Ragin' Cajuns, Red Wolves Set For Sun Belt Battle On Thursday

JONESBORO, Ark. – Coming off its first Sun Belt Conference weekend road sweep of the season, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team heads back out for a pair of league games beginning Thursday when it visits Arkansas State at First National Bank Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Graham Doty (pxp) and Brian Boyer (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 (14-4, 4-2 Sun Belt), currently in a first-place logjam involving six teams, swept its pair of games last week with wins at ULM and South Alabama. The Ragin' Cajuns, who are in the final leg of playing eight out of 10 games on the road including six of eight in SBC play, will close out their road trip on Saturday when it faces Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.

The Ragin' Cajuns rallied for a 79-76 win at South Alabama last Saturday behind a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds from Jordan Brown. Greg Williams, Jr., added 19 points for Louisiana with Joe Charles capping off a solid week from the bench with 13 on 6 of 7 shooting.

Louisiana enters the game ranked 10^th among all Division I programs in both field goal percentage (49.7 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.6 percent) while ranking 22^nd in scoring offense (81.2 points per game) and 24^th in rebound margin (+6.6).

Themus Fulks, the SBC leader in assists per game, is seventh nationally with 6.3 per game and is eighth in total assists (113). Terence Lewis II is 12^th overall among Division I players in field goal percentage (.653) with Brown ranked 33^rd in scoring average (19.2).

The meeting with Arkansas State (9-10, 1-5 Sun Belt) will be the 87^th between the schools with Louisiana holding a 57-29 lead. The Red Wolves have won the last four meetings on their home court, including a 67-58 contest last season. Louisiana's last win at FNB Arena was a 90-87 overtime victory on March 9, 2019.

Single-game tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, purchasing by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.

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 19 PREVIEW – Louisiana (14-4, 4-2 SBC) at Arkansas State (9-10, 1-5 SBC)
Date / Time: January 19, 2023 / 7 p.m.
Site: Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena: First National Bank Arena (10,563)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Graham Doty (pxp), Brian Boyer (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, 57-29
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 35-9
In Jonesboro: Louisiana leads, 21-20
At Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Arkansas State +1
Last meeting: A-State, 67-58 (2/5/22 at Jonesboro)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 234-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 459-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 582-337 (30th season)

ARKANSAS STATE
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas [Fla.], 1998)
Record at A-State: 78-90 (sixth season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana continues its four-game roadtrip beginning on Thursday when it visits Arkansas State in a Sun Belt Conference game at First National Bank Arena.
• The game against A-State will be the 12th of 19 games this season for Louisiana played away from the Cajundome.
• The teams have split the last six games in a series that dates back to the 1963-64 season.
• Louisiana has lost the last four games played in Jonesboro, including a 67-58 contest in the previous meeting between the schools.
• The Ragin' Cajuns last win at FNB Arena was on March 9, 2019 in a 90-87 overtime victory.
• Louisiana leads the all-time series, 57-29, and is 52-28 against A-State in all-time conference games.
• Louisiana has used the same starting lineup – Themus Fulks, Kentrell Garnett, Greg Williams, Jr., Terence Lewis II and Jordan Brown – in all 18 games during the 2022-23 season.
• Louisiana enters the A-State game ranked 10th in both field goal (.49.7) and 3-point percentage (.396) and is 14th in effective field goal percentage (.564).

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana's 32-for-52 (.615) performance from the floor at ULM last Thursday was its third game during the 2022-23 season shooting above the 60-percent mark and its best outing against a Sun Belt team since shooting .617 (29-for-47) against Little Rock in 2017.
• Louisiana ranks 24th nationally in rebound margin (+6.6), 22nd in scoring offense (81.2) and 29th in assists per game (16.2).
• Kentrell Garnett's .458 career average from behind the 3-point line is second Jordan Gainey of USC Upstate (.459) for first among active NCAA Division I players.
• Garnett is two made 3's from reaching 100 in his career (98-for-211).
• Themus Fulks leads the SBC and is eighth nationally in total assists (113) and is seventh in assists per game (6.3).
• Jordan Brown is one of three Division I players averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assist and 1 block per game joining Jake Stephens (Chattanooga) and Drew Pember (UNC Asheville).
• Grad transfer Terence Lewis II is 12th among NCAA Division I players in field goal percentage (.653).
• Brown has attempted 119 shots from the free throw line in the 2022-23 season to rank 16th among all DI players.
• Brown has scored 759 points in a Louisiana uniform and has 1,103 in his collegiate career.
• With 460 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is tied for 31^st among active coaches for all four-year victories and is 21^st among active coaches in total D-I wins.
• In a 94-88 win over in-state rival Louisiana Tech on Nov. 17, 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 FABULOUS CAJUN CHICKEN IS BACK ON FEB. 4
• The fowlest of the fowl is back, for a one-night roost at the Cajundome.
• For nearly two decades, the Fabulous Cajun Chicken delighted Ragin' Cajun athletic audiences with his unique brand of comedy, his never-ending list of characters and the level of zaniness he brought to his sideline and on-court antics.
• On Saturday, Feb. 4, when UL's basketball squad takes on Marshall at 7 p.m. in a key Sun Belt Conference game, the Chicken will make a one-night return to the court. It's a good bet that mayhem will result.
• That night is also Senior Night, when UL coach Bob Marlin and the Cajun program honors the senior members of the 2022-23 basketball squad. For the Fabulous Cajun Chicken, that's almost fitting.
• In addition to the festivities of Senior Night, UL will also have special ticket deals in place for the Feb. 4 game. Visit RaginCajuns.com/chicken for ticket information.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana closes out its four-game road trip on Saturday (Jan. 21) when it visits Texas State in a 4 p.m. contest at Strahan Arena.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will close out the month of January with home games against Troy (Jan. 26) and Georgia Southern (Jan. 28) before hosting Texas State (Feb. 2) and Marshall (Feb. 4).

Ragin' Cajuns, Red Wolves Set For Sun Belt Battle On Thursday

Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Joe Charles

Themus Fulks

Kentrell Garnett

Terence Lewis II

Greg Williams, Jr.

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