Louisiana Hosts Texas State In SBC Basketball

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball team returns to action on Thursday when it plays host to Texas State in the nightcap of a Sun Belt Conference Basketball doubleheader at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and will follow the Ragin' Cajuns women's game against ULM which will start at 5.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (pxp) and Eric Mouton (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. Live results will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (18-4, 8-2 Sun Belt), which is tied with Southern Miss for the SBC lead, rallied from a 19-point deficit at halftime – its largest since a 20-point rally against South Alabama in 1992 – to claim a 94-87 win over Georgia Southern last Saturday.

The Ragin' Cajuns placed five players in double figures with Greg Williams, Jr., leading the team with 21 points. Jordan Brown added 20 points for Louisiana with Terence Lewis II posting a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Kentrell Garnett (12) and Themus Fulks (11) also reached double-figures for Louisiana.

The win stretched Louisiana's win streak to eight games – all in league play. The Ragin' Cajuns rank among the Division I national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (sixth, 39.7 percent) and field goal percentage (12^th, .490) while ranking 21^st in rebound margin (+6.5).

Louisiana churned out a 60-51 win over Texas State (11-12, 4-6 Sun Belt) 12 days ago in San Marcos as Williams scored 22 points. The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 17-7 advantage in the series with the Bobcats earning victories in the last two meetings in the Cajundome dating back to the 2020-21 season.

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 23 PREVIEW – Louisiana (18-4, 8-2 SBC) vs. Texas State (11-12, 4-6 SBC)
Date / Time: February 2, 2023 / 7:30 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (pxp), Eric Mouton (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, 17-7
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 7-3
In San Marcos: Louisiana leads, 7-4
At Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 3-0
Streak: Louisiana +2
Last meeting: Louisiana, 60-51 (1/21/23 at San Marcos, Texas)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 239-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 464-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 587-337 (30th season)

TEXAS STATE
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern University, 2001)
Record at TXST: 50-27 (third season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana plays its third of four straight games at the Cajundome on Thursday when it hosts Texas State in Sun Belt Conference play.
• The teams met 12 days ago in San Marcos with Louisiana claiming a 60-51 victory.
• Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin faces Texas State for the 46th time in his 25-year Division I head coaching career - the most against any opponent - and sports a 29-16 record.
• Louisiana has won its last 10 games at home dating back to last season.
• A win would stretch Louisiana's SBC win streak to nine games, tied for the third-longest in school history and equaling the mark last set from Jan. 14-Feb. 11, 2016.
• Texas State has won the last two meetings in the Cajundome dating back to Louisiana's 83-77 overtime on New Year's Day of 2021.
• A win would give Louisiana its first regular-season sweep of the Bobcats since 2017-18.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana's victory over Georgia Southern last Saturday, where it trailed by 19 points at the half (49-30), marked the largest comeback win in the Bob Marlin era and the largest since rallying from 20 points (73-53) down with 12 minutes remaining to defeat South Alabama in overtime, 102-97, on Jan. 26, 1992.
• With the 94-87 win, Marlin moved past J.C. "Dutch" Reinhardt (1932-57) into sole possession for second place on the school's career win list at 239.
• The Ragin' Cajuns 8-0 record in January was the first time since 2017-18 (7-0) the team was unbeaten in the first month of the calendar year.
• The Ragin' Cajuns play five of their final eight regular-season games at home.
• Greg Williams, Jr., enters Thursday's game 23 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark in his career (St. John's/Louisiana).
• Louisiana enters the game sixth among 352 Division I ranked programs in 3-point field goal percentage (.397), 12th in field goal percentage (.490) and 17th in effective field goal percentage (.556).
• Louisiana is 21st nationally in rebound margin (+6.5), 21st in scoring offense (80.3) and 36th in assists per game (15.6).
• Louisiana has led wire-to-wire in eight games this season, including three of the last six.
• Kentrell Garnett enters the game tied with Pacific's Luke Avdalovic as the NCAA active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.453).
• Louisiana's nine wins away (7 road, 2 neutral site) from the Cajundome are tied for second nationally behind Purdue and North Texas (10).
• Jordan Brown has scored 829 points in a Louisiana uniform and has 1,173 in his collegiate career.
• Brown is one of five players to average 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block per game, joining Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Jake Stephens (Chattanooga) and Drew Pember (UNC Asheville).
• Louisiana's Themus Fulks is fifth among Division I players in total assists (141) and sixth in assists per game (6.4).
• Eight of Louisiana's 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are in-state products.
• Louisiana's four-game road sweep was its first in conference play and its first since going unbeaten on a five-game trip in 1976-77.
• Louisiana's four-game win streak on the road is currently the ninth-best among NCAA Division I schools.
• Terence Lewis II is second in the Sun Belt Conference and 15th among NCAA Division I players in field goal percentage (.621).
• 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.
• Marlin was 123-35 in five seasons (1990-95) at Pensacola Junior College, leading the team to the 1993 NJCAA National Championship.
• Marlin is the all-time leader in Sun Belt Conference victories with a 135-93 record.
• Brown is 14th nationally in free throw attempts (147) and 39th in free throws made (99).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 16-8 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 60-53 overall in school history.
• Six of the 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are first-year players.

THE FABULOUS CAJUN CHICKEN RETURNS ON SATURDAY
• 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 homestand on Saturday (Feb. 4) when it faces Marshall in a 7 p.m. contest.
• The Cajuns will honor its senior class prior to tipoff.

Louisiana Hosts Texas State In SBC Basketball

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Themus Fulks

Kentrell Garnett

Terence Lewis II

Greg Williams, Jr.

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics