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Four games into its 2013-14 season, the UL basketball team still is figuring things out.
How to deal with new NCAA rules, and new interpretations of existing rules, is chief among them – especially when it comes to hand-checks in open court and charge/block situations.
“We’ve got to adjust to the consistency of the calls,” coach Bob Marlin said.
Or inconsistency, as the case may be.
“I think it’s different every game,” said Marlin, whose 2-2 club opened with wins over Louisiana College and McNeese State before losing last weekend at Arkansas and at then-No. 23, now-No. 20 Baylor.
“We’ve just got to adjust to how those guys (referees) are calling the game. And I think it’s gonna be different. There’s been some inconsistencies with it, for sure, throughout college basketball.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns will get a couple more shots at figuring out when the whistles will or will not come this weekend, when they are on the road to play a pair starting with a neutral-site meeting with 0-4 Oakland of the Horizon League.
It is the first of back-to-back Maui-Mainland tournament-style games in Conway, S.C.
Depending on which teams win and lose today, the Cajuns will play either St. Francis Brooklyn or host Coastal Carolina on Sunday – winners vs. winners, losers vs. losers.
Oakland has some familiar faces in senior guards Travis Bader and Duke Mondy.
Mondy had a game-high 30 points but nine turnovers and Bader scored 16 when UL beat Oakland 90-79 to open last season at the Cajundome.
Mondy – a transfer from Providence – led Oakland and the nation in steals last season at 3.02 per game, 0.6 more than No. 12 UL point guard Elfrid Payton.
Bader led the country in made 3-pointers at 4.2 per game, setting a single-season school and Summit League record with a nation-leading 139, including 11 in a January win over IUPUI.
Both he and Payton are on the watch list for the Lou Henson Award, presented to the nation’s top mid-major player.
“Travis Bader is one of the best shooters in the country,” Marlin said of the nation’s No. 5 scorer last season at 22.1 points per game. “We’ll have to hold him down if we’re gonna have an opportunity to win.”
Just don’t hold him too much.
Marlin suggested that last Sunday at Baylor, UL guard Kevin Brown was tagged with a foul even though he had his arms up “goalpost” style – so high it looked like he was signaling a touchdown in a football game.
“He had his hands up, there was a little bit of contact, and they called hand-check,” the Cajun coach said.
“I don’t get it,” Marlin added, “but we’re gonna have to make it work.”
At Arkansas, Marlin felt too many charge/block calls went against the Cajuns while not enough were called in their favor – even though a respected officiating crew worked the game.
Rules implemented this season are designed to give referees more time and clarity in determining correct charge/block calls.
“We weren’t getting the block call very often in that game (vs. the Razorbacks),” Marlin said. “We thought that was going to be an emphasis of the new rules.”
That’s disappointing, he suggested, because the Cajuns weren’t getting to the foul line frequently enough for his liking on a weekend UL hit 72.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Marlin hopes things will change when the Cajuns get to Sun Belt Conference play in January, and the same refereeing crews are seen more often.
In theory, there should be consistency then.
“You hope so,” he said.
In the meantime, though, UL must deal today not only uncertainty over how fouls are called but also an Oakland team for which Marlin – despite its 0-4 record including losses to nationally ranked North Carolina, UCLA and Gonzaga – has high regard.
“They’ll be a handful,” he said.
Just don’t grab onto too much.
LAGNIAPPE: Due to travel issues, St. Francis Brooklyn will play in Sunday’s first game whether it wins or loses today against Coastal Carolina. So UL will play at either 11:30 a.m. (central) Sunday if its opponent is St. Francis, or at 1:30 p.m. (central) Sunday if its opponent is Coastal Carolina. … Mondy and teammate Dante Williams were arrested after an allegation of sexual assault in their team hotel during a road trip to play UCLA last week, but the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office opted against filing charges. The two served a two-game suspension for violation of team rules, then were reinstated earlier this week and are expected to be available today against the Cajuns. … UL’s lone home game amid a stretch with 6-of-7 on the road comes Wednesday night vs. Northwestern State.
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