MBB Game 19 Preview: UT Arlington

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team looks to build on a five-game winning streak on Saturday when it plays host to Sun Belt rival UT Arlington at the Cajundome

Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. and will follow the women's game between Louisiana and UTA at 2 p.m. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9 and ESPN 1420-AM.

Louisiana (10-8, 6-3 SBC) won its fifth straight game after posting an 80-54 win over Texas State on Thursday behind a 19-point, 14-rebound performance from Shawn Long. Devonta Walker added 16 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Jay Wright chipping in with 14.

Long, who has 13 double-doubles this season and 65 in his career, leads the Ragin' Cajuns in scoring (18.7), rebounds (12.7) and blocked shots (1.7) with Kasey Shepherd averaging 11.7 points per contest.

GAME 18: Louisiana (10-8, 6-3 Sun Belt) vs. UT Arlington (14-5, 5-3 Sun Belt)
January 30, 2016 | 4:15 p.m. | Lafayette, La. | Cajundome (11,550)
TV/Web: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM | Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball
Series: UL leads, 16-6 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 8-3 | In Arlington: UL leads, 7-3

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 446-251 (23rd season), Record at UL: 98-85 (6th season)

UT ARLINGTON
Head Coach: Scott Cross (UT Arlington, 1998)
Career Record: 167-133 (11th season), Record at UTA: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana has won its last 11 games at the Cajundome dating back to an 84-69 loss to UT Arlington on Feb. 7, 2015.

• Today's game features the Sun Belt Conference's top two teams in both scoring and rebounding margin. Louisiana leads the SBC in scoring at 81.9 points followed by UTA at 81.5. The Mavs pace the league with a +9.6 rebounding margin followed by the Ragin' Cajuns +7.8.

• The Ragin' Cajuns are averaging 91.1 points per game in eight contests at the Cajundome in 2015-16.

• The Ragin' Cajuns have shot at a 50-percent clip overall from the floor, and 39-percent from behind the 3-point line, in their last five games.

• Steven Wronkoski will play in the 121st game of his career, moving him to within one of the school-record set by Todd Hill (1990-93), Graylin Warner (1980-84) and Brett Smith (1997-01).

THE SERIES
Louisiana has posted a 16-6 record against UT Arlington and is 8-3 in games played in Lafayette. The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-1 against the Mavs since UTA joined the Sun Belt Conference. Both schools were members of the Southland Conference from 1973-82.

THE OPPONENT
UT Arlington, ranked No. 11 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, has dropped three of its last four games after starting the season at 13-1. The Mavs earned non-conference road wins at Ohio State, Memphis, Rice and UTEP. With the loss of Kevin Hervey to a season-ending injury, Erick Neal leads UTA in scoring (13.8) with Jorge Bilbao pacing the Mavs with 7.1 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns will conclude their five-game homestand on Tuesday when it plays host to ULM in a 7:15 p.m. contest at the Cajundome.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

Devonta Walker

Jay Wright

Steven Wronkoski

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