MBB Final: Louisiana 81, Coastal 64

[Hatch]

My only slight concern in watching the game tonight.......LA played with double digit lead for last 30 min of game. Nearly all minutes with only a 7 man rotation (Stalcup a couple cameo minutes)......IMO to make a modest NCAA run, need a little more trust in the next 2 guys, foul troubles will be random. Only Stove scored off the bench. Russell controlled ball well......he needs to be able to slash/penetrate to expand to be more than just a long range jump shooter. No PJ Hardy sighting tonight at all? Last thought.......with Bryce Washington graduating, we need a strong PF addition to team next year to keep this party going.

I was a little surprised to see the 7 man rotation, but that could be due to having a full week to let the guys rest before the next game. Davis must really be in Marlin's doghouse, I thought he would getting a few more minutes to help out with the loss of Gant. He played fairly well Thursday night but he didn't see the floor tonight along with Hardy. It is somewhat concerning since he has already announced he was transferring once and had to be talked into staying, I think he will be needed next year.
As far as replacing Washington I think Miller steps into that spot and does the best he can. Justin is probably a better rebounder that you think. He is 2nd to Bryce in rebounds per minute and you will probably see an up tick there once Bryce graduates simply because he won't have to battle him for boards (same reason Bryce's numbers increased after Long was done).
Also Elijah McCoy is red shirting but I think he is more of a project than a proven commodity waiting in the wings. I think Gladney will be more like Gant than Washington, an "athletic" forward rather than a true power forward. I don't think the cupboard is bare but Bryce is a special player that won't be easy to replace.

[ManAboutTown]

I was a little surprised to see the 7 man rotation, but that could be due to having a full week to let the guys rest before the next game. Davis must really be in Marlin's doghouse, I thought he would getting a few more minutes to help out with the loss of Gant. He played fairly well Thursday night but he didn't see the floor tonight along with Hardy. It is somewhat concerning since he has already announced he was transferring once and had to be talked into staying, I think he will be needed next year.
As far as replacing Washington I think Miller steps into that spot and does the best he can. Justin is probably a better rebounder that you think. He is 2nd to Bryce in rebounds per minute and you will probably see an up tick there once Bryce graduates simply because he won't have to battle him for boards (same reason Bryce's numbers increased after Long was done).
Also Elijah McCoy is red shirting but I think he is more of a project than a proven commodity waiting in the wings. I think Gladney will be more like Gant than Washington, an "athletic" forward rather than a true power forward. I don't think the cupboard is bare but Bryce is a special player that won't be easy to replace.

Davis is not 100% healthy

[talktomewillis]

With Davis not 100% and P. J. Hardy playing poorly for a few weeks now, not surprised they had a short bench.

In league play you can't take anything for granted. We had a double digit lead and Coach Marlin wanted to preserve it.

And, again, the Cajuns win by double digits without JaKeenan Gant.

I don't think there's another team in this league that can lose its leading scorer and still win.

A long way to go, though.

[Hatch]

Davis is not 100% healthy

Thanks that makes a little more sense.

[Crawfish]

Your argument has one major flaw. If by some miracle we were able to bring in name teams, it would probably be preconference; I.E. before football season is over during the holiday season. It has been impossible to generate anyone in the south, and especially in Lafayette, in basketball during that time of the year.

I disagree with the "deep south basketball" narrative. I think fans want to be a part of something special, the sport is irrelevant. Bringing in name teams and BEATING them will pack the Cajundome. Game atmosphere is too good...

[CajunEXPRESS]

Fish, the stands stood mostly empty in Nov-Dec even with Lamar dropping 30 and 40 point nights. Crowds blew up after semester break, so you’re probably right.

[MetryCajun]

Your argument has one major flaw. If by some miracle we were able to bring in name teams, it would probably be preconference; I.E. before football season is over during the holiday season. It has been impossible to generate anyone in the south, and especially in Lafayette, in basketball during that time of the year.

This has been proven to be correct. Let’s say you bring in a Memphis or work a complex deal to get an Ole Miss or Texas A&M. No one is coming. IMHO there are only 4-5 teams who could bring in a few extra 1000 fans....LSU, Kentucky, UNC, Duke and maybe an Indiana or Kansas. Anyone else does not get more than 1000 people.
We need to win the conference and have prolonged winning streaks. If we keep winning I expect crowds to grow north of 6k by the end of the year.

[Cajunfanatico]

Fish, the stands stood mostly empty in Nov-Dec even with Lamar dropping 30 and 40 point nights. Crowds blew up after semester break, so you’re probably right.

My memory ain't what it used to be, but I sure don't remember watching that team play before a mostly empty building......and I rarely missed a game. Wasn't the Bayou Classic played sometime in early Dec? I seem to recall that place rocking for that tournament.

I believe that if the Cajuns could consistently put a Top 30 or better squad on the court, Lafayette would go ape supporting that team.

[MetryCajun]

My memory ain't what it used to be, but I sure don't remember watching that team play before a mostly empty building......and I rarely missed a game. Wasn't the Bayou Classic played sometime in early Dec? I seem to recall that place rocking for that tournament.

I believe that if the Cajuns could consistently put a Top 30 or better squad on the court, Lafayette would go ape supporting that team.

That kind of goes without saying, but we are not going to have even a top40 squad year in and year out. We do not have the resources or the recruiting base to do it. Marlin seems to have found a good formula of taking P5 transfers and mixing them in with mid level state recruits. Is this formula sustainable? I hope so, but history says no. Either way I am enjoying this season and hoping for a NCAA birth.

[zephyr]

That kind of goes without saying, but we are not going to have even a top40 squad year in and year out. We do not have the resources or the recruiting base to do it. Marlin seems to have found a good formula of taking P5 transfers and mixing them in with mid level state recruits. Is this formula sustainable? I hope so, but history says no. Either way I am enjoying this season and hoping for a NCAA birth.

What resources are we lacking?

[Cajunsmike]

I disagree with the "deep south basketball" narrative. I think fans want to be a part of something special, the sport is irrelevant. Bringing in name teams and BEATING them will pack the Cajundome. Game atmosphere is too good...

Hope you are right about fans coming if we show we are special. These days, one loss and you are not special however. I also don't know if it is possible to bring a name team in here in the current environment. A decade ago we would easily had over 6000 people for a home game if we had a 13 and 3 record regardless of the competition. Of course we have had too many average years and people gravitated to other things. We may need several years like this one has been so far before people come back in significant numbers. What I wonder is how people will react when a tough period arrives. We play UTA on ESPN3 on the road on January 18. They drilled us there ast year and a bad loss there will have plenty of people saying we always lay eggs in the spotlight. Let's stay with the guys through the bad stretches and they may come through in the end.

[Cajunsmike]

That kind of goes without saying, but we are not going to have even a top40 squad year in and year out. We do not have the resources or the recruiting base to do it. Marlin seems to have found a good formula of taking P5 transfers and mixing them in with mid level state recruits. Is this formula sustainable? I hope so, but history says no. Either way I am enjoying this season and hoping for a NCAA birth.

That was the same formula Jessie Evans used and he sustained it for awhile. The early signing period saw us bring in two of the better players in the state and they probably are above mid-level. I know the staff thinks Kobe Julien can contribute significantly in his freshman year. Note the rankings for the early signees are prior to the senior season of the players. If they were reranked at the end of the year, I would not be surprised to see Julien in the Top 3.