University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, December 30
Huntington, W. Va.
3 p.m. (CST)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Marshall
Ragin’ Cajuns Open SBC Action at Marshall
12/29/2023 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana looks for their first win in Huntington
HUNTINGTON, West Virginia – Coming off their first true road win of the season, the Louisiana men's basketball team goes for their second straight in their Sun Belt Conference opener at Marshall. The team looks to become the first repeat SBC tournament champion since Georgia State in 2018-19.
It was all Cajuns in their road win at Rice last Friday. They opened the game with a barrage of first half threes and held on for the 84-67 victory. Joe Charles recorded his fifth double-double with a monster performance. The junior grabbed 16 rebounds, matching the highest in a game this season by anybody in the SBC, with 11 points, four steals, and three blocks.
Kobe Julien continued leading the offense with 19 points and five rebounds. He leads the SBC in points per game (19.3) and is ninth in shooting percentage (.473).
Six players finished in double figures for the Cajuns against the Owls. Blake Butler added 15 off the bench while Kentrell Garnett (12), Hosana Kitenge (12), and Themus Fulks (10) also had the scorer's touch.
Last year the Cajuns held off the Thundering Herd, 77-67, in Lafayette. The Cajuns return to Huntington for the first time since November 23, 2021, where the Herd came away with a 93-79 win. All-time the Cajuns are 0-3 in Huntington.
Story Lines
• The Cajuns begin their quest for back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships. Louisiana looks to become the first team to repeat as champions since Georgia State did it five seasons ago.
• Louisiana has played the third hardest non-conference schedule per the KenPom rankings. They have played the 100th most difficult schedule so far in the country; trailing only Texas State (38) and Old Dominion (67) in the SBC.
• That difficult schedule has seen the Ragin' Cajuns shoot up the NET Rankings quickly. On December 3 in the season's first rankings, the Cajuns were No. 182 but now have jumped all the way to No. 111. Staying on the difficult schedule, the Cajuns have already played six teams ranked or receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
• Head coach Bob Marlin was an assistant at Marshall in 1989-90 under then-head coach Dana Altman.
• Last Friday at Rice, Joe Charles recorded his fifth double-double of the season with an 11-point, 16-rebound performance. The 16 rebounds set a new career-high for the junior while also tying for the most in a game this season in the SBC.
• This game features two of the best sharp-shooters in the SBC. Kentrell Garnett leads the SBC from three at .448 percent, while Kamdyn Curfman is second in the league at .343.
• Louisiana leads the SBC from three, shooting .390 as a team, while Marshall has been one of the worst in the league at defending the three. Opposing teams are shooting .347 against the Thundering Herd, 12th in the SBC out of 14 schools.
• This is the final game of a 3-game road swing to close the 2023 calendar year. Last time out the Cajuns snapped a 7-game road losing streak at Rice with an 84-67 dismantling of the Owls in Houston.
GAME 13 PREVIEW – Louisiana (7-5, 0-0 SBC) vs. Marshall (5-8, 0-0 AAC)
Date / Time: December 30, 2023 / 3 p.m.
Site: Huntington, West Virginia
Arena: Cam Henderson Center (5,467)
RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
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: Series tied, 4-4
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 3-1
In Huntington: Marshall leads, 3-0
Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +1
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Season tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, or by 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).
It was all Cajuns in their road win at Rice last Friday. They opened the game with a barrage of first half threes and held on for the 84-67 victory. Joe Charles recorded his fifth double-double with a monster performance. The junior grabbed 16 rebounds, matching the highest in a game this season by anybody in the SBC, with 11 points, four steals, and three blocks.
Kobe Julien continued leading the offense with 19 points and five rebounds. He leads the SBC in points per game (19.3) and is ninth in shooting percentage (.473).
Six players finished in double figures for the Cajuns against the Owls. Blake Butler added 15 off the bench while Kentrell Garnett (12), Hosana Kitenge (12), and Themus Fulks (10) also had the scorer's touch.
Last year the Cajuns held off the Thundering Herd, 77-67, in Lafayette. The Cajuns return to Huntington for the first time since November 23, 2021, where the Herd came away with a 93-79 win. All-time the Cajuns are 0-3 in Huntington.
Story Lines
• The Cajuns begin their quest for back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships. Louisiana looks to become the first team to repeat as champions since Georgia State did it five seasons ago.
• Louisiana has played the third hardest non-conference schedule per the KenPom rankings. They have played the 100th most difficult schedule so far in the country; trailing only Texas State (38) and Old Dominion (67) in the SBC.
• That difficult schedule has seen the Ragin' Cajuns shoot up the NET Rankings quickly. On December 3 in the season's first rankings, the Cajuns were No. 182 but now have jumped all the way to No. 111. Staying on the difficult schedule, the Cajuns have already played six teams ranked or receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
• Head coach Bob Marlin was an assistant at Marshall in 1989-90 under then-head coach Dana Altman.
• Last Friday at Rice, Joe Charles recorded his fifth double-double of the season with an 11-point, 16-rebound performance. The 16 rebounds set a new career-high for the junior while also tying for the most in a game this season in the SBC.
• This game features two of the best sharp-shooters in the SBC. Kentrell Garnett leads the SBC from three at .448 percent, while Kamdyn Curfman is second in the league at .343.
• Louisiana leads the SBC from three, shooting .390 as a team, while Marshall has been one of the worst in the league at defending the three. Opposing teams are shooting .347 against the Thundering Herd, 12th in the SBC out of 14 schools.
• This is the final game of a 3-game road swing to close the 2023 calendar year. Last time out the Cajuns snapped a 7-game road losing streak at Rice with an 84-67 dismantling of the Owls in Houston.
GAME 13 PREVIEW – Louisiana (7-5, 0-0 SBC) vs. Marshall (5-8, 0-0 AAC)
Date / Time: December 30, 2023 / 3 p.m.
Site: Huntington, West Virginia
Arena: Cam Henderson Center (5,467)
RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
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: Series tied, 4-4
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 3-1
In Huntington: Marshall leads, 3-0
Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +1
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Season tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, or by 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).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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