2003 Cajuns to be tested on TV

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana opens season in preseason NIT at Georgia Tech.

They’ve had their share of tough tasks to open seasons.

Louisiana’s men’s basketball squad has begun recent campaigns against Georgetown, Purdue, Georgia, Memphis, Florida State, Texas and Hawaii. Only 12 months ago, the Ragin’ Cajuns traveled to Starkville, Miss., and came home with a surprising 79-76 win.

So maybe tonight’s lid-lifter against Georgia Tech in the opening round of the Owens Corning NIT should be considered business as usual for the Cajuns.

But nothing in the preseason has been usual for this year’s squad, which tips things off with the Yellow Jackets at 6 p.m. tonight at Alexander Coliseum.

The Cajuns, who rode the win over MSU and an impressive late stretch to a 20-10 final record last year, go into tonight’s game four players short of the group they expected to have at the end of last year.

Academic troubles have sidelined regular performers Michael Southall and Cedric Williams and promising transfer Orien Greene until at least the end of the fall term, and the squad will only dress nine players for tonight’s opener.

That alone presents a challenge against a Georgia Tech squad that Cajun head coach Jessie Evans expects to bring pressure early against his depth-challenged squad.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[LatvianCajun]

Not at a neutral site?

Because if its at Tech I'll see if I can scalp some tickets or something like that.

[CajunCall]

I know it's in Atlanta, don't know the site.