Matchup worries Cajuns
LOUISIANA La. — A quick look at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament reveals just how tenuous it is at the top of the league.
Louisiana is the No. 1 seed after posting the league’s best regular-season record of 12-3, and is favored to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2000 by sweeping three foes in the tournament at Western Kentucky.
But the Cajuns’ 8th-seeded opponent for Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal is South Alabama, which went 1-1 with UL in two meetings this season.
“It should be a tremendous game,” UL coach Jessie Evans said. “We split with them, and we know what they’re capable of doing.”
The Jaguars handed the Cajuns their only defeat of the season in the Cajundome, rallying from a 70-60 deficit with five minutes remaining for a stunning 76-73 victory on Jan. 15.
In the return game at Mobile, the Cajuns were saved by a career-best 28-point explosion from Orien Greene in a 79-73 win.
Clearly, this is no walkover to the semifinals.
“They’re just as talented as we are,” Evans said of the Jaguars. “There will be some great matchups.
“They have some new people in the lineup this year, and once you get people on the same page, you’ll be fine. It’s the same thing with (West runner-up) New Orleans.
“We’ve made some subtle changes, but have continued to win.”
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com