Men’s Basketball Makes Home Debut With Shipley Classic 11/17/11

Beryl Shipley Classic Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Friday-Sunday, Nov. 18-20, 2011
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: Cajundome (11,550)
Times: 7:30 p.m. (Fri) | 7:30 p.m. (Sat) | 3:30 p.m. (Sun)
Opponents: Friday: Houston Baptist | Saturday: Cal State Fullerton | Sunday: Nicholls State
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KHXT)

THE BERYL SHIPLEY CLASSIC FIELD
Friday, Nov. 18 vs. Houston Baptist
11-12 Record___________________________ 1-1
11-12 Great West Record__________________ 0-0
Head Coach______________________ Ron Cottrell

Saturday, Nov. 19 vs. Cal State Fullerton
11-12 Record____________________________1-0
11-12 Big West Record____________________ 0-0
Head Coach_______________________ Bob Burton

Sunday, Nov. 20 vs. Nicholls State
11-12 Record____________________________0-2
11-12 Southland Record___________________ 0-0
Head Coach________________________ J.P. Piper

Game Night Story Lines
>>>Louisiana opens the home portion of the 2011-12 schedule hosting the Beryl Shipley Classic presented by Budweiser Friday-Sunday, Nov. 18-20 at the Cajundome. UL welcomes Cal State Fullerton, Houston Baptist and Nicholls State for the event,
>>>The Shipley Classic marks the first in-season tournament that the Cajuns host since the 1992 Louisiana Classics held Dec. 18-19, 1992 at the Cajundome.
>>>The Cajuns begin the 27th season of basketball at the Cajundome. UL is 248-102 all-time in the facility and owns a 10-4 record under the direction of Bob Marlin.
>>>UL carries a seven-game win streak at the Cajundome into the Shipley Classic. Beginning with a win over Centenary on Jan. 19, the Ragin’ Cajuns won their final seven home contests of the 2010-11 season.
>>>The Shipley Classic marks the first of 14 home games for UL in 2011-12.
>>>Louisiana began year two of the Bob Marlin era last weekend at the Hilltop Challenge in San Francisco. UL finished 1-2 in the event for a third place finish.
>>>The Ragin’ Cajuns downed Northern Arizona in the season opener, marking the first win in a season opener since the 2007-08 season.
>>>In losses to North Dakota State and San Francisco, the Cajuns shot below 40 percent after beginning the season above 60 percent against Northern Arizona.
>>>Louisiana averaged 16.3 assists per game in the Hilltop Challenge. Raymone Andrews led the way with 11 assists and J.J. Thomas added 10.

HOME, SWEET DOME
>>>The Ragin’ Cajuns are 18-7 in home openers at the Cajundome.
>>>Louisiana is seeking to end a three-game slide in home openers. Last home opening victory came on Nov. 14, 2007 vs. North Alabama (W, 79-67).

NO PLACE LIKE THE ‘DOME
>>>Last season the Ragin’ Cajuns posted a 10-4 record in the Cajundome – the 16^th consecutive season with a .500 mark or better.
>>>In 24 of the previous 26 seasons, the Cajuns have recorded a winning record.
>>>Since the turn of the century, UL’s on-court record at the ‘Dome is 115-39 (.747).
>>>Louisiana has turned in a 20-8 record at the Cajundome the past two seasons which includes an impressive 16-1 mark against Sun Belt opponents.

HONORING A LEGEND
>>>The man who built basketball at the University of Louisiana into a national power in the 1960s and 1970s will be honored this weekend with the Beryl Shipley Classic.
>>>Beryl Shipley, head men’s basketball coach at then-SLI and then-USL (now UL, the University of Louisiana) for 16 years (1957-73) became the winningest coach in Louisiana basketball history. Along the way he recruited and coached the first black athletes to compete in intercollegiate athletics in the South.
>>>Shipley was instrumental in starting the Bayou Classic in 1959, a tournament that filled the old Blackham Coliseum for 13 years featuring such teams as Long Beach State, Kentucky Wesleyan, Jacksonville State, Pepperdine, Mississippi State, Baylor and Arkansas. The Shipley Classic presented by Budweiser is a rebirth of that tournament.
>>>The Shipley family, Dolores and her three daughters and their families will be honored with presentations prior to the Cajuns game on Friday night.
>>>On Saturday night former coaches, players, trainers, play-by-play announcers and All Americans from the Shipley era will be recognized before the UL game.
>>>Prior to the UL game on Sunday afternoon fans, teachers, cheerleaders and others from the Shipley years will be honored.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST TOURNAMENT AT THE CAJUNDOME
>>>The last in-season tournament hosted at the Cajundome was the 1992 Louisiana Classics held Dec. 17-18, 1992.
>>>Louisiana defeated Campbell on the opening night (W, 74-59) then bested Georgia Southern in the tournament finale (W, 107-82).
>>>The round robin tournament also featured Alcorn State.

DID YOU KNOW???
>>>Nicholls State was one of the participating teams in the last Bayou Classic held in December 1988. The 1988 event marked the final occurrence of the Bayou Classic which began in 1959 under the direction of Beryl Shipley.

YOU DON’T SEE THIS OFTEN IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
>>>For the first three weeks of the season, Louisiana does not play a midweek contest.
>>>Last week, the Cajuns played three games in three days at the Hilltop Challenge in San Francisco.
>>>This week, UL did not have any contests leading up to the Beryl Shipley Classic.
>>>Next week the Cajuns are off until a Saturday, Nov. 26 contest at Duquesne.
>>>The Cajuns first midweek contest occurs on Monday, Nov. 28 at Kent State.

SERIES HISTORY WITH SHIPLEY CLASSIC OPPONENTS
>>>HOUSTON BAPTIST (Cajuns lead series 5-1): First meeting since Jan. 23, 1978 at Blackham Coliseum (UL won 88-53). Friday’s game also marks the first meeting as Division I foes (HBU was NAIA when the squads met six times from 1973-78).
>>>CAL STATE FULLERTON (CSF leads series 2-0): Only prior meetings came during the 2006-07 season as part of a home-and-home series. CSF won 91-89 in OT at the Cajundome on Nov. 24, 2006 despite UL’s David Dees scoring a career-high 37 points. The Titans dominated the return game, besting UL 85-49 in Fullerton.
>>>NICHOLLS STATE (UL leads series 21-2): Cajuns and Colonels meet for the 24^th time overall, but first time since December 1991. UL posted a 53-52 win on Dec. 19, 1991 in the last meeting. The series dates back to 1960 when the first meeting took place in the 1960-61 season opener (UL won 85-68). Series is tied 2-2 in the Cajundome.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>>The Ragin’ Cajuns have a five-day break next week, departing Lafayette on Friday, Nov. 25 for road games at Duquesne (Nov. 26) and Kent State (Nov. 28).
>>>In both games, the Cajuns will be meeting the opposition for the first time in school history.
>>>The trip to Duquesne marks the first of two trips to Pittsburgh this season for UL. The Cajuns return to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 17 for a meeting with Robert Morris.

— Ragin’ Cajuns —