Streaking Ragin' Cajuns Closeout Season Saturday
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team carries more than a 10-game win streak to Monroe, La. on Saturday as the Cajuns face ULM in the final game of the 2010-11 season. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT
A win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum would secure a first round bye at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and at least a share of the West Division title. The Cajuns could clinch the West's no. 1 seed and the outright, divisional title if Arkansas State loses to UALR on Saturday.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns (13-14, 10-5 SBC)
vs. ULM Warhawks (7-22, 2-13 SBC)
When: Feb. 26, 2011
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Where: Monroe, La. (Fant-Ewing Coliseum, 7,000)
TV: None
Radio: KPEL ESPN 1420 AM/KHXT 107.9
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
Gameday Storylines
•The current 10-win streak is tied for the fourth-longest in school history. The last time UL won 10 games in-a-row was during the 1999-2000 season. The school's all-time mark sits at 13 games won from Dec. 4, 1971 to Jan. 26, 1972. A win over the Warhawks would be only the fourth time the Cajuns have won 11 straight games, tying for the 2nd longest streak in the program's history.
•UL's 10-game winning streak is currently the second longest active streak in the nation. Only George Mason (14) has more consecutive victories than the Cajuns.
•The Cajuns have won their last nine Sun Belt games, tying a school record set in the 2002-03 season (Jan, 11-Feb. 15, 2003).
•The Cajuns lead the all-time series with the Warhawks, 44-18. UL has won the last three regular season meeting, including an 84-75 win on Jan. 22 at the Cajundome. That game kicked off the Cajuns' current nine-game Sun Belt win streak.
•In the last four trips to ULM, UL has posted a 1-3 mark in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Cajuns' last win on the road against the Warhawks came in a 68-67 decision in the 2007-08 season.
•With a win on Saturday, the Cajuns will clinch a share of the SBC West Division title and secure a first round by in the conference tournament. If Arkansas State falls to UALR Saturday, a Cajuns' win gives them Divisional Championship outright. The last time, the Cajuns claimed a share of the SBC West Title was during the 2007-08 season. The last time UL won the West outright was in 2002-03.
Notes and Trends
Scouting the WARHAWKS
•The Warhawks enter Saturday after having a full week off since thier last game. Last week at North Texas, ULM snapped an 9-game losing streak with a 82-75 win.
•ULM sits at 7-22 overall on the year and 2-13 in the league
•In conference play, the Warhawks 61.5 ppg compared to the opponents 71.4 ppg (-8.8 scoring margin)
•Four players are averging double-figures for Louisiana-Monore. Fred Brown leads with 13.9 ppg while Tommie Sykes leads with 6.4 rpg to go along with 11.8 ppg.
•In SBC play, Brown is averging 14.8 ppg, Sykes is at 12.5 ppg and Lawrence Gilbert is chipping in 11.8 ppg.
•In the upcoming SBC Tournament, the Warhawks will be the no. 6 seed from the West Division and will face the loser of Saturday's WKU vs. Middle Tennessee game.
PLAYING TO THE CROWD
•Since 2001-02, the Cajuns are 25-2 on the court when attendance is over 5,000 at the Cajundome (10 wins were later vacated due to NCAA sanctions).
•The 8,066 fans that showed up for the home finale against Denver was the 13th largest crowd for the Cajuns at the Cajundome.
•The WKU game's crowd of 7,071 at the Cajundome was the fifth largest home crowd since 2001-02.
THE STREAK'S STATS
•The current 10-game winning streak is longest string of wins since the 1999-00 season and is tied for the fourth longest streak in school history.
•UL is averaging 74.7 ppg while holding opponents to 67.0 ppg - a +7.7 scoring margin.
•The Cajuns are shooting .465 from the floor (254-546) in the last 10 games and limiting the opposition to .422 (231-548). From three-point range, the Cajuns are hitting 38.4 percent (50-130) while opponents are shooting 31.0 percent (45-145).
•From the charity stripe, UL is knocking down .727 of their attempts (189-260), averaging 26.0 attempts per game.
•On the glass, the Cajuns are out-rebounding teams 37.2 to 31.4 (+5.8 margin).
•Three players are averaging double-figure points over the streak. J.J. Thomas leads with 16.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg, Travis Bureau is chipping in 11.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg and La'Ryan Gary is averaging 13.5 ppg.
•Only twice have the opponents scored more than 70 points.ULM recorded 75 points and North Texas scored 88 points.
•The streak is currently the second longest in the nation.
