LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Basketball team closes out a quick, two-game homestand on Saturday when it plays host to Sun Belt Conference rival Georgia State at the Cajundome.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. 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.
Louisiana (11-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) closes out its homestand after snapping a three-game losing streak with a wire-to-wire 75-61 win over then SBC co-leader Southern Miss on Thursday. The guard combination of Kentrell Garnett and Themus Fulks combined to score 37 points against the Golden Eagles with Garnett scoring a career-high 20 points with Fulks scoring a career-best 17.
Jordan Brown (19.0 ppg.), Terence Lewis II (12.8) and Greg Williams, Jr. (12.8) continue to lead Louisiana in scoring with Fulks (8.6) and Garnett (8.2) following. Fulks leads the all SBC players in assists per game (6.4) with Garnett leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.493).
The game against Georgia State (8-7, 1-2 Sun Belt) marks the lone meeting between the hardwood rivals during the regular season and is the first between the schools since the championship game of the 2022 SBC Tournament where the Panthers posted an 80-71 win.
The Panthers, who are playing their fourth road game of the season, dropped a 66-58 contest at ULM on Thursday behind a 25-point effort from Brenden Tucker. GSU trailed by as many as 19 points in the game before pulling to within three in the final two minutes before the Warhawks pulled away.
Dwon Odom, a transfer from Xavier, leads the Panthers in scoring at 15.0 points per game followed by Tucker (11.7) and Evan Johnson (10.2). The Panthers rank second in the Sun Belt and No. 46 nationally in scoring defense holding opponents to 63.2 points per game.
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 [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] 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 16 PREVIEW – Louisiana (11-4, 1-2 SBC) vs. Georgia State (8-7, 1-2 SBC)
Date / Time: January 7, 2023 / 7 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: Georgia State leads, 17-7
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 5-4
In Atlanta: GSU leads, 9-1
At Neutral Sites: GSU leads, 4-1
Streak: GSU +4
Last meeting: Georgia State, 80-71 (3/7/22 at Pensacola, Fla.)
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 232-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 457-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 580-337 (30th season)
GEORGIA STATE
Head Coach: Jonas Hayes (Georgia, 2004)
Record at GSU: 8-7 (first season), Career Record: 12-7 (second season)
STORY LINES
• Louisiana closes out a two-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts Georgia State at the Cajundome.
• The contest is a rematch of the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championship game held in Pensacola, Fla.
• Georgia State has won the previous four meetings in the series, including a 68-64 win in last year’s battle at the Cajundome which featured nine ties and 17 lead changes.
• Louisiana is 5-4 overall against GSU at the Cajundome.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns last win in the series was an 80-78 victory on Feb. 2, 2020 at the Cajundome.
• Nine games in the 17-game series, including five of the nine contests in Lafayette, have been decided by five points or less.
QUICK HITS
• Thursday’s game against Southern Miss marked the fifth time during the 2022-23 season the Ragin’ Cajuns led from wire-to-wire.
• Louisiana’s 10 steals against USM tied a season-high.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns have used the same starting lineup – Themus Fulks, Kentrell Garnett, Greg Williams, Jr., Terence Lewis II and Jordan Brown – in all 15 games during the 2022-23 season.
• Garnett’s .462 career average from behind the 3-point line is second behind Jordan Gainey of USC Upstate (.466) among active NCAA Division I players
• Brown has scored 699 points in a Louisiana uniform and has 1,043 in his collegiate career.
• With 457 wins at the Division I level, head coach Bob Marlin is 33rd among active coaches.
• 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 Ragin’ Cajuns are 16-8 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 60-53 overall in school history.
• Eight of Louisiana’s 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are in-state products.
• Six of the 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are first-year players.
UP NEXT
• Louisiana heads back out of the road for an upcoming four-game road swing beginning next week with games at ULM (Jan. 12) and South Alabama (Jan. 14).
• The Ragin’ Cajuns will also visit Arkansas State (Jan. 19) and Texas State (Jan. 21) before closing out the month of January with home dates against Troy (Jan. 26) and Georgia Southern (Jan. 28).
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