The Book: 2002-2003 Basketball (Ragin'Cajuns)

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ADVOCATE

BERKELEY, Calif. -- For the University of Louisiana, Michael Southall came through when it counted most.

The sophomore center uncharacteristically struggled from the field (3-for-11) but made his biggest shot of the night, a turnaround jumper for a 54-53 lead with 4:40 left in the game, one the Ragin’ Cajuns did not surrender.

UL held on to defeat the University of Detroit 68-62 Friday in the first round of the EA Sports Golden Bear Classic.

Louisiana (5-2), with its fourth straight victory, advances to today’s championship game against California, an 84-65 winner against Grambling.

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Advertisers-Dan McDonald / Staff Writer

LAFAYETTE - Louisiana head basketball coach Jessie Evans has repeatedly said how important it is to get out to a good start on the road.

The Ragin' Cajuns did that on Friday night in the opening round of the EA Sports Golden Bear Classic, and then took over in the closing minutes in a 68-62 win over Detroit Mercy.

Late Saturday night, they didn't get off to a good start, and Cal's Golden Bears made them pay.

The hosts led by as many as 14 points in the first seven minutes, and the Cajuns rarely got back within single digits after that in a 77-61 loss in the tournament finals.

"When you're on the road, it's imperative that you get going early," Evans said after the Cajuns had one field goal and five turnovers in the first seven minutes. "We were never really under control even though we got back within striking distance a couple of times."

The Cajuns (5-3) got the margin back to seven points in each half, but that was as close as it got thanks mostly to Cal's 56 percent shooting from the field and UL Lafayette's 21 turnovers. Saturday's tourney final was the first time in eight games this year that the Cajuns had more turnovers than their opponents, and the Bears scored 23 points off those mistakes.

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[UNCCTF]

Hey everyone! Just wondering if any Ragin' Cajuns would be making the trip with their team to Charlotte this coming weekend for the Pepsi Classic.

Little bit about us -- We're 4-3 right now, coming off two home wins last week against Miami and Southern Illinois. We're 4-0 at home, and 0-3 on the road. We rely heavily on the outside shot, as we have no one on our team taller than 6-8.

Anyway, if any of you are coming, have a safe trip to Charlotte. I'll be at your game against Colorado on Friday. Good luck!

[Turbine]

Greetings. Some are going I am not.

How do you feel about the losses to Appalachian, Richmond, and Davidson? Nice win over Miami.

Louisiana is 5-3 all the losses were demoralizing, and like you on the road. Our biggest win was over #12 (at the time) Mississippi State.

The team is balanced if performing on all cylinders.

Thanks for checking in.

p.s. let us know about your local forum.

[NinerAdvocate]

http://www.cusa-talk.com/modules/newbb/

Feel free to come join us on our forums. Our site is geared a little different in that it deals team-specific content based upon the team affiliation you choose when you register.

So if you wanna see the board how our fans do, choose Charlotte as your theme and also as your affiliation.

Looking forward to a good game against you.

[EVCajun12]

I wish I was going up, but just will not be able to make it. I watched you guys on espn plus when you were playing Miami ( I think it was last weekend?). I was impressed with you guys. . Saw you had a good shooter and most of your players were athletes.

I am looking forward to the game.

[Turbine]

Congrats to Brad Boyd, he was named to the EA Sports Golden Bear Classic All-Tournament Team.

His 11 three-pointers was best of tournament and he led the Cajuns in scoring both games.

Boyd had 25 and made six threes against Detroit and then had 17 and made five threes against Cal.

[UNCCTF]

There's no shame in losing to Davidson this year, unless you play as stupidly, undisciplined, and sloppily as we did. That was the worst 49er performance I have ever witnessed.

As for ASU and Richmond, those are two games we could easily have won (ASU was three overtimes, and Richmond also went an extra frame). A lot of it, in my opinion, comes down to having marginal inside ability. 6-8 F/C Curtis Withers is only a frosh, and he is improving with every game. A lot of it can also be attributed to having an extremely inexperienced team that just has trouble performing away from Halton Arena.

[1stTake]

So you could easily be 6-1 right now.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA

PEPSI Classic

COLORADO at Boulder

56 75 Poor Shooting, Poor Play. Live to shoot another day.

