MBB Game 4 Preview: vs. Iowa

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team opens the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic on Monday when it battles Big Ten member Iowa at John Gray Gymnasium.

Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., with the contest available at CaymanIslandsClassic.com/CollegeSportsLive. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9 FM, ESPN 1420 AM and on the RadioPup app.

Louisiana (2-1) scored a season-high 115 points in a win over Savannah State in its last game on Friday at the Cajundome before departing for the Cayman Islands Saturday morning. Bryce Washington and Frank Bartley each scored a season-high 21 points to lead Louisiana with freshman Cedric Russell scoring 20 points with six 3-pointers.

Marcus Stroman and Malik Marquetti each posted career-highs in assists, with 11 and six, respectively with Washington pulling down a season-high 15 rebounds to notch his first double-double of the season.

GAME 4: Louisiana (2-1) vs. Iowa (3-0)
Date / Time: November 20, 2017 / 11 a.m. CST
Site: George Town, Cayman Islands
Arena: John Gray Gymnasium (1,850)

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

Video: CaymanIslandsClassic.com/CollegeSportsLive
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB

Series History: First meeting

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 130-105 (8th season), Career Record: 478-271 (25th season)

IOWA
Head Coach: Fran McCaffery (Penn, 1979)
Record at Iowa: 140-101 (8th season), Career Record: 391-278 (21st season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana faces Big 10 member Iowa in the first game of the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic at John Gray Gymnasium.
• The meeting is the first overall between the schools on the hardwood.
• Louisiana is 4-8 all-time against schools from the Big 10. The Ragin' Cajuns opened the 2016-17 season at Minnesota (L, 86-74) on Nov. 11, 2016.
• Senior Bryce Washington became the 45th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark when he scored 21 points in a 115-82 win over Savannah State on Friday
• Washington grabbed 15 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and passed Elvin Ivory (1967-68) for seventh-place on the school's all-time list. With career rebounds, Washington is eight boards shy of passing Fred Saunders (1971-73) for sixth-place on the Ragin' Cajuns career list.
• Johnathan Stove enters today's game 196 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark.
• The game against Iowa is one of three on the schedule for Louisiana against first-time opponents. The Ragin' Cajuns faced Savannah State last Friday and will face ACC member Clemson on Dec. 22.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense (81.9) and rebound margin (+5.8) during the 2016-17 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 75.6 percent of its scoring and 79.1 percent of its rebounds from the 2016-17 season.
• Louisiana's 115-82 win over Louisiana College on Tuesday marked the 135th time in school history the Ragin' Cajuns eclipsed the 100-point mark. Louisiana is 132-3 overall when scoring 100 points or greater.
• Bryce Washington's 369 rebounds in 2016-17 were the fifth-most in a single-season in school history.
• In his first career start, Marcus Stroman posted career-highs in both points (12) and minutes played (34) in the Ragin' Cajuns season opener at Ole Miss. His previous highs (10 points/29 minutes) was set while at South Carolina.
• Louisiana went 7-5 last season in games decided by six points or less after going 0-6 in 2015-16. Under Bob Marlin, the Ragin' Cajuns are 41-41 overall in games decided by six points or less.

SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
• Iowa opened the season with wins at Carver-Hawkeye Arena defeating Chicago State (95-62), Alabama State (92-58) and Grambling State (85-74) by an average of 26 points per game. The Hawkeyes have had four or more players score in double figures in each game this season.
• Iowa plays six of its next seven games away from home beginning with the Cayman Islands Classic.
• Isaiah Moss (13.7) is one of four players averaging in double figures for the Hawkeyes with Luka Garza (13.3), Tyler Cook (12.3) and Jack Nunge (11.0) next in the scoring column.
• Garza pulls down a team-high 9.0 rebounds and has blocked a team-best eight shots on the season.
• The Hawkeyes have averaged 90.7 points per game in their first three outings while shooting 53 percent from the floor.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana faces either Wyoming or South Dakota State in the Cayman Islands Classic on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. (loser's bracket) or 2:30 p.m. (winner's bracket).

2017 CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC
• Louisiana will face Iowa in the opening game at 12 p.m. EST followed by South Dakota State meeting Wyoming at 2:30 p.m. In the first game of the evening session at 5 p.m. EST, Richmond plays UAB. Buffalo and Cincinnati will conclude opening-day action in the final matchup of the day starting at 7:30 p.m.
• Semifinal round games are slated for 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Losing teams will compete in their second game Nov. 21 with tip offs at 12 p.m. EST and 5 p.m.
• The seventh-place game will open the final day of competition on Wednesday, Nov. 22 starting at 12 p.m., EST, followed by the fifth-place game (2:30 p.m.), third-place game (5 p.m.) and title game (7:30 p.m.) to crown the Cayman Islands Classic champion.
• The Cayman Islands Classic is being sponsored by the Mountain West Conference.

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Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

Malik Marquetti

Cedric Russell

Johnathan Stove

Marcus Stroman

Bryce Washington

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