MBB Game 19 Preview: at Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it faces Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference contest at Strahan Coliseum.

Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The game, which follows the Louisiana-Texas State women's game, can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9-FM and ESPN 1420 AM.

Louisiana (12-6, 2-3 SBC), which is 4-4 overall in road games this season, looks to rebound from a two-game losing streak that saw the Ragin' Cajuns drop games at home to SBC leader Georgia Southern and Georgia State.

Frank Bartley averages a team-high 15.1 points per game to lead Louisiana in scoring with Jay Wright (14.6), Bryce Washington (14.4) and Justin Miller (10.3) averaging in double figures. Washington pulls down 12.2 rebounds per game to lead the Sun Belt Conference and rank third overall among Division I players.

As a team, Louisiana averages 83.2 points per game while leading the Sun Belt Conference in three offensive categories – scoring offense, scoring margin (+10.9) and field goal percentage (.469).

GAME 19: Louisiana (12-6, 2-3 SBC) at Texas State (10-7, 3-2 SBC)
Date / Time: January 21, 2017 / 4:30 p.m.
Site: San Marcos, Texas
Arena: Strahan Coliseum (7,200)

Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)

Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB

Series: Louisiana leads, 7-1
At Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 4-0
At San Marcos: Louisiana leads, 2-1
At New Orleans: Louisiana leads, 1-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 467-264 (24th season), Record at Louisiana: 119-98 (7th season)

TEXAS STATE
Head Coach: Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978)
Career Record: 512-256 (26th season), Record at TXST: 47-63 (4th season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana has won six of seven meetings against Texas State since the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013-14.

• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense (83.2), scoring margin (+10.9), field goal percentage (.469), rebound margin (+7.6) and turnover margin (+3.5).

QUICK HITS
• Bryce Washington has recorded 15 of his 18 career double-doubles this season.

• Washington is tied with Purdue's Caleb Swanigan for the national lead in double-doubles and is third nationally in rebounds (12.2).

• Jay Wright and Frank Bartley have each recorded four 20-point games this season for the Ragin" Cajuns.

• Johnathan Stove has scored in double figures in his last three games, averaging 15.0 points during the span.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
• Texas State leads the Sun Belt Conference, and is 22nd nationally, in scoring defense allowing 63.4 points per game. The Bobcats also pace the league in field goal defense, holding opponents to 39.7 percent from the floor.

• Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (16.1 ppg.) and Nijal Pearson (12.9) are the top scorers for Texas State with Pearson ranked 11th in the Sun Belt Conference with 6.1 rebounds per game.

• Texas State is 6-2 overall at Strahan Coliseum this season, which includes an 81-73 win over SBC Preseason favorite UTA in its last game. The Bobcats have won two of their last three games heading into this weekend, earning a 75-71 win at Troy to split a two-game road trip to the state of Alabama.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will wrap up its trek to the Lone Star State on Monday when it faces SBC preseason favorite UTA at College Park Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on the American Sports Network and ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

Justin Miller

Johnathan Stove

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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