LOUISIANA La. -The Ragin’ Cajuns only played one exhibition game this fall in men’s basketball, and that was enough for coach Robert Lee.
“I’m glad it ended like it did,” said Lee, whose Cajuns thumped Arkansas Tech 71-48 last Wednesday. “The guys need some confidence. The next night, that same team had a chance to win at UNO.”
Lee counts numerous new faces on this year’s team, so early success is a plus. But now the Cajuns jump into the regular season with a challenging weekend at the LSU Louisiana Classic.
UL faces old rival Louisiana Tech and star center Paul Millsap in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. opener, then will match up with either host LSU or Tulane on Sunday.
“Supposedly, you’re getting the best (in-state) teams together,” Lee said. “I think it’s something that should happen every year.
“Coaches always complain about scheduling and having to travel. It’s time to stop complaining and play, and this is an opportunity to do that.
“But, I think the winner should host it every year. If it was in the Cajundome next year, it would sell out. Or the Thomas Assembly Center (at Tech). At Tulane, same thing. Let’s have some fun with it. But LSU’s holding the cards right now, so we’ll go there.”
UL and Tech have met 160 times in basketball, making it the oldest series in any sport for Cajun athletics.
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com