Ragin’ Cajuns aiming for Sun Belt season title

With the frivolity and the physicality of the “Bracket Buster” now history, Louisiana’s basketball squad gets back to the task at hand tonight — winning the Sun Belt Conference title.

That could happen when the Ragin’ Cajuns meet North Texas at 7 p.m. in the Super Pit in Denton in the final regular-season road game and the finale of a five-game road swing for the Cajun squad.

The fourth of those road games came Saturday afternoon when Rice’s Owls rallied for an 81-76 win over the Cajuns in one of ESPN’s 23 made-for-TV intersectional matchups Saturday.

The loss dropped the Cajun squad to 15-7 and was the second of the road swing after a 68-54 setback at New Orleans one week earlier.

UL Lafayette followed that UNO loss, though, with a 76-58 win at New Mexico State to stay ahead of the pack in both the Sun Belt’s West Division and in the race for the league’s overall crown.

And, a win in tonight’s game would give the Cajuns the Sun Belt overall title, the West Division crown and the No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament.

“That’s what we’re focused on now,” said Cajun coach Jessie Evans. “We’ve won a number of times on the road, and that’s helped us get to this point.”

The Cajuns are 10-2 in league play, holding a two and one-half game lead over UNO (8-5) entering the final week of the regular season. UNO was upset 63-58 in overtime at Florida International on Saturday to give the Cajun squad breathing room in the West race.

Arkansas-Little Rock (8-4) leads the East, but the best the Trojans can finish is 10-4 since the East squads play only 14 conference games.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com