LAFAYETTE - Basketball season officially begins Friday night with the annual Ragin' Cajuns Midnight Madness which is slated to begin at 10:30 p.m. at Blackham Coliseum. Admission is free.

Friday's event marks the first official practice for both the men's and women's basketball teams. Fans are invited to meet the teams and attend an autograph signing at 9:45 p.m. Midnight Madness will not be limited to just practice, as UPC will hold shooting contests and students will be eligible to win prizes and more.

Both men's and women's teams will participate in a 2-ball and 3-point contests, while the men's team will compete in a dunk contest and later hold an intrasquad scrimmage.

The men's basketball team features eight letterwinners including Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Elijah Millsap (Grambling, La.) and All-Sun Belt Third Team selection David Dees (Dayton, Ohio). The men's team opens the season with a home exhibition game against the Louisiana College Wildcats on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at the CAJUNDOME. The Cajuns open the regular season at home with the North Alabama Lions on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The women's team, coming off a school-record 25-win season and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, will usher in a new era with a first-year head coach and UL alumnus Errol Rogers. The Cajuns return six letterwinners from last season's postseason squad, including seniors Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.), Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas) and Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas). The women will open the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 11 at Mercer.

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