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Men’s Basketball: Men’s Hoops Hosts Rice in First Postseason Home Game Since 1985
Contact: Matt Hebert
Game Notes
GAME CENTER
Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Event: CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
Opponent: Rice (17-15)
Site: Cajundome (11,550)
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KHXT) – Jay Walker, play-by-play
Internet Audio Feed: Click Here
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
LOUISIANA-RICE SERIES
The Series: Louisiana leads 6-5
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 4-1
In Cajundome: Louisiana leads 1-0
Series Streak: Louisiana – won 1
Last Meeting: Louisiana 75, Rice 61 (Cajundome // Nov. 27, 2004)
Noteworthy: Rice is in the city of Lafayette for a meeting with the Cajuns for only the third time since the 1949-50 season.
LOUISIANA
11-12 Record____________________ 16-15
11-12 Sun Belt Record____________ 10-6
Last Game______________________ March 4, 2012
vs. North Texas (SBC Tourney) L, 62-65
Head Coach____________________ Bob Marlin
UL Record____________________ 30-30 (2nd Season)
Career Record_________________ 378-196 (19th Season)
Marlin vs. Rice________________ First Meeting
Web Site_______________________ www.RaginCajuns.com
RICE
11-12 Record____________________ 17-15
11-12 C-USA Record______________ 8-8
Last Game______________________ March 7, 2012
vs. East Carolina (C-USA Tourney) L, 66-68
Head Coach____________________ Ben Braun
Rice Record___________________ 49-78 (4thSeason)
Career Record_________________ 601-467 (35th Season)
Braun vs. UL__________________ 2-0
Web Site_______________________ www.RiceOwls.com
Game Night Story Lines
? For the first time since March 1985, a postseason basketball game will be played on the campus of the University of Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team hosts Rice on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:05 p.m. in the Cajundome in a first round game of the Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT).
? The Ragin’ Cajuns are appearing in a postseason tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season (NIT at UAB).
? The game will mark the 11th postseason appearance for the Ragin’ Cajuns since the program moved to the Division I level for the 1970-71 season. It will be the first time that the Cajuns will play in the CIT.
? Louisiana and Rice meet for the first time since Nov. 27, 2004 (UL won 75-61) when the Owls visited the Cajundome as a return visit for a BracketBuster game held in Houston the previous season.
? The Ragin’ Cajuns last home postseason game came on March 14, 1985 at Blackham Coliseum. Then-USL defeated Florida 65-64 in the first round of the 1985 NIT. It was also the final game played at Blackham Coliseum (UL moved to Cajundome in November ’85).
? The Cajuns and Owls both closed out the season with a 2-4 mark which included losses in their respective opening game of their conference tournament.
? Coach Bob Marlin prepared his team for a tournament run by opening the season with three-day tournaments in San Francisco and the Cajundome. No one Cajuns player averaged more than 27 minutes per game over the course of the season.
? UL led the Sun Belt averaging 40.9 rebounds per game in conference play. The Cajuns reached 40-plus rebounds in 11 of 16 SBC games this season.
? In SBC play, the Cajuns held opponents to 39.8% shooting including a meager 30.3% from 3-point range. UL ranked third in the league behind Middle Tennessee and North Texas in field goal percentage defense in conference play.
ABOUT COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
? CollegeInsider.com was established in 1995 by Joe Dwyer and Angela Lento as a regional basketball newsletter. The product became an online presence in 1996 with college coaches taking active participation since 1997.
ABOUT THE CIT
? The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament is a single-elimination Division I college tournament. This is the tournament’s fourth season.
? The CIT consists of five rounds and has been expanded to a 32-team field. All five rounds are played at on-campus sites with the championship game slated for March 28.
? Last year the tournament featured 24 teams and a unique second round in which the top four remaining seeds after the first round received byes.
? Santa Clara won the 2011 title by winning five games which were all played at home.
NO PLACE LIKE THE ‘DOME
? The Cajuns have already locked up 10 wins in the 14-game slate at the Cajundome this season assuring the 17th consecutive season with a .500 mark or better in the building.
