MBB Game 25 Preview: Troy

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it plays host to Sun Belt Conference rival Troy at the Cajundome.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m., and will follow the Louisiana-Troy women's game that starts at 5 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN3. The men's game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9-FM, along with on the internet via the Radio Pup app.

Louisiana (14-10, 4-7 SBC) looks to snap a season-long three-game losing streak – all against the top three teams (Arkansas State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern) in the SBC standings. The Ragin' Cajuns dropped a 74-70 decision at Georgia Southern on Monday as Justin Miller led Louisiana with 18 points with Jay Wright adding 17.

Frank Bartley leads Louisiana in scoring at 16.0 points per game with Wright (14.8), Bryce Washington (13.7) and Justin Miller (10.8). Washington, who has recorded 18 double-doubles on the season, leads Louisiana with 11.6 rebounds per game.

GAME 25: Louisiana (14-10, 4-7 SBC) vs. Troy (12-12, 4-6 SBC)
Date / Time: February 11, 2017 / 7:15 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (12,362)

TV: ESPN3
Talent: Matt Stewart (pxp), Bob Donewald (color), Whitney Haworth (sideline)
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)

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

Series History: Louisiana leads, 14-5
At Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 7-3
At Troy: Louisiana leads, 6-2
At Murfreesboro: Louisiana leads, 1-0
Current Streak: Louisiana +7

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 469-268 (24th season), Record at Louisiana: 121-102 (7th season)

TROY
Head Coach: Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville, 1990)
Career Record: 42-73 (4th season), Record at TROY: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana is 45-27 overall in games played during the months of February and March under head coach Bob Marlin.

• The Ragin' Cajuns rank 11th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.67), 24th in free throw attempts (606), 28th in rebound margin (+6.1) and 30th in scoring offense (81.5).

• Jay Wright is currently eighth in school history with 339 assists. The senior is 32 points shy of becoming the 44th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career.

• Louisiana is 4-5 this season in games decided by six points or less. In 2015-16, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-6 and are overall 38-41 under Bob Marlin.

QUICK HITS
• Bryce Washington has recorded 18 of his 21 career double-doubles this season. His career .568 percentage from the floor is currently the fifth-best in school history behind Bobby Cutrer (.569, 1964-66).

• Washington is tied with Seton Hall's Angel Delgado for second behind Purdue's Caleb Swanigan (21) for the national lead in double-doubles with 18. The junior is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.17) and is fifth nationally in rebounds per game (11.6).

• Frank Bartley has produced seven 20-point games this season with Jay Wright recording 20 or more points six times in 2016-17.

• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense (81.5), rebound margin (+6.1) and offensive rebounds (13.7).

• Bryce Washington's 21-rebound performance against ULM on Jan. 7 was tied with Reginald Poole (at Hawai'i, 12/27/98), Dion Brown (vs. McNeese State, 2/6/82) and Roy Ebron (vs. UT Arlington, 1/13/73) for the eighth-best total in school history.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• Troy enters this weekend's games as the No. 2 scoring offense in the Sun Belt Conference (79.9) while ranking second in scoring margin (+6.8), free throw percentage (.720), 3-point field goal percentage (.373), 3-pointers per game (9.2) and rebounding margin (+4.6).

• Jordan Varnado leads the Trojans in scoring (15.0), rebounds (6.8) and blocked shots (1.3). Varnado is ninth in the SBC in scoring, tied for eighth in rebounds and is second in blocked shots.

• Wesley Person (14.5) is 11th in the league in scoring for Troy and is second in the SBC with 66 made 3-pointers on the season (2.8 per game).

UP NEXT
• Louisiana closes out it two-game home stand on Monday (Feb. 13) when it faces South Alabama in a 7 p.m. contest at the Cajundome. The Ragin' Cajuns will then embark on its final roadtrip of the season beginning Feb. 18 at ULM before traveling to face Coastal Carolina (Feb. 25) and Appalachian State (Feb. 27).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

Justin Miller

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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