Cajuns expect offensive matchup
CAJUN DOME - Give the ball to a Georgia State guard, and chances are it won’t be long before a shot is released.
That’s the scene University of Louisiana men’s basketball coach Bob Marlin expects to see at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Cajundome when his team hosts league-leading Georgia State in a Sun Belt Conference matchup.
Quote:
<!--
Give the ball to a Georgia State guard, and chances are it won’t be long before a shot is released.
That’s the scene University of Louisiana at Lafayette men’s basketball coach Bob Marlin expects to see at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Cajundome when his team hosts league-leading Georgia State in a Sun Belt Conference matchup.
The men’s contest will be preceded by a women’s game between the two schools starting at 5 p.m.
Georgia State is off to a 5-0 start in the SBC and the Panthers’ nine-game win streak is the second-longest in school history.
A lot of the success for Georgia State (12-6) is because of a unique style of guard play, Marlin said.
“Georgia State is not that concerned about rebounding and defense, especially when you shoot it the way they do. Look at their (offensive) numbers, and they’re off the charts,” Marlin said.
The Panthers average 78.1 points a game behind a three-guard configuration that averages a combined 45 points.
“Georgia State is first in the league in free-throw shooting, field goals and 3-point shooting. They run their sets with two point guards. With them it doesn’t matter; whichever guard has the ball runs it,” Marlin said.
Marlin said that 6-foot-5 Georgia State guard R.J. Hunter, son of Panthers’ basketball coach Ron Hunter, is probably the best NBA prospect in the conference.
R.J. Hunter is averaging 19.1 points a game. Hunter also averages 90.5 percent from the free-throw line, and he has made 57 of his 3-point attempts.
The other two guards are junior Ryan Harrow, a 6-2 Kentucky transfer and Devonta White. Harrow averages 17.8 points and 4.6 assists, while White averages nearly 10 points a game.
At the forward positions for the Panthers are two transfers that include 6-9 Curtis Washington (Southern Cal) and 6-6 Manny Atkins (Virginia Tech).
Washington and Atkins combine for 26 points.
With so much activity featured in the Panthers’ offense, Georgia State’s backcourt does a good job possessing the ball. Georgia State has the fewest turnovers (8.6) of any league team.
The Cajuns (12-6, 3-2) also are off to a better start than last year when they were 6-12 at this point.
UL-Lafayette has won three of the past four, including Saturday’s victory at Troy (72-59).
Stopping the Cajuns offensively means handling sophomore forward Shawn Long and junior point guard Elfrid Payton, who combine for 40.5 points a game.
Long is also the team rebounding leader (10.6), and Payton leads the league in assists (6.2).
The addition of senior guard Bryant Mbamalu (7.2 points) and junior guard Xavian Rimmer (7.4) has provided some help.
Mbamalu, one of the Cajuns’ key scorers the past two years, missed the first 12 games of this season with a foot injury.
Marlin said he likes UL-Lafayette’s chances against Georgia State, especially since the Cajuns haven’t lost any of their eight Cajundome appearances this season.
“We’re going to be doing different things (defensively) and mixing it up. I think we matchup up pretty well at guard in what I think is going to be a guards’ game,” Marlin said.
Notes
The Georgia State contest is the first of a two-game homestand for the Cajuns, who host Western Kentucky in a conference and nationally televised game (ESPN2) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Cajundome. ... In 51-career games at UL-Lafayette, Long has 27 double-doubles. ... While Georgia State has featured a high-scoring offense, the Cajuns rank 13th nationally in scoring (83.6 points).
-->