LOUISIANA

PEPSI Classic

Loyola

88 77 Anthony Johnson out with a hurt foot, Boyd finds touch, Southall comes to play

LOUISIANA

PEPSI Classic

Charlotte

68 47 Defense, Defense, Defense. Boyd Southall, KJ

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Pre-Game Notes provided by UL AD Dept.

About The Game
Louisiana-Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team continues its current five-game road trip this weekend in the Pepsi Holiday Classic in Charlotte, N.C. hosted by the University of Charlotte…The Cajuns open round-robin play in the tournament on Friday against Big 12-member Colorado at 12:30 p.m. (CST) in a game televised nationally and live by ESPN 2…UL Lafayette had its four-game win streak snapped last Saturday in the championship game of the EA Sports Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley, Calif., against host-Cal, dropping a 77-61 decision to the Bears…Friday afternoon’s game is the seventh in the month of December for the Cajuns and fifth in the last 11 days… The Cajuns enter the game having won 4-of-5 games after a 1-2 start to the season…Colorado sports an identical 5-3 record and is coming off of an 87-71 win over the Cajuns fellow Sun Belt rival North Texas on Monday, Dec. 23, bouncing back from an 80-61 loss at Rice Saturday, Dec. 21…The Cajuns and Buffaloes are meeting for the first time ever and the Cajuns are playing their first game ever in Halton Arena.

THE SERIES: First Meeting
Friday’s game marks the first-ever between the Cajuns and the Buffaloes

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Advertisers-Dan McDonald / Staff Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For once, Louisiana's basketball squad will not have an inside advantage today when the Ragin' Cajuns open play in the Pepsi Classic.

The Cajuns open up their three-day, three-game tournament participation at 12:30 p.m. against a Colorado squad that boasts much of its talent on the front line.

"They're big and they're very athletic," said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans Wednesday night before his squad departed for the Charlotte meet. "They've got a seven-footer that's a former McDonald's All-American, and he's just an excellent player."

Evans was speaking of sophomore David Harrison, who is averaging 16.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.3 blocks for the Buffaloes (5-3). Harrison had 29 points, hitting 13-of-17 free throws, last Monday in Colorado's 87-71 home win over North Texas.

"He's a potential lottery pick in the (NBA) draft," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones after that game. "He can run down the middle and he's got great hands. I assume he's the best big man in their conference."

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Advocate-BOBBY ARDOIN

LAFAYETTE -- The Pepsi Charlotte Holiday Classic is as close as it gets to playing postseason competition in December, says University of Louisiana basketball coach Jessie Evans.

UL, according to Evans, will face three formidable opponents beginning at 12:30 p.m. today when the Cajuns meet the University of Colorado at Harlton Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

The UL-Colorado matchup as well as Sunday's 4 p.m. game against host North Carolina-Charlotte will be telecast nationally on ESPN2.

UL (5-3) also faces Loyola-Chicago on Saturday as part of the Classic package which guarantees each participating team three games in as many days.

Evans compares the Classic's arrangement to the postseason when teams have to prepare for opponents on a daily basis.

"My thinking is at this time of year it's always good to play quality teams on a neutral court unless you can find a quality opponent that wants to return a game at (the Cajundome)," said Evans.

Evans said he always tries to involve UL in tournaments prior to the start of conference plays instead of attracting weaker teams to play at the Cajundome.

"I think you will find that there's excellent competition in this tournament and we get to play them in three straight games on the neutral court," he said.

"We get to play against Colorado (5-3) and Loyola (4-5) at the Coliseum and then we go against Charlotte (4-3) at their place."

Evans said the Cajuns also have a chance to give the program some national exposure that many Sun Belt Conference teams don't receive on a regular basis.

In addition to the Holiday Classic, UL is scheduled to play on national television against Western Kentucky on Feb. 26 in the Cajundome.

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[EVCajun12]

I will add on to that.disturbing number about three day tourney record with Jessiebut then again, name me someone who has a good three day tourney record

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlot.ts/4820744.htm

Posted on Fri, Dec. 27, 2002

Teams in the Pepsi Challenge

CHARLOTTE

NICKNAME: 49ers
CONFERENCE: Conference USA
RECORD: 4-3
LAST SEASON: 18-12
COACH: Bobby Lutz, fifth season (84-53 at Charlotte, 265-144 overall).

