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While UL's football team looks to become bowl eligible today, college basketball season officially tips off for the Cajuns.
UL's men open the regular season against Louisiana Tech at 7:05 tonight at the Cajundome. The teams were conference foes in the Southland (1971-82), American South (1987-91) and Sun Belt (1991-2001) before Tech joined the WAC in 2001-02.
The Cajuns have won 10 of their past 11 home openers, but they trail the all-time series against Tech, 86-78.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20081115/SPORTS/811150337/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Joshua Parrott •
jparrott@theadvertiser.com • November 15, 2008
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"Naturally, we're very anxious to get the season started," UL coach Robert Lee said. "And I think it gets started in a good way by playing one of our arch rivals in Louisiana Tech.
"We're looking forward to a very, very entertaining basketball game."
UL will be without starting point guard Randell Daigle (broken right hand) and starting shooting guard/small forward Chris Gradnigo (staph infection).
Daigle, who led the team last season with 76 assists and 61 made 3-pointers, will miss at least one to two months with his injury.
Gradnigo, the team's leading scorer last season at 9.6 points per game, was admitted to the hospital on Thursday to speed his recovery. He was a third team preseason all-league pick.
Last season, UL shared the Sun Belt's West Division with Arkansas-Little Rock. The Cajuns return four starters. Newcomers Jeremy Barr and Ryan McCoy will start at center and point guard, respectively. They will be joined in the starting lineup by junior forwards La'Ryan Gary and Tyren Johnson and sophomore small forward Travis Bureau.
Newcomer Colby Batiste, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, will also see plenty of time until UNLV transfers Emmanuel Adeife and Lamar Roberson become eligible in mid-December.
"The chemistry is getting better," said Gary, who averaged a team-high 23 points in two exhibition games. "We didn't really have a big guy last year, and now we have Jeremy and Colby.
"We didn't really have a true point guard last year, and now we get Ryan."
Lee knows he'll need all of his players to contribute against Tech, which went 6-24 last season. The Bulldogs are led by guard Kyle Gibson, who averaged 16.5 points per game last season, and will be bolstered by transfers Magnum Rolle (LSU) and Kenneth Cooper (Oklahoma State). Rolle is a 6-11 junior forward/center. Cooper is a 6-10 junior center.
"They're very talented, and I think that team will emerge as one of the best in the WAC," Lee said. "It's going to be good to see where you are. You're not playing against the Sisters of the Poor.
"If you don't come and play your best it's going to be a long night."
With Daigle and Gradnigo out, the Cajuns have only eight healthy scholarship players available tonight.
"It's going to be a tremendous test," Lee said. "The guys who might have played a limited role in the past might have to play a significant role on this team in order for us to have the success we want to have."
Given the adversity facing his team, Lee is glad to open the season in front of a home crowd.
"We're hoping people in Acadiana really come out and support our team," Lee said. "We're going to need that support. We're going to need that crowd to help get this done. It's a rivalry game.
"Face it: We don't like them (Tech), and they don't like us."
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