MBB Game 30 Preview: South Alabama

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball opens play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Friday when it faces eighth-seeded South Alabama in a 5 p.m. contest at Lakefront Arena.

The game will be televised on ESPN3. The game will also be carried in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM, ESPN 1420-AM and on the internet at RaginCajuns.com.

Louisiana (16-13), the No. 4 seed in the eight-team field, will open play against a No. 8-seed for the second straight year after South Alabama (14-18) pulled off a 67-61 upset win over Georgia Southern on Thursday. The Ragin' Cajuns look to claim their fifth title in league history and first since 2014 when they defeated Georgia State, 82-81.

Led by SBC Player of the Year Shawn Long, Louisiana finished the regular season second in the league in scoring (79.6) and first in rebound margin (+8.2).

Long, who finished as the league's second-leading scorer at 18.8 points per game, led the SBC in rebounds (12.9), blocked shots (1.9) and double-doubles (21) while ranking fifth overall in field goal percentage (.514).

Kasey Shepherd followed Long in the scoring column, averaging 10.5 points per game, with Jay Wright (9.0), Johnathan Stove (8.8) and Bryce Washington (8.6) next. Washington led the league in field goal percentage (.602) while finishing second on the team in rebounds (5.5).

The winner of Friday's game will advance to face top-seeded Little Rock on Saturday at 1 p.m.

GAME 30: No. 4-seeded Louisiana (16-13) vs. No. 8-seeded South Alabama (14-18)
March 11, 2016 | 5 p.m. | New Orleans, La. | Lakefront Arena (10,000)
TV/Web: ESPN3 (Matt Stewart, Bob Donewald)
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM | Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball; @ULRaginCajuns
Series: USA leads, 27-26 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 13-12 | In Mobile: USA leads, 13-11 | Neutral Sites: Tied, 2-2

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 451-255 (23rd season), Record at UL: 103-90 (6th season)

SOUTH ALABAMA
Head Coach: Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998)
Career Record: 37-59 (3rd season), Record at USA: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana begins its quest for a fifth Sun Belt Conference Tournament title when it opens action against South Alabama. The teams are 2-2 in tournament games, including the 2000 SBC Championship game where the Ragin' Cajuns claimed a 51-50 victory.

• Louisiana is the only school to earn a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament since it was moved to New Orleans in 2014.

• The Ragin' Cajuns and South Alabama will meet in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the fifth time overall and first since March 6, 2004 (Louisiana, 84-58, at Bowling Green, Ky.).

THE SERIES
• Today's meeting will be the 54th meeting between the schools with South Alabama holding a 27-26 lead. The teams split the season series in 2015-16, with each team claiming wins on their respective home floor.

• Louisiana claimed the first meeting between the schools this season with a 92-82 win on Jan. 21 at the Cajundome before the Jaguars rallied from a halftime deficit and earned an 83-70 Senior Day victory on Feb. 27 in Mobile.

THE OPPONENT
• South Alabama advanced to the Sun Belt quarterfinals for the ninth time in the past 10 years with a 67-61 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Southern on Thursday. Shaq Calhoun scored 15 points to lead the Jaguars, who led from wire-to-wire and held off an Eagle rally by making their final six shots of the game.

UP NEXT
• The winner of Friday's game will advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded Little Rock on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

Johnathan Stove

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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