ACTIVE WIN STREAKS as of 2/25/11
Rank Team Next Opponent Next Game Date Streak
1. George Mason at Georgia St. 02/26/2011 14
2. Louisiana at ULM 02/26/2011 10
3. Long Island vs Central Conn. St. 02/26/2011 9
4. Belmont at Kennesaw St. 02/26/2011 8
Longest Win Streaks In UL History
1. Dec. 4, 1971-Jan. 26, 1972 13
2. Jan. 8, 1973-Feb. 7, 1973 11
Dec. 2, 1970-Jan. 7, 1971 11
4. Jan. 19, 2010-???? 10
Dec. 28, 1999-Jan. 29, 2000 10
Nov. 24, 1990-Jan. 2, 1991 10
Feb. 12, 1977-Nov. 26, 1977 10
Dec. 14, 1968-Feb. 1, 1969 10
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
•UL seeks its fourth consecutive road win on Saturday. The last time the Cajuns rattled off four road wins was during the 2004-05 season, but due to NCAA sanctions they were later vacated.
•In thier last three road wins, the Cajuns are outscoring opponents, 73.3-67.3 (+6.0) and controlling the glass 41.0-31.3 (+10.7).
•For the first time since 2004-05, the Cajuns claimed thier third straight road win with a 72-64 victory at FAU.
•The 72-68 win at FIU marked the first time the Cajuns have won back-to-back road wins since the 2007-08 season.
•The overtime win at South Alabama was the first road win in 365 days and covered 15 games away from the Cajundome. The last road win came exactly one year before at ULM.
I
T'S 5:00 SOMEWHERE
•When leading with 5:00 to go in the game, the Cajuns are 11-0.
•When trailing with 5:00 to go, UL is 2-12 with both wins coming in overtimes - (at South Alabama, vs. Denver)
•In the 13 wins, UL is outscoring opponents 12.8 to 10.9 in the final 300 seconds
•In the 13 wins, the Cajuns have been adept at getting to the free throw line in the final five minutes, going 91-of-119 (.765) compared to the opponents 42-for-55 (.764).
WARRIORS.... COME OUT AND PLAY
•After sitting out all last season due to a gruesome injury suffered in the final game of the 2008-09 season, La'Ryan Gary has begun to make a significant impact, scoring in double-figures in eight of the last 10 games.
•In his final game at the Cajundome against Denver on Senior Night, Gary put on a career-best performance - scoring a personal-best 22 points, made a career-high 12 free throws, swatted a career-high five blocks in a career-best 39 minutes of play.
•Against the Pioneers, he was responsible for seven of UL's eight points in overtime and scored 12 in the second hlaf alone.
•During the Cajuns' 10-game win streak, Gary is averaging 13.5 ppg and shooting 55 percent
•Since facing ULM, he is 36-of-41 from the free throw line (.878).
•Overall this season he is averaging 9.3 ppg compared to his 6.9 2008-09 average.
•In the win over ULM, Gary scored 18 points including a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line.
•Versus the Blue Raiders, he posted a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting. The point total set a new season-high and tied his career best.
THE SUN BELT FEARS THE BEARD
•After scoring 20 points in back-to-back games, J.J. Thomas was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week (2/21).
•In the win over Arkansas State, Thomas led UL with 20 points on 46.7 percent shooting (7-15). He also knocked down a pair of crucial free throws with :06 left to seal the win.
•Against WKU, the true freshman put up 25 points, scoring 13 of the Cajuns' first 19 points.
•Shot 50.0 percent from the floor for the week (17-34) and 76.9 from the free throw line (10-13)
•It is the first weekly honor from the league for Thomas and the first for the Cajuns this season.
•He was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Assoc. Player of the Week earlier this season (1/24).
FEAR THE BEARD
•J.J. Thomas is quickly becoming one of the top freshman in the Sun Belt this year.
•He has scored double figures in 11 of the last 14 games and is averaging 13.1 ppg in league contests.
•Thomas scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the win over Arkansas State and followed up with 25 more in the win over WKU.
•In the road win at South Alabama, Thomas set a career-high 28 points, knocking down 11 field goals while grabbing 13 rebounds. It was his fifth double-double this season and his fourth in the month of January.
•Earlier in January, he had back-to-back-to-back double-doubles against Centenary, Arkansas State and UALR. It was the first time a player had three-straight double-double since 2005-06 when Dwayne Mitchell accomplished the feat.
•At UALR, the freshman scored 11 points while dominating the glass with 16 rebounds. At the time, it was the most rebounds by a UL player since Valentino Hart had 17 against Tennessee in the 2006-07.
•Against Arkansas State he scored a game-high 16 points with a team-best 10 rebounds.
•In his first double-double against Texas College, the freshman guard scored 15 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. All of his 15 points came in the second half where he was 5-for-8 from the floor.