NOTES: Freshman forward/center Curtis Withers (10.7 ppg) has a knee strain and is listed questionable for the weekend. .Junior center Tory Reed will miss the first two games for violating a university academic policy. .Charlotte is host to its first tournament at Halton Arena, where it is 4-0 this season and 65-13 all time. .Guard Demon Brown averages 5.1 three-pointers to lead Conference USA and hits 47.4 percent overall (36-for-76) .Charlotte is 4-0 when it shoots better than 40 percent from the field. .Lutz's teams are 6-6 in regular-season tournaments.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Ht Yr PPG
F Butter Johnson 6-8 Jr 9.6
F Eddie Basden 6-5 So 4.3
C Tyler Best 6-8 Fr 0.5
G Curtis Nash 6-6 Sr 9.4
G Demon Brown 6-1 Jr 18.4

RESULTS
N22 Long Beach St. W 89-61
N25 at App. St. L 100-103 OT
N30 at Richmond L 60-64 OT
D4 Temple W 91-80
D7 at Davidson L 56-75
D15 Miami W 69-64
D18 So. Illinois W 80-67



COLORADO

NICKNAME: Buffaloes
CONFERENCE: Big 12
RECORD: 5-3
LAST SEASON: 15-14
COACH: Ricardo Patton, seventh season (110-94)

NOTES: Recruiting junkies will recall McDonald's high school All-America center David Harrison chose Colorado over North Carolina and Vanderbilt .Harrison scored 29 against North Texas Monday and had a triple-double (31 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocked shots) last month against Stetson. .Stephane Pelle, one of three returning starters, averaged a double-double last season (12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds).The Buffaloes have missed the past two postseasons.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Ht Yr PPG
F Michel Morandais 6-5 Jr 16.5
F Stephane Pelle 6-8 Sr 10.9
C David Harrison 7-0 So 18.0
G Antoine McGee 5-10 Fr 2.3
G Blair Wilson 6-6 Jr 12.5

RESULTS
N22 Cal-Poly W 97-69
N24 Stetson W 107-74
N27 at N. Mexico St. L 71-75
D3 Georgia L 70-71
D7 at Mo.-Kansas City W 62-59
D11 Chicago State W 80-61
D21 at Rice L 61-80
D23 North Texas W 87-71


LA.-LAFAYETTE

NICKNAME: Cajuns
CONFERENCE: Sun Belt
RECORD: 5-3
LAST SEASON: 20-11
COACH: Jessie Evans, sixth season (97-65)

NOTES: Advanced last season to the National Invitation Tournament. .Four starters return on team picked to win Sun Belt's West division Center Michael Southall was the league's freshman of the year. .Cajuns have won four of past five games and are 2-7 in three-day tournaments under Evans. .Lost to host California on Saturday in the championship game of the EA Sports Golden Bear Classic.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Ht Yr PPG
F Anthony Johnson 6-6 Sr 16.6
F Chris Cameron 6-11 Fr 9.4
C Michael Southall 6-10 So 14.2
G Ken Lawrence 6-1 Sr 5.3
G Brad Boyd 6-6 Jr 21.4

RESULTS
N23 at Miss. State W 79-76
N27 at McNeese State L 74-76
D8 at Birmingham So. L 86-92
D11 Louisiana W 117-57
D16 Alcorn State W 99-66
D18 Bethune-Cook. W 81-55
D20 vs. Detroit W 68-62
D21 at California L 61-77



LOYOLA-CHICAGO
NICKNAME: Ramblers
CONFERENCE: Horizon
RECORD: 4-5
LAST SEASON: 17-13

COACH: Larry Farmer, fifth season (47-66 at Loyola-Chicago, 142-143 overall)

NOTES: Farmer played on three NCAA championship teams at UCLA (1970-73) under coach John Wooden, and later coached his alma mater to a 62-23 record (1981-84). .The Ramblers have lost three straight, including their Horizon League opener Saturday at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. .Senior David Bailey, a 5-8 point guard, led the conference in scoring (21.2) last season and was third in assists (4.6).

