Foul trouble for senior guard makes it tough on Cajuns.

NASHVILLE - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns tried to beat the No. 4 team in the country without the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Year on Friday, and they came remarkably close to doing exactly that here against Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Senior point guard Orien Greene was whistled for three fouls in the first half, and left the contest with his fifth with 7:19 remaining, yet the Cardinals needed crucial free throws down the stretch to preserve a 68-62 victory.

The hard-luck Greene, who missed five weeks with a broken leg during the regular season, had as many fouls as he did points and turnovers as he was on the floor for just 18 minutes.

"It was devastating to us," Cajun coach Robert Lee said. "Without Orien, it changed our ability to attack them in an effective manner.

"It was very difficult for us to hold on without him."

Not surprisingly, the Cajuns turned the ball over 18 times as Louisville outscored the No. 13 seeds 21-13 on turnovers.

Still, it was a gritty showing by the Cajuns in such a high pressure situation.

"Early in the year when Orien went out with a broken leg at Kansas, we fell apart," Lee said. "Tonight, though, we continued to play hard."

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com