Ragin' Cajuns Host Little Rock In Sun Belt Hoops Weekend

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team returns to the court beginning Friday when it plays host to defending Sun Belt Conference champion Little Rock in a two-game series at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Friday with the series finale set for Saturday at 4 p.m. Both games will be available on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (pxp) and former Ragin' Cajuns point guard Eric Mouton (color) on the call.

Both games, which will conclude a nine-game homestand for the Ragin' Cajuns, can also be heard in the Lafayette area on KPEL 96.5 FM and ESPN 1420 AM with Jay Walker providing the commentary. Live stats will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (7-2, 1-1 Sun Belt), picked to finish second in the SBC West Division behind Little Rock, opened SBC action last week with a split against Texas State at the Cajundome. Cedric Russell (17.6 points per game), Mylik Wilson (14.6), Theo Akwuba (10.8) and Dou Gueye (10.4) are the leading scorers for the Ragin' Cajuns with Akwuba (10.4 rebounds) and Gueye (10.1) ranked among the league leaders in rebounds.

Little Rock (6-3, 2-0 Sun Belt) opened league play with a sweep against UT Arlington at home. Preseason SBC Player of the Year Ruot Monyyong (12.7 points) is part of a returning group that includes guard Markquis Nowell (17.0), Nikola Maric (15.0) and reigning SBC Player of the Week Ben Coupet, Jr. (10.9), who averaged 26.5 points during the opening weekend against UTA.

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 (7-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. LITTLE ROCK (6-3, 2-0 Sun Belt)
FRIDAY – Game 1
Date / Time: January 8, 2021 / 6 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

SATURDAY – Game 2
Date / Time: January 9, 2021 / 4 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.

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 leads, 31-24
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 17-8
In Little Rock: Little Rock leads, 15-11
Neutral: Louisiana leads, 3-1
Streak: Little Rock +2
Last Meeting: Little Rock, 91-69 (2/29/20 at Little Rock, Ark.)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 195-145 (11^th season), Career Record: 543-310 (28th season)

LITTLE ROCK
Head Coach: Darrell Walker (Arkansas, 2012)
Record at Little Rock: 37-34 (third season), Career Record: 83-52 (fifth season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana wraps up a nine-game home stand this weekend with a pair of Sun Belt Conference games against defending league champion Little Rock.
• The weekend series pits a pair of teams picked to finish first (Little Rock) and second (Louisiana) in the Sun Belt West Division.
• The series features four of the top six Sun Belt Conference players in double-doubles (Ruot Monyyang [5], Markquis Nowell [4], Dou Gueye [3], Theo Akwuba [3]).
• With 110 career Sun Belt Conference victories, head coach Bob Marlin is one win shy of tying legendary UAB coach Gene Bartow for third in league history.
• Little Rock (No. 18) and Louisiana (No. 23) are two of three current Sun Belt teams (No. 9 Georgia State) ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
• Louisiana has dropped its last two contests against Little Rock and three of the last five meetings against the Trojans at the Cajundome (2016, 2018, 2019).

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana will play its West Division rivals (Arkansas State, Little Rock, Texas State, UT Arlington) in a pair (home-and-home) of two-game series with single-game, home-and-home series against in-state foe ULM.
• Louisiana has made its last 26 attempts at the free throw line, breaking the school-record of 25 set last year in games against Youngstown State (22) and Wyoming (3).
• Louisiana's 17-for-17 performance from the free throw line 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.
• In the last three home games played against Texas State, Louisiana has gone 48-for-49 (.979) from the free throw line - 18-for-19 in 2017-18, 13-for-13 in 2019-20 and 17-for-17 on Jan. 2.
• Cedric Russell is two 3-pointers shy of tying Blane Harmon (212, 1998-01) for fifth place in school history.
• With 1,121 career points, Russell is 10 shy of passing Brad Boyd (2000-04) for 34th place on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time scoring list.
• Louisiana has made at least one 3-pointer in 499 consecutive games dating back to the 2005 season.

Ragin' Cajuns Host Little Rock In Sun Belt Hoops Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Theo Akwuba

Dou Gueye

Cedric Russell

Mylik Wilson

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