University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Wednesday, December 31
Lafayette
12:00 p.m.

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

vs

South Alabama

De'vion Lavergne gets around a Norfolk State defender in a 63-54 win on Sunday, December 28, 2025 at the Cajundome

Louisiana Basketball Preview: vs. South Alabama

12/30/2025 8:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Ragin' Cajuns return to SBC play with New Year's Eve battle with rival Jaguars

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team closes out the 2025 portion of its schedule and resumes Sun Belt Conference play on New Year's Eve when it plays host to rival South Alabama at the Cajundome.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app. Live results will be available at CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com.
 
Single-game tickets for all Louisiana home games are available at RaginCajuns.com.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns will wear a special New Year's Eve edition jersey that will be auctioned off during the game. Fans attending Wednesday's game can place their respective bids near the First Horizon Courtside Club. All bids are due by the final buzzer, and winners will be contacted by an RCAF representative on January 5.
 
Louisiana (3-11, 1-1 SBC) won its second straight game and turned in its third straight solid defensive effort in a 63-54 win over Norfolk State on Sunday. The Ragin' Cajuns limited Norfolk State to 17-for-54 (.315) from the floor – the third consecutive game under 36 percent from the field – and the lowest scoring output since allowing 51 points to Jackson State on November 28.
 
Dorian Finister led Louisiana with 15 points and nine rebounds in the win over the Spartans with Milan Mejia scoring all 12 points from behind the 3-point line. Jaxon Olvera added 11 points off the bench for the Ragin' Cajuns with De'Vion Lavergne adding seven points and a career-best eight assists.
 
Finister and Olvera each average 12.6 points per game to lead Louisiana in scoring with Lavergne (6.9) and Joshua Lewis (6.5) following in the scoring column. Finister (4.9) and Olvera (4.6) are also the top rebounders for the Ragin' Cajuns with Lavergne dishing out a team-high 2.2 assists.
 
South Alabama (10-4, 1-1 SBC) started the season with eight wins in its first nine games before dropping three of its last five. The Jaguars defeated cross-town opponent Mobile, 85-52, in its last game on Monday.
 
Chaze Harris leads the Jags in scoring at 16.9 points per game with Adam Olsen (16.1), Peyton Law (12.8) and Jayden Cooper (11.2) averaging in double figures.
 
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
 
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 (3-11, 1-1 SBC) vs. South Alabama (10-4, 1-1 SBC)
Date/Time: December 31, 2025 / 12 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)
 
TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available at RaginCajuns.com
 
RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (pxp), Eric Mouton (color)
Radio: KPEL 96.5 FM/ The Varsity Network
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)
 
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns
 
SERIES HISTORY
Overall – Series tied, 33-33
In Lafayette – Louisiana leads, 17-15
In Mobile – South Alabama leads, 15-12
Neutral Sites – Louisiana leads, 4-3
Last 10 Games – Louisiana, 6-4
Streak – South Alabama +2
 
STORY LINES
• Louisiana closes out the 2025 portion of its schedule as it returns to Sun Belt Conference play with a New Year's Eve battle with South Alabama.
• The game against South Alabama is the second of five straight contests at the Cajundome for Louisiana.
• Louisiana and South Alabama have played 70 games in a series that dates back to 1976.
• Louisiana is 3-4 overall when playing on New Year's Eve.
 
QUICK HITS
• In its last three games, Louisiana has held opponents to 47-for-144 (.326) from the floor and allowed 59.3 points per game.
• Louisiana's 76 points scored at ULM on December 20 was a season high.
• The win against ULM snapped Louisiana's 10-game losing streak – equaling its longest in school history and previously set in 1953-54.
• Dorian Finister is ninth in the league in minutes played (31.7) and 16th in free throw percentage (.769).
• De'Vion Lavergne's eight assists against Norfolk State were the most by a Ragin' Cajun in 2025-26.
• Louisiana leads the SBC in field goal defense (.333) and is second in scoring defense (62.0) through the first two games of league play.
• Louisiana is fourth in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.368) in SBC games.
• Starting point guard Jamyron Keller (Oklahoma State transfer) has missed the last 12 games due to injury after averaging 17.0 points in games against Ball State and SLU.
• Working to find the right mix with both point guards Keller and Karris Bilal (Vanderbilt transfer) out to injury, Louisiana has used 11 different lineups in the first 14 games.
• Louisiana's average attendance (2,778) through five games is fifth in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Louisiana has 13 new players on the roster.
• Nine players hail from the state of Louisiana.
• Eight teams on Louisiana's 2025-26 schedule – McNeese (NCAA), UNCW (NCAA), Norfolk State (NCAA), Troy (NCAA), Tulane (CBC), Stanford (NIT), Santa Clara (NIT), Arkansas State (NIT) – competed in the 2025 postseason.
 
UP NEXT
• Louisiana opens the 2026 portion of its schedule on Saturday (Jan. 3) when it hosts Southern Miss in a noon contest.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will continue the homestand with dates against ULM (Jan. 8) and Troy (Jan. 13).
Quannas White Media Availability (Dec 28, 2025)
Sunday, December 28
Milan Mejia and Dorian Finister Media Availability (Dec 28, 2025)
Sunday, December 28
Quannas White Media Availability (Dec 14, 2025)
Monday, December 15
Quannas White Media Availability (Dec 8, 2025)
Monday, December 08