Louisiana Opens SBC Play With Trip To Coastal, ODU

CONWAY. S.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team officially opens Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday when it faces Coastal Carolina at the HTC Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Jeff McCarragher (pxp) and Nate Ross (color) providing the commentary. Fans can listen to the game on KPEL-FM (96.5) and the Varsity Network with Jay Walker calling the action.

Opening up its 32^nd season in the Sun Belt Conference, Louisiana (10-2) opens league play in the Carolinas for the second consecutive season. The Ragin' Cajuns, who earned a 65-64 win over Coastal (6-5) in last year's New Year's Day contest in Conway, opened the 2021-22 campaign with a win at App State.

Louisiana, which will wrap up its opening SBC weekend with a New Year's Eve battle at Old Dominion, has won six of seven meetings in the series – including the last three contests overall – with its three wins in Conway coming by a combined seven points.

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 13 PREVIEW – Louisiana (10-2) at Coastal Carolina (6-5)
Date / Time: December 29, 2022 / 6 p.m. CT
Site: Conway, S.C.
Arena: HTC Center (3,212)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Jeff McCarragher (pxp), Nate Ross (color)
Radio: KPEL-FM 96.5 / The Varsity Network
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 6-1
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 3-0
In Conway: Louisiana leads, 3-1
Streak: Louisiana +3
Last meeting: Louisiana, 65-64 (1/1/22 at Conway)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 231 -169 (13th season); Division I Record: 456-300 (25th season);
Career Record: 579-335 (30th season)

COASTAL CAROLINA
Head Coach: Cliff Ellis (Florida State, 1968)
Record at CCU: 289-208 (16^th season), Career Record: 823-545 (45th season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens its 32nd season of Sun Belt Conference Basketball on Thursday when it opens its league slate at Coastal Carolina.
• Louisiana is 19-12 in previous SBC lid lifters and have the last two contests.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have won six of seven meetings between the schools, including a 65-64 win in last year's contest on New Year's Day in Conway.
• The SBC opener features a battle between two of the top double-double producers in the league - CCU's Essam Mostafa (8) and Louisiana's Terence Lewis II (4).
• Three players - Lewis (9th, .667) and Jordan Brown (52nd, .575) of Louisiana and Mostafa (36th, .606) - are ranked among the top Division I players nationally in field goal percentage.
• Louisiana Director of Basketball Operations Mike Murphy was an assistant at Coastal Carolina from 1988-92 where he helped CCU to Big South Conference championships (1989, 1990 and 1991), two Big South Tournament championships (1990, 1991) and a trip to the 1991 NCAA Championships.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana was picked as the 2022-23 preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• Louisiana is ranked No. 6 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Poll.
• Louisiana enters the game ranked No. 9 among Division I schools in 3-point field goal percentage (.403), 15th in field goal percentage (.501) and 22nd in scoring offense (83.4).
• With 994 points in his collegiate career (Nevada/Arizona/Louisiana), Jordan Brown is six points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark.
• The Ragin' Cajuns reached the SBC Championship Game for the first time since winning the league's automatic berth in 2014.
• With 456 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is 32nd among active coaches.
• In a 94-88 win over in-state rival Louisiana Tech on Nov. 17, 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 456-299 (.603).
• Marlin was 123-35 in five seasons (1990-95) at Pensacola Junior College, leading the team to the 1993 NJCAA National Championship.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 16-7 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 60-52 overall in school history.
• Eight of Louisiana's 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are in-state products.
• Six of the 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are first-year players.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana wraps up its SBC road-opening weekend on Saturday (Dec. 31) when it faces league newcomer Old Dominion in the first-ever meeting between the schools.

Louisiana Opens SBC Play With Trip To Coastal, ODU

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Terence Lewis II

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