Change in Cajuns’ lineup made to send message
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Jessie Evans isn’t afraid to tinker with success.
Louisiana’s seventh-year basketball coach moved transfers Dwayne Mitchell and Orien Greene into the starting lineup during a just completed road trip, a move that elbowed out seniors Brad Boyd and Antoine Landry.
“We had a choice to make,” Evans said. “We were playing well as a team, and if it weren’t for the fact that it involved seniors it would have been harder.
“We debated as a staff making the move several games ago.”
Evans, whose Cajuns host Sun Belt Conference foe Arkansas State tonight at the Cajundome, said the move was made to send an aggressive impression.
“We wanted to make a tougher statement at the beginning,” Evans said. “We could easily go back, if I feel they’re doing the job defensively in practice.”
Indeed, Mitchell (34 steals) and Greene (28) kick up the volume on the Cajuns’ defense, but starting lineups can be tricky things if you’re shooting for a regular-season title in the Sun Belt.
Laurie Bridges is the only remaining senior starter, getting his 44th straight call tonight, heading into a weekend in which the squad’s four seniors (including Chris Williams) will be honored before Saturday’s game with Arkansas-Little Rock.
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Bruce Brown
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The Cajuns lead the all-time series with ASU 36-15, and Evans is 4-1 against the Indians in the Cajundome, but the visitors present a challenge for a UL squad that was 2-3 on the trip.
“Arkansas State is like us,” Evans said. “They’re strong on the perimeter, and they have excellent inside play. They’ve been shooting the ball extremely well.”
ASU coach Dickey Nutt is one win from a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament, while the Cajuns are one victory away from the No. 1 seed in that March 6-9 event in Bowling Green.
“We have the opportunity to complete what we once started,” Evans said. “Our goals are all still attainable.
“We’ve earned the position we’re in, but we realize that in order to stay there we have to continue to work.”
St. Thomas More product Boyd is the UL school record-holder for career three-point field goals with 254, passing the 253 of Sydney Grider in Monday’s 71-68 road loss to North Texas, and is No. 4 in Sun Belt history in treys.
As a team, the Cajuns have hit at least one three-pointer in 71 straight contests.
Boyd also paces the squad in assists with 84, and the Cajuns continue to have more assists (387) than turnovers (333) on the season.
But they also turned the ball over 41 times to lose two in a row for the first time in 2003-2004, and Evans knows that can’t continue if his program is to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.
That’s true no matter who’s in the starting lineup.
Arkansas State (15-9, 6-6) at UL Lafayette (15-8, 10-3)
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Site: Cajundome (11,700)
Radio: KPEL-AM (1420) and KRKA-FM (107.9), 6:35 p.m.
Probable Starters
ASU — No. 00 Chris Moore (6-8, 2.3 ppg., 2.9 reb.), No. 32 Kim Adams (6-8, 9.0 ppg., 10.0 reb., 61.6 pct. FG), No. 4 J.J. Montgomery (6-5, 18.7 ppg., 5.7 reb.), No. 3 Dewarick Spencer (6-4, 18.2 ppg., 5.8 reb., 70 assists), No. 5 Antonio Rambo (5-10, 7.9 ppg., 33 assists).
UL — No. 45 Brian Hamilton (6-6, 11.7 ppg., 7.2 reb., 60.5 pct. FG, 42 steals), No. 11 Chris Cameron (6-11, 6.4 ppg., 3.5 reb.), No. 23 Dwayne Mitchell (6-4, 10.1 ppg., 4.2 reb., 66 assists, 34 steals), No. 21 Laurie Bridges (6-4, 10.9 ppg., 5.7 reb., 73 assists, 31 steals), No. 5 Orien Greene (6-4, 13.0 ppg., 41 assists).
What’s at Stake
The Cajuns can claim the outright Sun Belt Conference regular-season title for the first time in school history. They shared the 2000 crown with South Alabama ... The Indians can earn a spot in the SBC Tournament with a win and a loss by either New Mexico State or Denver.
Series History UL leads all-time 36-15, 14-8 since both joined the Sun Belt, and are 7-3 under Jessie Evans.
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