West’s best awaits Sun Belt’s East champ

LOUISIANA La. — Brian Hamilton wasted no time looking back after Louisiana swamped Arkansas State 82-62 on Thursday night.

“The pressure is off us,” Hamilton said Thursday after the Cajuns clinched the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title, “but we want to be No. 1 over everybody.

“This game here was to bounce back. Now we have to get back in a groove before the (Sun Belt) tournament. That’s why the next game is big for us, mentally.”

Coach Jessie Evans said earlier in the week that he was hoping for a matchup of East and West champions when Arkansas-Little Rock visits the Cajundome at 7:05 p.m. tonight, and that’s just what he’s got.

The Cajuns are 16-8 overall and are Western Division champions with their 11-3 league mark that earns them the No. 1 seed for the Sun Belt Tournament that starts next Saturday in Bowling Green.

The Trojans of coach Steve Shields are 16-10, 9-4 after Thursday’s 58-55 victory at New Mexico State, good enough for the Eastern Division crown and the No. 2 seed for the tournament.

Tonight, then, offers a possible championship preview. If nothing else, it presents the two best teams in the regular season tuning up for postseason play.

The night will also feature a guest appearance by former UL quarterback Jake Delhomme, who led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl last season.

“Maybe he can show us how to complete some of those passes we’ve been trying,” said Evans, whose team was plagued by turnovers in a recent 2-3 road swing.

It’s also a night to honor four seniors who have contributed heavily to the Cajuns’ success — Brad Boyd, Laurie Bridges, Antoine Landry and Chris Williams.

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Bruce Brown

bbrown@theadvertiser.com