LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will put its 10-game win streak on the line when it visits Southern Miss in a battle between the Sun Belt Conference co-leaders on Thursday at Reed Green Coliseum.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts (pxp) and Larry Boyd (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 (20-4, 10-2 Sun Belt) opens a two-game road trip after completing a season-high, four-game homestand with a wire-to-wire 77-67 win over Marshall on Saturday. The Ragin’ Cajuns shot 50 percent from the floor and held a commanding 47-25 advantage on the glass in earning the win over the Thundering Herd.
Jordan Brown posted the first 20-20 game by a Ragin’ Cajun since Shawn Long in 2016 when he scored 26 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds. Greg Williams, Jr., scored 20 points for his fifth straight 20-point game while Themus Fulks added 12 points and seven assists.
Louisiana enters the game against USM (21-4, 10-2 Sun Belt) third overall in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 80.2 points per game while leading the league in field goal percentage (.494), 3-point field goal percentage (.399) and rebounding margin (+6.5).
The Ragin’ Cajuns claimed the earlier meeting between the schools, 75-61, on Jan. 5 behind a career-high 20 points from Kentrell Garnett and 17 from Fulks.
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 25 PREVIEW – Louisiana (20-4, 10-2 SBC) at Southern Miss (21-4, 10-2 SBC)
Date / Time: February 9, 2023 / 7:30 p.m.
Site: Hattiesburg, Miss.
Arena: Reed Green Coliseum (8,095)
RADIO/TV
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Lee Roberts (pxp), Larry Boyd (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: Southern Miss leads, 32-26
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 18-11
In Hattiesburg: USM leads, 21-7
At Unknown Sites: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +2
Last meeting: Louisiana, 75-61 (1/5/23 in Lafayette)
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 241-171 (13th season); Division I Record: 466-302 (25th season);
Career Record: 589-337 (30th season)
SOUTHERN MISS
Head Coach: Jay Ladner (Southern Miss, 1988)
Record at USM: 45-69 (fourth season), Career Record: 121-157 (ninth season)
STORY LINES
• Louisiana and Southern Miss are two of 10 teams nationally to reach the 20-win mark in the 2022-23 season.
• Louisiana enters Thursday’s game ranked No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Top-25 Mid-Major Poll with Southern Miss ranked No. 6.
• Louisiana claimed a 75-61 victory in the previous contest between the schools on Jan. 5 at the Cajundome.
• Louisiana claimed a 66-45 win in last year’s non-conference game at Reed Green Coliseum - its first win in Hattiesburg since a 70-65 win on Feb. 12, 1985.
• The game is the second meeting between the schools as SBC members, and ninth overall after the schools shared time in the Gulf States Conference from 1948-52 with Louisiana winning five of seven meetings.
• Louisiana’s 10-game Sun Belt Conference win streak - its third of 10 games of more in league play - is currently tied for the second-longest in school history and equaling the mark last set from Jan. 22-Feb. 26, 2011.
• Louisiana’s overall 10-game win streak is currently the third-longest nationally behind Eastern Washington (14) and Saint Mary’s (12).
• The Cajuns’ 10-game conference win streak is tied for third nationally with Saint Mary’s and Alabama. EWU and Oral Roberts have each won 12 straight conference games to hold the longest active streak.
• Louisiana’s nine wins away from the Cajundome are tied for fifth nationally behind Purdue (11), North Texas (11), Houston (10) and UNC Wilmington (10).
QUICK HITS
• Louisiana reached the 20-win mark for the 24th time in school history in last Saturday’s 77-67 win over Marshall.
• Louisiana’s current ranking of No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Top-25 Mid-Major Poll is its highest since the poll was introduced.
• Louisiana’s Kentrell Garnett leads all active Division I players in career 3-point percentage (.450) with Themus Fulks third among active players in career assists (6.54).
• Louisiana’s victory over Georgia Southern on Jan. 28, 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.
• Greg Williams, Jr., recorded his fourth straight 20-point game and reached the 1,000-point mark in his career (St. John’s/Louisiana) after a 23-point performance on Thursday against Texas State.
• Louisiana enters the game fourth among 352 Division I ranked programs in 3-point field goal percentage (.398), eighth in field goal percentage (.494) and 16th in effective field goal percentage (.558).
• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference and is 18th nationally in rebound margin (+6.6), 24th in scoring offense (80.2) and 33rd in assists per game (15.7).
• Louisiana has led wire-to-wire in nine games this season, including four of the last seven.
• Kentrell Garnett enters the game percentage points ahead of Pacific’s Luke Avdalovic as the NCAA active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.450).
• Jordan Brown has scored 871 points in a Louisiana uniform and has 1,217 in his collegiate career.
• Brown’s 26-point, 20-rebound performance against Marshall was the sixth 20-20 game by a Ragin’ Cajun in school history and first since Shawn Long (29 points/20 rebounds) at Troy in 2016.
• Brown is 12th nationally in free throw attempts (168), 25th in points per game (19.9) and 43rd in free throws made (107).
• 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 (157) and assists per game (6.5).
• Eight of Louisiana’s 14 players on the 2022-23 roster are in-state products.
• Louisiana’s four-game, road sweep last month was its first in conference play and its first since going unbeaten on a five-game trip in 1976-77.
• 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 136-93 record.
• 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.
UP NEXT
• Louisiana closes out its two-game roadtrip on Saturday (Feb. 11) when it battles Troy in a 4 p.m. contest at Trojan Arena.
• Louisiana will then play of its final four games at home beginning on Thursday (Feb. 16) against ULM.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers