HOUSTON — The most important game this season in determining Louisiana's basketball post-season prospects may be today.

When the Ragin’ Cajuns travel to face Rice today in an ESPN Bracket Buster contest at noon, any fleeting hopes the locals have of being invited as an NCAA Tournament at-large selection are on the line.

Of course, if the Cajuns capture the Sun Belt Conference’s tournament title March 6-9 in Bowling Green, Ky., today’s game would only affect UL Lafayette’s seeding for the “big dance.”

But, if the Cajuns get tripped up in the league tourney, they’ll need every win they can get for a berth, and today’s contest at Rice’s Autry Court is the last this season in which UL Lafayette will face a team ranked higher than themselves in the RPI listings.

Even if the Cajuns (15-6, 10-2 Sun Belt) win their last four regular-season games and take two Sun Belt Tournament wins to reach the championship game, a finale loss would make NCAA at-large chances shaky at best. But a loss today would zero out those opportunities.

It makes today’s meeting with the Western Athletic Conference’s high-flying Owls (17-7, 9-4) — another team hoping for NCAA glad tidings — even more meaningful.

“We truly will be tested,” said Cajun coach Jessie Evans. “They (Rice) have a good team, and that keeps us in the mode of playing quality opponents.”

Today’s game also puts the Cajuns in a hostile environment, one in which the Owls have excelled. Rice’s only home losses are to No. 1 Stanford and nationally-ranked UConn this season, and the Owls have won seven in a row at the rowdy Autry facility including an 87-75 win over Nevada Wednesday.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com