or on-line at RaginCajuns.com/MBBsingle.

Louisiana (11-17, 6-11 Sun Belt) plays two of its final three regular-season games at home beginning with Wednesday's contest against Arkansas State (15-14, 7-11 Sun Belt) before the regular-season finale on March 3 against Coastal Carolina.

Currently one-half game behind both A-State and CCU for eighth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, the Ragin' Cajuns will look to move up in the standings and host a first-round contest on March 7.

Jalen Johnson (15.5 ppg.), Cedric Russell (13.3 ppg.) and freshman Mylik Wilson (11.2 ppg.) lead Louisiana in scoring with Johnson pulling down a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game.

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 (11-17, 6-11 Sun Belt) vs. ARKANSAS STATE (15-14, 7-11 Sun Belt)
Date / Time: February 26, 2020 / 7 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT FM 107.9
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, 53-27
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 31-9
In Jonesboro: Louisiana leads, 21-18
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: A-State +1

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 185-141 (10th season), Career Record: 533-307 (27th season)

ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas [Fla.], 1998)
Record at A-State: 39-54 (third season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Both teams are looking to host a first-round game in next month's Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championships.
• The meeting will be the 81st between the schools in a series that dates back to the 1963-64 season.
• Louisiana plays two of its final three regular-season games at home.
• The Red Wolves have won two of the last three contests played at the Cajundome.
• The game features a matchup of two of the top two freshmen in the Sun Belt Conference - Louisiana's Mylik Wilson and A-State's Caleb Fields.
• During Bob Marlin's tenure at Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns are 44-25 overall in the month of February.
• Louisiana is 10-4 overall when scoring 70 points or more this season.
• With 107 career wins in Sun Belt Conference play, head coach Bob Marlin is fourth in league history and is four wins shy of tying former UAB coach Gene Bartow for third place.
• On the season, injuries have cost players on the 2019-20 roster a combined total of 86 games.

QUICK HITS
• Mylik Wilson is the only freshman at the Division I level averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game.
• Wilson leads all Sun Belt Conference freshmen in scoring (11.2), rebounds (5.6) and steals (2.3).
• Wilson is 15th nationally in steals per game (2.3) and 30th in total steals (55).
• Wilson is third nationally among Division I freshmen in total steals trailing the tandem of Juvaris Hayes (116) and Mikey Watkins (58) of Merrimack.
• Louisiana has earned wins this season over McNeese (11/9), Southeastern Louisiana (12/3), Troy (1/4), Appalachian State (1/6) and Georgia State (2/6) after trailing by double-digits.
• Cedric Russell's seven 3-pointers against South Alabama on Feb. 13 were the most by a Ragin' Cajun since Malik Marquetti went 7-for-11 from long range at McNeese State on Dec. 18, 2019.
• Louisiana is ranked 55th among Division I schools in free throws made (426) and 73rd nationally in free throw attempts (580).
• Louisiana 19-for-20 performance from the free throw line against Georgia State on Feb. 6 was its second-highest percentage (.950) of the season. The Ragin' Cajuns were 13-for-13 against Texas State on Jan. 18.
• Senior P.J. Hardy (155 3-pointers) needs two 3-pointer to pass Conley Verdun (156, 1995-97 ) for eighth-place on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time career list.
• Louisiana's injury-riddled roster has used 12 different starting lineups during the 2019-20 season.

Louisiana Hosts A-State In Sun Belt Men's Basketball

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Players Mentioned

P.J. Hardy

Jalen Johnson

Malik Marquetti

Cedric Russell

Mylik Wilson

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