B.B.B. - BETTER BASKETBALL BUREAU
•Travis Bureau has scored and pulled down double-figures in the four of the last eight games.
•He is averaging 11.5 ppg and 8.8 boards during the nine-game winning streak.
•Against Arkansas State, Bureau posted 12 rebounds, grabbing 10 in the first half.
•At FIU, Bureau scored a game-high 18 pts.
•He scored a season-high 23 points including the game winning free throw with less than a second remaining against UALR. Also had 11 boards to rack up his fourth double-double.
•Against South Alabama, Bureau grabbed a career-high 20 boards. It was the first time a Cajun player has recorded 20 rebounds since Dwayne Mitchell in 2005-06.
•In the win over North Texas, he notched his third double-double with 15 pts and 10 rebs.
•In his 1st start since Dec. 12, Bureau scored a game-high 22 points in 93-91 win over Troy.
•As the Cajuns' leading scorer against Troy, the senior forward connected on 8-of-11 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from 3-pt range. He also led the squad with seven rebounds in a team-high 34 minutes.
•Bureau tallied his 2nd career double-double at McNeese after scoring 17 pts and 10 rebs.
•Bureau posted his first career double-double in the win over Louisiana College (11/15). He also set a new career-best for rebounds in the 16-point, 14-board performance.
WELCOME TO THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
•At 6:04 in the first half against North Texas, Randell Daigle made history scoring his 1,001th career point.
•He is the 39th player in school history to reach the plateau and just the fourth since 2000.
•He currently sits at 1,050 points in 105 games and ranks 35th all-time. He's five points shy of moving into 34th place and 10 points from 33rd.
BROWN IS BACK
•Josh Brown has been productive since missing four games from Jan. 8 - Jan. 19.
•Against the Hilltoppers, the junior transfer went 5-for-9 to finish with 11 points.
•In the win at FIU , Brown was 5-of-7 from the floor for 13 points.
•In the upset of North Texas, Brown scored 11 points, had four boards, two assists, a block and a steal.
•He had 12 points off the bench in the win over ULM.
•He has missed a total of eight games this season due to injury but in 12 games played he has reached double-figures nine times .
•After missing four games early in the season, Brown scored 20 points off the bench in the comeback win against Lamar. He was 8-of-14 from the floor, scoring 11 in the second half.
NO PLACE LIKE THE 'DOME
•The Cajuns are currently 10-4 at home this season and 7-1 against SBC opponents.
•In all 14 games, UL is currently averaging 78.2 ppg compared to a 69.0 ppg average for the opponent (+8.9).
•The Cajuns currently hold a 15-1 record against Sun Belt opponents on their home court, dating back to last season.
•Last season the Ragin' Cajuns posted a 10-4 record in the Cajundome - the 15th consecutive season with a .500 mark or better.
•UL finished undefeated at the Cajundome in SBC play with a 9-0 mark last season. Only once before has UL posted a perfect record at the 'Dome in the SBC (7-0 in 2001-02).
•Including this season, the Cajuns have recorded a winning record at home in 24 of the previous 26 seasons.
GLASS CLEANERS
•In nine games this season, UL has racked up at least 40 rebounds. In those games, the Cajuns are 4-9.
•Against UALR and South Alabama, UL grabbed at least 40 boards, tying a season-high of 49 at South Alabama.
•At New Mexico State, the Cajuns dominated the glass out-rebounding the Aggies, 48-23. On the offensive glass, UL pulled down 23 boards - the same number as the Aggies' entire rebounding effort.
•Versus Texas College, UL recorded a season-high 49 rebounds compared to the Steers' 29, including a 23-3 edge on the offensive glass.
•At Creighton, UL pulled down 45 boards compared to the Jays' 46.
•Against Louisiana College, UL grabbed 46 boards, out-rebounding Wildcats by 15.
FREE FOR ALL
•For the fourth straight game, the Cajuns were hot from the charity stripe last Thursday against Arkansas State. Starting with the FIU game through the ASU game, in the last three minutes of the last three games, UL was a perfect 18-of-18. Against FIU and Arkansas State, the Cajuns were 26-of-26 in the second half alone.
•In the second half against Arkansas State, UL went 16-of-16 from the free throw line.
•At Florida Atlantic, the Cajuns were a perfect 16-of-16, extending a streak of 28 made free throws that dated back to the FIU game.
•UL hit 10-of-10 in the final two minutes at FIU to seal the win.
•UL made the second-most free throws of the season in the win over UALR. The Cajuns were 30-of-38 from the line (.789). The most crucial of the chip shots came with :00.6 remaining as Travis Bureau hit two to lift UL to a one-point win.
•In the overtime loss to Middle Tennessee, the Cajuns hit a season-high 32 free throws.
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