? Including this season, the Cajuns have recorded a winning record in 25 of the 27 years since the Cajundome opened its doors in the 1985-86 season.
? Louisiana has turned in a 30-12 record at the Cajundome since the 2009-10 season which includes an impressive 21-4 mark against Sun Belt opponents.
UL IN THE POSTSEASON
? The Cajuns last postseason victory came in the 1992 NCAA Tournament appearance. Then-USL defeated Oklahoma 87-83 in Tempe, Ariz., on March 20, 1992.
? NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005 were later vacated by NCAA sanctions. That makes Wednesday’s game with Rice the first postseason appearance since falling to UAB 82-80 in the 2003 NIT (March 19, 2003).
SIGNS OF PROGRESS UNDER MARLIN’S GUIDANCE
? In his first season (2010-11), Bob Marlin guided Louisiana on an 11-game winning streak which was the longest for the program since the 1971-72 season.
? This year, he’s guide the team to its most victories (on the court) since 2004-05 and the first postseason berth in nearly a decade.
? With a win on Wednesday, UL would end a string of six consecutive non-winning seasons and secure the first winning on-court record since 2004-05.
WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS
? Freshman Elfrid Payton played the entire season, with the exception of two games, as a 17-year old. He leads the Cajuns in assists (93) and averages 7.2 points to go along with dramatic last-second winning plays against Western Kentucky and Denver.
? Payton, who turned 18 on Wednesday, Feb. 22, played all but one regular season game at age 17.
MR. CONSISTENT
? It’s been a solid debut season for Kadeem Coleby. Since the Beryl Shipley Classic (Nov. 18-20) he’s averaged right at 10.0 points per game or higher and led the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage virtually the entire season.
? He’s picked up at least one blocked shot in all but five (5) games this season which has led to him becoming the first Cajun since 2005-06 with 70-plus blocks (72 actual).
THE SAVVY VETERAN CAN RAIN ‘EM IN
? Vanderbilt transfer Darshawn McClellan (90-plus game SEC experience) has provided valuable veteran leadership and carried the team from the three-point line ranking Top 10 in the Sun Belt in three-point field goal percentage.
SHORING UP THE DEFENSE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
? In Sun Belt play, Louisiana ranked third in field goal percentage defense (39.8%) and second in defensive rebounds (28.1 drpg). UL led the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.3%), blocked shots (5.3 bpg) and total rebounds (40.9 rpg).
FREE BASKETBALL, ANYONE?
? Louisiana played five overtime games this season (Cajuns sport a 4-1 mark). It’s the most overtime games since six were played during the 1985-86 season.
THE BUCK STOPS AT 70
? UL held the opposition to 70 points or less in regulation 16 of the last 21 games.
? UL is 12-4 this season when holding the opposition below 70 points.
TAMING THE SUN BELT
? The Ragin’ Cajuns are 21-11 in Sun Belt action under the direction of Bob Marlin.
? Marlin’s current SBC win percentage of .656 ranks 12th all-time in SBC history and is tops amongst current active coaches.
SERIES HISTORY (Louisiana leads 6-5, overall; Louisiana leads 1-0 in the Cajundome)
? Wednesday’s meeting marks the second all-time at the Cajundome. Louisiana won the only prior meeting, posting a 75-61 victory on Nov. 27, 2004, in a game that marked Rice’s return visit for a BracketBuster meeting in February 2004 and served as UL’s regular season home opener for the 2004-05 season.
? Rice is in the city of Lafayette for a meeting with the Cajuns for only the third time since the 1949-50 season.
? According to UL records, the first meeting between the two schools occurred during the 1928-29 season. Seven games were played between 1945 and 1950.
? In the last meeting (Nov. 27, 2004) both programs were under the direction of different head coaches. Head coach of the Cajuns was Robert Lee and top boss of the Owls was Willis Wilson.
? Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin faces Rice for the first time in his career. Owls coach Ben Braun is 2-0 vs. UL, collecting wins in Cajuns visits to the Cal Golden Bear Classic (’98 & ’02).
— Ragin’ Cajuns —
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