Sun Belt Hoopsters Emerging

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The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns continue play in the EA Sports Maui Invitational with two games this weekend in the mainland portion of the tourney.

The Cajuns will travel to Conway, S.C. to face Oakland on Saturday, Nov. 23 beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST (5:30 p.m. in Lafayette) in the HTC Center. St. Francis Brooklyn will play host Coastal Carolina in the other game at 4:00 p.m. EST.

The two losing teams will play at 12:30 p.m. EST on Sunday (Nov. 24) with the two winners playing at 2:30 p.m. EST). UL is 2-2 on the year after dropping back-to-back road games at Arkansas (76-63) on Friday and at No. 23 Baylor (87-68) on Sunday, a pair of games that were closer than the final score indicated.

Oakland, who the Cajuns defeated 90-79 in the 2012-13 season opener, is 0-4 on the year.

Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.

With 20 or more points in each of the first four games, junior guard Elfrid Payton is quickly closing in on the 1,000 point mark for his career.

Payton enters the week with 843 points, needing 157 more to become the 40th player in school history to reach that plateau.

Payton is the first Cajuns player to score 20 or more points in four straight games since Michael Allen scored 20 points or more in 12 straight games early in the 1993-94 season.

Senior Elridge Moore remains on top of the Sun Belt free throw percentage list, making all 11 of his free throws in the first four games.

That is quite an improvement for Moore, who converted 37-of-63 free throws (.587) in 2012-13.

Elfrid Payton has started his season out on a right from the foul line as well, making 27 of his 38 attempts (.711).

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[DaddyCajun]

Payton and company need to relax and have more fun out there on the court, to let their true talents out for everyone to see including their opponents. At times Payton and company seem to press the issue instead of letting the game come to them and roll with it. They seemed tight, pressing, not loose in their last two games! Relax guys, relax, have fun, turn loose, and play!