Unbeatens Louisiana, Drake Face Off In Mid Major Battle

DES MOINES, Iowa – Coming off a hard-fought overtime battle at SMU, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team heads north to face Missouri Valley Conference member Drake in a battle of unbeaten teams on Saturday at the Knapp Center.

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be heard on KPEL-FM (96.5) and the Varsity Network. Live results will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (5-0), ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major poll, extended its unbeaten streak after claiming a 76-72 win over the Mustangs on Tuesday in Dallas. Jordan Brown matched his season-high with 26 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Greg Williams, Jr., scoring 19 and grabbing nine rebounds.

Brown leads Louisiana in scoring at 20.2 points per game with Terence Lewis II pacing the Ragin' Cajuns with 9.8 rebounds per contest. As a team, Louisiana is 23^rd nationally in scoring offense (86.4 points) and is 30^th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.2).

Drake (5-0), ranked No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major poll, is coming off a tournament championship at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, V.I., where it defeated Buffalo, Wyoming and Tarleton State.

The Bulldogs opened the season with home wins over IUPUI and Wofford and are ranked among the top-50 Division I teams in both field goal percentage (49.1) and free throw percentage (78.4).

Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).

GAME 6 PREVIEW – LOUISIANA (5-0) at DRAKE (5-0)
Date / Time: November 26, 2022 / 5 p.m.
Site: Des Moines, Iowa
Arena: Knapp Center (7,152)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Larry Morgan (pxp), Adam Emmenecker (color)
Radio: KPEL-FM 96.5 / The Varsity Network
Talent: Ian Auzenne (pxp)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 226-167 (13th season); Division I Record: 451-298 (25th season);
Career Record: 574-333 (30th season)

DRAKE
Head Coach: Darian DeVries (Northern Iowa, 1998)
Record at Drake: 100-41 (fifth season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana makes its first-ever visit to Des Moines to face Drake in a battle of unbeaten Top-10 Mid Major programs.
• Drake is ranked No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Poll with Louisiana ranked seventh.
• Louisiana is 1-2 all-time against schools from the state of Iowa losing twice in a home-and-home series against Northern Iowa (1991-92) and defeating Iowa, 80-71, at the 2017 Cayman Islands Classic.
• Louisiana's 5-0 record equals its best five-game start since opening with eight straight wins in 1989-90.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the Sun Belt Conference (Southern Miss) and 41 nationally (through games of Nov. 22).

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana was picked as the 2022-23 preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• The Ragin' Cajuns reached the SBC Championship Game for the first time since winning the league's automatic berth in 2014.
• With 451 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is tied with New Hampshire's Bill Herrion for 32nd among active coaches.
• Louisiana has won its last two games (Louisiana Tech/SMU) after trailing by double digits in the second half.
• In last week's 94-88 win over in-state rival Louisiana Tech, head coach Bob Marlin earned his 450th career win at the Division I level in 25 seasons. His current record at the Division I level is 451-298 (.602).
• Marlin was 123-35 in five seasons (1990-95) at Pensacola Junior College, leading the team to the 1993 NJCAA National Championship.
• Louisiana is 23rd nationally in scoring offense averaging 86.4 points per game and 30th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.2) through games of Nov. 22.
• Terence Lewis II is 12th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).
• Jordan Brown's 41 made field goals in the 2022-23 season is 20th among all Division I players.
• Louisiana has made at least one 3-pointer in 550 consecutive games dating back to the 2005 season.

LOUISIANA MADE, LOUISIANA PROUD
• Eight players on the 2022-23 roster hail from within the Bayou State with three coming from Lafayette Parish.
• Greg Williams, Jr., and Jalen Dalcourt each hail from the Hub City with Joe Charles coming from nearby Carencro.
• The hometowns of returning players Michael Thomas (Lake Charles), Kobe Julien (Baton Rouge) and Kentrell Garnett (Donaldsonville) are within an hour drive along Interstate 10.
• Two newcomers, Kyran Ratliff and Isaiah Crawford, each come from New Orleans - just over a two-hour drive from Lafayette.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will start a stretch where it plays three of its next four games at home beginning on Tuesday against defending NAIA National Champion Loyola of New Orleans. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The Ragin' Cajuns will travel to face in-state foe New Orleans on Dec. 3 before returning home to host Samford (Dec. 10) and Louisiana Christian (Dec. 12).

BLACK FRIDAY SALE
Help Louisiana Basketball #PackTheDome for upcoming Sun Belt Conference games against Southern Miss (Jan. 5) and Georgia State (Jan. 7) by taking advantage of our Black Friday deal on tickets.

Fans can purchase $5 tickets (100 Level Curves) and $10 (100 Level Center Court Tickets) by visiting www.RaginCajuns.com/PackTheDome.

Tickets are on sale through Monday (Nov. 28) through 11:59 p.m.

Unbeatens Louisiana, Drake Face Off In Mid Major Battle

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Joe Charles

Isaiah Crawford

Jalen Dalcourt

Kentrell Garnett

Kobe Julien

Terence Lewis II

Kyran Ratliff

Michael Thomas

Greg Williams, Jr.

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