Louisiana Basketball Preview: at James Madison

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens the final month of the regular season on Wednesday when it faces James Madison in a Sun Belt Conference game at Atlantic Union Bank Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. 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.

Louisiana (7-16, 5-6 SBC) closed out the month of January with victories over Georgia State and Georgia Southern – its first sweep of the Georgia schools since the 2022-23 season. After an 82-72 win over Georgia State, the Ragin' Cajuns capped off last weekend with a 69-60 win over Georgia Southern behind four players scoring in double figures.

De'Vion Lavergne averaged 20.0 points for Louisiana in the pair of wins, scoring a career-high 23 against Georgia State. Dorian Finister and Jaxon Olvera each scored 15 points against Georgia Southern with Dariyus Woodson adding 11 off the bench.

Finister, who is averaging 16.5 points in SBC play, leads Louisiana in scoring overall at 14.1 points with Olvera averaging 11.5. Finister has also pulled down 4.7 rebounds to lead the team with Lavergne ranking ninth among SBC players with 3.0 assists per game.

JMU (11-12, 4-7 SBC) split in its two SBC road games last week, opening with a 73-64 win over league-leader Troy before falling at Southern Miss, 73-65. Justin McBride leads the Dukes in scoring at 16.7 points per game with Cliff Davis and Bradley Douglas averaging 13.4 and 13.2 points respectively.

The meeting is the fourth between the schools and third overall in Harrisonburg. JMU holds a 2-1 lead in the series, including a 68-61 decision in the previous contest on Jan. 4, 2024.

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 24 PREVIEW – Louisiana (7-16, 5-6 SBC) at James Madison (11-12, 4-7 SBC)
Date/Time: February 4, 2026 / 7 p.m. ET
Site: Harrisonburg, Va.
Arena: Atlantic Union Bank Center (8,500)

RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Curt Dudley (pxp), Kirby Dean (color), Cathleen Paulson (sideline)
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 – James Madison leads, 2-1
In Lafayette – James Madison leads, 1-0
In Harrisonburg – Tied, 1-1
Last 10 Games – James Madison, 2-1
Streak – James Madison +2

STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens the final month of the regular season on Wednesday when it visits James Madison at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
• The meeting is the fourth between the schools with the series tied, 1-1, in Harrisonburg.
• Louisiana's win in Harrisonburg was in the initial meeting between the schools on November 23, 2016.
• Frank Bartley and Jay Wright combined to score 56 points and Louisiana scored 27 points off 15 James Madison turnovers in an 82-70 victory at the JMU Convocation Center.

QUICK HITS
• Six different players – Jamyron Keller (1), Jaxon Olvera (6), Dorian Finister (8), Joshua Lewis (3), Daryius Woodson (1) and De'Vion Lavergne (3) – have led Louisiana in scoring in a game this season.
• Seven players have led the Ragin' Cajuns in rebounding this season with Finister (8), Todd Jones Jr. (6) and Olvera (6) leading the way.
• Louisiana has used 13 different starting lineups during the 2025-26 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns' 85 points vs. ULM on Jan. 8 marked their first 80-point performance since scoring 82 at Georgia Southern on Feb. 5, 2025.
• The 85-point output was Louisiana's highest in the Cajundome since an 86-60 win over Bowling Green on Feb. 11, 2023.
• Louisiana made a season-high 15 3-pointers in a single-game record 42 attempts in a 59-56 win at South Alabama on Jan. 17.
• The Ragin' Cajuns' +17 rebounding margin vs. ULM was their largest since a 49-30 (+19) advantage over South Alabama on Feb. 3, 2024.
• Dorian Finister ranks eighth in the Sun Belt in minutes played (32.1 mpg) and 22nd in free throw percentage (.741).
• In Sun Belt Conference play, Finister is seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.467), ninth in scoring (16.5) and 16th in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).
• De'Vion Lavergne is ninth in assists (3.6) in SBC games, with his 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in league games ranked fourth.
• Lavergne's 3.0 assists per game overall rank 14th among SBC players.
• Todd Jones Jr., is 10th among SBC players in blocked shots (22) and 11th in blocks per game (1.0).
• Eight teams on Louisiana's 2025-26 schedule competed in the 2025 postseason: McNeese (NCAA), UNCW (NCAA), Norfolk State (NCAA), Troy (NCAA), Tulane (CBC), Stanford (NIT), Santa Clara (NIT), and Arkansas State (NIT).

UP NEXT
• Louisiana wraps up the week, returning home to face Central Michigan in the second round of the 2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge on Saturday at the Cajundome.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will then host Coastal Carolina on Feb. 12 before traveling to face Old Dominion (Feb. 16) in a rescheduled game from Jan. 24.

Louisiana Basketball Preview: at James Madison

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Players Mentioned

Dorian Finister

Todd Jones Jr.

Jamyron Keller

De'Vion Lavergne

Joshua Lewis

Jaxon Olvera

Dariyus Woodson

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