PROBABLE STARTERS
Ht Yr PPG
F Paul McMillan 6-6 Jr 12.8
F Louis Smith 6-4 Jr 5.4
C D. Williams 6-9 Jr 10.4
G David Bailey 5-8 Sr 17.9
G Kevin Clancy 6-3 Sr 5.7

RESULTS
N22 at Loyola Mary. L 79-85
N25 Bradley W 88-84
N27 at No. Illinois L 67-69
D3 at Texas A&M-CC W 94-77
D7 Valparaiso W 80-62
D10 Mo.-KC W 86-75
D14 at Belmont L 57-75
D17 at Mich. State L 54-80
D21 at Wisc.-Milw. L 80-100

-------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Harry Pickett

[EVCajun12]

http://208.31.25.3/default.asp?c=cha.ve/PV95926.htm

Louisiana-Lafayette (5-3) vs. Colorado (5-3)

Line-Up
The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Friday, December 27th, 1:30 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Dale F. Halton Arena (9,105) -- Charlotte, North Carolina. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: UL-Lafayette 3-0, Colorado 4-1. Away Record: UL-Lafayette 1-3, Colorado 1-2. Neutral Record: UL-Lafayette 1-0, Colorado 0-0. Conference Record: UL-Lafayette 0-0, Colorado 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: A couple of teams with identical records get together after the holidays as the Colorado Buffaloes and the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana- Lafayette meet in the first round of the inaugural Charlotte Pepsi Classic held at Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte this afternoon. The Ragin' Cajuns had been on a bit of a tear heading into the title game of the Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley last weekend. After winning four straight contests, UL- Lafayette had its string snapped by California out on the West Coast by a final of 77-61. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes have had their share of ups and downs this season already, putting together a pair of back-to-back win streaks before splitting their last two outings. On Monday night, Colorado played host to North Texas and captured an 87-71 victory, just two days after suffering its worst loss of the year, an 80-61 decision at Rice. The two previous setbacks for the team came by a combined five points against New Mexico State and Georgia. This game, which is part of a three-day, six-game tournament, marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools on the hardwood.

Brad Boyd was the lone Cajun in double figures, scoring 17 points on 6-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-14 from behind the three-point line, as UL- Lafayette lost to California in the championship game of the Golden Bear Classic last Saturday. ULL shot a respectable 51 percent from the floor, but converted a dismal 1-of-7 from the foul line in the first half and just 2-of-8 in the game overall, while the Bears knocked down 11-of-13 foul shots, won the battle of the boards, 31-21, and shot 56.4 percent from the field overall. Even though he missed a boatload of shots, Boyd is still shooting well from beyond the arc through eight games, converting 44.1 percent of his attempts. So sure is he of his accuracy from the perimeter, he has taken 102 of his 130 field goal attempts from three-point range and is shooting better from there than he is the floor (.423) overall. Boyd is netting a team-best 21.4 ppg, followed by Anthony Johnson (16.6 ppg), Michael Southall (14.2 ppg) and Laurie Bridges (10.3 ppg). Southall, who has registered half the team's 24 blocked shots, also leads in rebounding with nearly six and a half per outing.

David Harrison scored a game-high 29 points, leading four starters in double figures, as the Buffaloes defeated North Texas at the Coors Events Center on Monday night by 16 points. Harrison shot 8-of-10 from the field and buried 13- of-17 from the foul line in the victory. Blair Wilson and Stephane Pelle each tallied 12 points, while Pelle also added a team-high 11 rebounds in the triumph. Michel Morandais added 11 points and seven boards as the team shot 47.5 percent from the field, but made just 2-of-18 from behind the three-point line. The real deciding factor though was at the charity stripe where the Buffs converted 29-of-38 chances, compared to just 14-of-16 for the Mean Green. Harrison, the top rebounder for the Buffaloes at 9.6 rpg, currently leads a quartet of players scoring in double figures, hitting for 18 ppg. Morandais (16.5 ppg), Wilson (12.5 ppg) and Pelle (10.9 ppg) complete the list and are the main reasons that the team is scoring close to 10 ppg more than their competitors, and is shooting 46.6 percent from the field compared to just 40.3 percent for the opposition.

Both teams have what it takes to post wins this season, it just seems as though the Ragin' Cajuns might be more apt to run and hide when the going gets tough. Although, if UL-Lafayette can play the type of defense that it has been pasting on teams in the early going, it certainly has a good chance at capturing the win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Louisiana-Lafayette 78, Colorado 75

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