Final: Louisiana 75, USM 61

[moorecajun]

I was there. Refs were s h i t.

JB was mugged all night, which will be the menu du jour the rest of the season.

Crowd was into it. Nice response after 0-2 start in conference.

I was there also and saw the same refs you did!

A good win.

[moorecajun]

Yes they did. On both ends for that matter. Cajuns won the game simply because they made outside shots in first half which spurred their defensive energy. That allowed a double figure lead which they maintained. Those were the same outside shots they were missing in the first half in the road games.

Absolutely! We need to bottle last night so we can wash, rinse, repeat!

[JamesTheJeweler]

No. It’s been all year. Don’t know if you watch much college basketball? Classy coaches wear ties. Bobby, Marty, Robert, Jesse all dressed like college basketball coaches. Bob does not.

C'mon brother. A man's coaching ability is dictated by whether he wears a decorated piece of cloth around his neck? Should the ladies in the stands be wearing bonnets also?

[CajunVic]

C'mon brother. A man's coaching ability is dictated by whether he wears a decorated piece of cloth around his neck? Should the ladies in the stands be wearing bonnets also?

Veils . . .

[CajunT]

Yes they did. On both ends for that matter. Cajuns won the game simply because they made outside shots in first half which spurred their defensive energy. That allowed a double figure lead which they maintained. Those were the same outside shots they were missing in the first half in the road games.

Regardless of my opinions of Marlin, this was a quality win. Fans should enjoy the moment, and give them some credit.

[KajunKrazy]

Call me old school but I am with BP on this. I also like the way Will Hall presents himself at a football game. Reminds me of Pat Dye, Vince Dooley, Gene Stallings back in the day. Just because it is 2023 doesn’t mean you can’t look professional. Maybe its a So Miss thing.

[CajunVic]

Call me old school but I am with BP on this. I also like the way Will Hall presents himself at a football game. Reminds me of Pat Dye, Vince Dooley, Gene Stallings back in the day. Just because it is 2023 doesn’t mean you can’t look professional. Maybe its a So Miss thing.

Don’t soil yourself like that . . .

[Crawfish]

I have to say, this game brought back memories of days when UL basketball was really fun. When Jesse was the coach, I seldom ever missed a game. Last night's game reminded me of those times with the vocal crowd and the play of the team. I hope we can have more of this.

[CajunVic]

and BP is worried about the suit . . . go figure . . .

[zephyr]

Brown did force a couple times last night, but it was way down from previous games. Twice late in the game he tried to dribble against his man from the free throw line. Whether that was because Fulks was on the bench after going to the locker room or because it was late and he hadn’t cracked double digits yet I’m not sure. Hopefully he’s just as content with Ws as 20 point games. Has to be willing to let his teammates make the opponents pay for the double and triple teams.

I think the only reason it was and seems less that he forced it was because, in general, he received the ball a lot less this game. Especially once Fulks took control in the second half, there was no need to feed JB and I'm glad they stayed with that adjustment. He's too static as he really wants to stay on that block but it makes it easier for teams to double team him there. He's going to have to accept a likely reduced offensive role in some games in conference.

[CajunEXPRESS]

I think the only reason it was and seems less that he forced it was because, in general, he received the ball a lot less this game. Especially once Fulks took control in the second half, there was no need to feed JB and I'm glad they stayed with that adjustment. He's too static as he really wants to stay on that block but it makes it easier for teams to double team him there. He's going to have to accept a likely reduced offensive role in some games in conference.

I don’t think Brown is a selfish player. I don’t believe his goal is a double double. He’s limited in spite of his high school rating, and he’s constantly trying to make his way. IOW it’s not personal glory he’s seeking, it’s being a leader who wins. That was put on him by Bob.

[Cajunsmike]

A little more to it than that Mike if you ask me. First off, we shot well from outside but its not like we torched the nets. We hit 1 more 3 than them and shot our average percentage from outside the arc. I think the big difference was our backcourt in particular played much more under control and limited turnovers as well as the stepped up play of Fulks. Honestly, he controlled that game, in particular in the second half when they really tried to start pressuring. They were loading up on Brown and it created driving lanes and he took advantage. We were much more balanced scoring wise across the board and I think that's the way we should try to play all the time.

JB still tries to force too much but there were times where we really moved the ball in the first half and we played with higher pace and looked good. In the end, we just have to be willing to defend like we did for an entire game while not getting lazy and fouling a lot which has been a problem.

I know our three pointers were about even. However 7 in first half got us going. A few USM threes were relatively late in game. That being said, our defense was more than solid and Fulks was outstanding. On those points we agree. The defense got better in second half at ODU. Maybe they have figured something out there. If Fulks plays consistently like that we can challenge for a bye in tournament. Themus had an interesting comment in post game. He said the negative social media reaction to them and their coaches on road trip play gave them motivation. If that is case, keep criticism coming. Looks like he is becoming a team leader. Personally, I like the edge those comments demonstrate.