University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Sunday, March 6
Pensacola, Fla.
5 p.m. (CT)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Troy
No. 8 Louisiana to Face No. 4 Troy in Sun Belt Semifinals
3/5/2022 8:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAFAYETTE – No. 8 Louisiana Men's Basketball will take on No. 4 Troy in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals 5 p.m. Sunday at the Pensacola Bay Center. The contest is available to be streamed live on ESPN+.
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On Saturday, Louisiana defeated No. 1 Texas State 79-72 in the quarterfinal round.
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Sophomore Jordan Brown scored a career-high 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished two assists to lead the Ragin' Cajuns to victory.
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Brown's scoring output was the second most by a Ragin' Cajun in a conference tournament contest since Shawn Long scored 34 in 2016.
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On the season, the Roseville, Calif. native leads the team with 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. Last week Brown was named second-team all-conference.
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Greg Williams Jr. aided the quarterfinal effort with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
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For Louisiana, Sunday will mark the 16th semifinal appearance. The Ragin' Cajuns are 8-7 in previous matchups.
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Louisiana is now 36-24 (29-24) all-time in Sun Belt Tournament games. The Ragin' Cajuns have won the conference championship six times (1992, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2014). The 2004 and 2005 records were vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
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For the majority of the season, Louisiana has relied on the inside presence of Brown and junior forward Theo Akwuba. Led by the pairing, the Ragin' Cajuns rank third in the Sun Belt with 4.38 blocks per game and second in the conference with 39.1 rebounds per contest.
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With a 16 point, 15 rebound performance by Akwuba against Arkansas State (Jan. 6) Louisiana became one of just four teams in the nation with multiple 16+ point and 15+ rebound performers this season.
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On Jan. 20, Brown tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds against South Alabama. He is one of just 36 players this season to have multiple outings of 15+ points and 15+ rebounds.
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Down the stretch of the 2021-22 campaign, Dalcourt and Williams Jr. have elevated their offensive production. Dalcourt has scored 11+ in five of the last seven contests while Williams Jr. has scored 12+ in three straight games.
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Louisiana clinched the eighth seed after finishing the regular season with a 13-14 record including an 8-8 mark against conference opponents.
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Troy earned the tournament's No. 4 seed with a 19-10 record including a 10-6 mark against conference opponents. The Trojans are led by junior forward Efe Odigie who is averaging 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. On Feb. 28, Efe was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the year and appeared on the conference's first team.
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The teams faced off one time this season with the Ragin' Cajuns earning a 69-59 victory.
SERIES NOTES
Sunday will mark the 28th meeting between the two programs as Louisiana leads the all-time series 20-6. The Ragin' Cajuns have won the six matchups.
RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
With Saturday's victory, Marlin earned his 445th victory. He currently ranks 30th on the career wins list among active NCAA Men's Basketball coaches.
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PENSACOLA'S OWN
As the head coach of Pensacola Junior College from 1990-95 Marlin compiled a 123-35 record and won the NJCAA National Championship in 1993. In 2007 he was inducted into the Florida Junior College Hall of Fame and in 2019 he was inducted into the Pensacola Junior College Hall of Fame.
LOUISIANA LEGACY
Louisiana's 2021-22 roster features two second-generation talents in Julien and Brown. Julien's father Wayne was with the program from 1976-81 and was a member of the 1977 Southland Conference championship team.
Dion Brown lettered for the Ragin' Cajuns from 1980-84 and finished his career as one of the top scorers and rebounders in school history. Brown, a 1984 graduate of UL, earned All-Southland Conference honors in 1982 and was a two-time All-Louisiana selection.
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He finished his career with 1,412 points and 926 rebounds (then second in school history) and helped then-USL to the championship of the 1982 Great Alaskan Shootout where he was named to the All-Tournament team.
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On Saturday, Louisiana defeated No. 1 Texas State 79-72 in the quarterfinal round.
Â
Sophomore Jordan Brown scored a career-high 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished two assists to lead the Ragin' Cajuns to victory.
Â
Brown's scoring output was the second most by a Ragin' Cajun in a conference tournament contest since Shawn Long scored 34 in 2016.
Â
On the season, the Roseville, Calif. native leads the team with 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. Last week Brown was named second-team all-conference.
Â
Greg Williams Jr. aided the quarterfinal effort with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Â
For Louisiana, Sunday will mark the 16th semifinal appearance. The Ragin' Cajuns are 8-7 in previous matchups.
Â
Louisiana is now 36-24 (29-24) all-time in Sun Belt Tournament games. The Ragin' Cajuns have won the conference championship six times (1992, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2014). The 2004 and 2005 records were vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
Â
For the majority of the season, Louisiana has relied on the inside presence of Brown and junior forward Theo Akwuba. Led by the pairing, the Ragin' Cajuns rank third in the Sun Belt with 4.38 blocks per game and second in the conference with 39.1 rebounds per contest.
Â
With a 16 point, 15 rebound performance by Akwuba against Arkansas State (Jan. 6) Louisiana became one of just four teams in the nation with multiple 16+ point and 15+ rebound performers this season.
Â
On Jan. 20, Brown tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds against South Alabama. He is one of just 36 players this season to have multiple outings of 15+ points and 15+ rebounds.
Â
Down the stretch of the 2021-22 campaign, Dalcourt and Williams Jr. have elevated their offensive production. Dalcourt has scored 11+ in five of the last seven contests while Williams Jr. has scored 12+ in three straight games.
Â
Louisiana clinched the eighth seed after finishing the regular season with a 13-14 record including an 8-8 mark against conference opponents.
Â
Troy earned the tournament's No. 4 seed with a 19-10 record including a 10-6 mark against conference opponents. The Trojans are led by junior forward Efe Odigie who is averaging 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. On Feb. 28, Efe was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the year and appeared on the conference's first team.
Â
The teams faced off one time this season with the Ragin' Cajuns earning a 69-59 victory.
SERIES NOTES
Sunday will mark the 28th meeting between the two programs as Louisiana leads the all-time series 20-6. The Ragin' Cajuns have won the six matchups.
RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
With Saturday's victory, Marlin earned his 445th victory. He currently ranks 30th on the career wins list among active NCAA Men's Basketball coaches.
Â
PENSACOLA'S OWN
As the head coach of Pensacola Junior College from 1990-95 Marlin compiled a 123-35 record and won the NJCAA National Championship in 1993. In 2007 he was inducted into the Florida Junior College Hall of Fame and in 2019 he was inducted into the Pensacola Junior College Hall of Fame.
LOUISIANA LEGACY
Louisiana's 2021-22 roster features two second-generation talents in Julien and Brown. Julien's father Wayne was with the program from 1976-81 and was a member of the 1977 Southland Conference championship team.
Dion Brown lettered for the Ragin' Cajuns from 1980-84 and finished his career as one of the top scorers and rebounders in school history. Brown, a 1984 graduate of UL, earned All-Southland Conference honors in 1982 and was a two-time All-Louisiana selection.
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Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
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