Louisiana Faces Texas State In Battle of SBC West Division Leaders

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team begins a stretch where it plays seven of its final 10 regular-season games on the road on Friday when it begins a two-game Sun Belt Conference series at Strahan Arena.

Tipoff for Friday's opener between the SBC West Division leaders is scheduled for 4 p.m., with the series finale set for Saturday at 4 p.m. Both games will be available on ESPN+ with Brant Freeman (pxp) and Suzanne Fox (color) on the call.

Both games can also be heard in the Lafayette area on KPEL 96.5 FM with Jay Walker providing the commentary. Live stats will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (11-4, 5-3 Sun Belt) earned its first weekend sweep of the season after earning a pair of victories last week against Arkansas State at the Cajundome. The Ragin' Cajuns opened SBC play on Jan. 1 with an 83-77 overtime victory over Texas State (11-4, 5-1 Sun Belt).

The Bobcats have won five straight, beginning with a 71-59 victory over Louisiana in the series finale between the schools on Jan. 2. Louisiana leads the all-time series 13-5 with the Bobcats winning four of the last five meetings.

In an effort to limit exposure due to COVID concerns, Sun Belt Conference teams will host one opponent for two games on Friday and Saturday each week during the 2020-21 season. Additionally, Louisiana will only play its divisional opponents, playing four schools (Arkansas State, Little Rock, Texas State and UT Arlington) a total of four times, while playing its traditional travel partner (ULM) twice.

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 (11-4, 5-3 Sun Belt) at TEXAS STATE (11-4, 5-1 Sun Belt)
FRIDAY – Game 1
Date / Time: January 29, 2021 / 4 p.m.
Site: San Marcos, Texas
Arena: Strahan Arena (10,000)

SATURDAY – Game 2
Date / Time: January 30, 2021 / 4 p.m.
Site: San Marcos, Texas

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Brant Freeman (PxP), Suzanne Fox (color)
Radio: KPEL 96.5
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 13-5
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 7-2
In San Marcos: Louisiana leads, 4-3
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 2-0
Streak: Texas State +1
Last Meeting: TXST, 71-59 (1/2/21 at Lafayette)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 199-147 (11th season), Career Record: 547-313 (28th season)

TEXAS STATE
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern, 2001)
Record at Texas State: 11-4 (first season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana travels west to face Texas State in a battle between the Sun Belt Conference West Division's top two teams.
• The teams split a two-game series in the SBC opener for both teams earlier this month in Lafayette.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will be without head coach Bob Marlin for the Texas State series after testing positive for COVID-19 last Sunday.
• With his next win, Marlin will join Beryl Shipley (1958-73) and J.C. "Dutch" Reinhardt (1932-57) as the only coaches in Ragin' Cajuns Basketball history with 200 or more career wins.
• Marlin is currently 199-147 in his 11th season at Louisiana.
• With 114 career victories in Sun Belt Conference play, Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin three wins shy of tying Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee) for the all-time SBC lead.
• Theo Akwuba is ranked nationally in the top 15 in the following categories - Total Blocks (4th, 49), Blocks per Game (4th, 3.27), Offensive Rebounds per Game (9th, 3.87), Total Rebounds (9th, 155), Double-Doubles (9th, 7) and Rebounds per Game (14th, 10.3).
• Mylik Wilson is ranked ninth nationally in total steals (37) and is 12th in steals per game (2.47).
• Louisiana is ranked eighth nationally in total blocks (83), 10th among Division I schools in blocks per game (5.5) and 20th in total rebounds per game (40.87).

QUICK HITS
• Senior forward Dou Gueye missed the previous Texas State weekend due to COVID-19 protocol.
• Louisiana is 5-2 this season in games decided by six points or less and is 62-56 overall under Bob Marlin.
• Louisiana is 7-2 this season when trailing at halftime.
• Louisiana's 17-for-17 performance from the free throw line against Texas State on Jan. 2 was the Ragin' Cajuns first perfect night with more than 15 attempts from the charity stripe since going 16-for-16 at Florida Atlantic on Feb. 12, 2011.
• Cedric Russell is two points shy of passing Anthony Johnson (1,224 points - 2000-03) for 30th place on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time scoring list and is 18 points shy of passing Payton Townsend (1,240 - 1969-72) for 29th.
• Louisiana has made at least one 3-pointer in 505 consecutive games dating back to the 2005 season.

Louisiana Faces Texas State In Battle of SBC West Division Leaders

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Players Mentioned

Theo Akwuba

Dou Gueye

Cedric Russell

Mylik Wilson

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