Ragin' Cajuns Close Out 2022 Portion of Schedule at ODU

NORFOLK, Va. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team closes out its first weekend of Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday when it makes its first-ever visit to Chartway Arena to face Old Dominion.

Tipoff for the New Year's Eve battle is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Scott Jackson (pxp) and Billy Mann (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.

Louisiana dropped its SBC opener on Thursday as it fell at Coastal Carolina, 77-76. Jordan Brown scored 25 points to lead Louisiana, which held a 10-point lead with 4:40 remaining before CCU closed with an 18-7 run which was capped by Antonio Daye's free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining.

Brown enters the contest second in the SBC in scoring (20.1) with Terence Lewis II (13.6) coming off his fifth double-double of the season after a 19-point, 10-rebound performance at CCU.

ODU (8-5, 0-1 SBC) made its return to the Sun Belt on Thursday nearly making an epic comeback before falling, 60-57, to Arkansas State. The Monarchs, who were members of the SBC from 1976-91, trailed by 13 points with just over four minutes remaining before the Red Wolves held on and snapped ODU's four-game win streak.

Tyreek Scott-Grayson leads ODU in scoring at 13.2 points per game with Chance Jenkins following at 13.1. Mekhi Long's 7.5 rebounds per game ranks ninth among SBC players.

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 14 PREVIEW – Louisiana (10-3, 0-1 SBC) at Old Dominion (8-5, 0-1 SBC)
Date / Time: December 31, 2022 / 1 p.m. CT
Site: Norfolk, Va.
Arena: Chartway Arena (8,472)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Scott Jackson (pxp), Billy Mann (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: First meeting

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 231-170 (13th season); Division I Record: 456-301 (25th season);
Career Record: 579-336 (30th season)

OLD DOMINION
Head Coach: Jeff Jones (Virginia, 1982)
Record at ODU: 189-118 (10^th season), Career Record: 546-405 (31st season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana closes out its opening weekend of Sun Belt Conference play when it faces Old Dominion.
• The game is the second contest all-time for Louisiana in the state of Virginia.
• Louisiana claimed an 82-70 non-conference win at James Madison during the 2016-17 season.
• Saturday's game at ODU is the first of two trips to the state of Virginia for the Ragin' Cajuns, who will face James Madison on Feb. 18 in Harrisonburg.
• ODU was a member of the Sun Belt from 1976-91 while Louisiana joined the SBC beginning in the 1991-92 season.

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 are playing their fourth consecutive road game and are in a stretch of playing eight of 10 games away from the Cajundome.
• Louisiana is ranked No. 6 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Poll.
• Louisiana entered the weekend 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).
• 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 456-301 (.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 16-8 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 60-53 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 heads home for a pair of SBC games at the Cajundome beginning on Thursday (Jan. 5) against SBC newcomer Southern Miss before facing rival Georgia State on Jan. 7.

Ragin' Cajuns Close Out 2022 Portion of Schedule at ODU

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Terence Lewis II

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