2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team

2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball
Sun Belt regular season champions
NIT, First Round
Conference Sun Belt Conference
2017–18 record 27–7 (16–2 Sun Belt)
Head coach Bob Marlin (8th season)
Assistant coach Neil Hardin
Assistant coach Kevin Johnson
Assistant coach Josten Crow
Home arena Cajundome
2017–18 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Louisiana16–2 .889  27–7  .794
Georgia State †12–6 .667  24–11  .686
Georgia Southern11–7 .611  21–12  .636
Texas–Arlington10–8 .556  21–13  .618
Louisiana–Monroe9–9 .500  16–16  .500
Troy9–9 .500  16–17  .485
Appalachian State9–9 .500  15–18  .455
Coastal Carolina8–10 .444  14–18  .438
South Alabama7–11 .389  14–18  .438
Texas State7–11 .389  15–18  .455
Arkansas State6–12 .333  11–21  .344
Little Rock4–14 .222  7–25  .219
† 2018 Sun Belt Conference Tournament winner

The 2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by eighth-year head coach Bob Marlin and played their home games at the Cajundome as members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 27–7, 16–2 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship.[1] The conference championship was the school's first since first regular-season title since sharing the 2000 title and its first outright title since joining the conference in 1991.[2] They defeated Texas State in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament[3] before losing in the semifinals to Texas–Arlington.[4] As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the First Round to LSU.[5]

Head coach Bob Marlin sparked controversy after it was announced that the Cajuns would play in-state rival LSU in the NIT, believing the Cajuns were the better team and should have been given home-court advantage.[6] He also said of LSU, "Sometimes, a team that tied for ninth in their league isn’t interested in playing. But they haven’t been very good for a couple of years, so the NIT is a big step for them."[7] Late in the game, which LSU won, Marlin and LSU head coach Will Wade had to be restrained while yelling at each other.[8]

Previous season

The Ragin' Cajuns finished the 2016–17 season 21–12, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. They defeated Little Rock in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament[9] before losing to Georgia State in the quarterfinals.[10] They did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Roydell Brown 25 G 6'5" 184 Freshman New Orleans, Louisiana Transferred to Southwest Mississippi Community College[11]
Jay Wright 1 F 6'1" 170 Senior Rincon, Georgia Graduated

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Elijah McCoy
PF		 Fresno, California Roosevelt High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jun 9, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Cedric Russell
#60 SG		 New Orleans, Louisiana Peabody Magnet High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 28, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Louisiana 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017.

    Roster

    2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    F 0 Cedric Russell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr Alexandria, Louisiana
    G 1 Malik Marquetti 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)191 lb (87 kg) RS Jr Compton, California
    F 3 Justin Miller 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)251 lb (114 kg) So Owensboro, Kentucky
    G 4 Frank Bartley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)214 lb (97 kg) Sr Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    G 5 Kadavion Evans 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)160 lb (73 kg) RS So Shreveport, Louisiana
    F 11 Jerekius Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)222 lb (101 kg) RS So Jackson, Mississippi
    G 13 Jacob Broussard 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)164 lb (74 kg) Sr Lafayette, Louisiana
    G 15 P.J. Hardy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg) So Lake Charles, Louisiana
    F 23 JaKeenan Gant 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Springfield, Georgia
    G 30 Jonathan Stove 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)224 lb (102 kg) Sr Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    G 31 Mason Aucoin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)172 lb (78 kg) So Luling, Louisiana
    F 32 Bryce Washington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)245 lb (111 kg) Sr New Orleans, Louisiana
    C 33 Larenz Stalcup 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)233 lb (106 kg) Sr Colorado Springs, Colorado
    G 35 Marcus Stroman 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)183 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Columbia, South Carolina
    F 55 Elijah McCoy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) Fr Fresno, California
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: July 22, 2017

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 2*
    7:00 pm    		 Millsaps W 112–63 
    		Cajundome (1,474)
    Lafayette, LA
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 10*
    7:30 pm, SECN Plus    		 at Ole Miss L 76–94  0–1
    		 The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,302)
    Oxford, MS
    Nov 14*
    7:00 pm    		 Louisiana College W 113–58  1–1
    		 Cajundome (3,474)
    Lafayette, LA
    Nov 17*
    4:00 pm    		 Savannah State W 115–82  2–1
    		 Cajundome (3,096)
    Lafayette, LA
    Nov 20*
    11:00 am    		 vs. Iowa
    Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals    		 W 80–71  3–1
    		 John Gray High School (1,200)
    George Town, Cayman Islands
    Nov 21*
    1:30 pm    		 vs. Wyoming
    Cayman Islands Classic semifinals    		 L 61–70  3–2
    		 John Gray High School (654)
    George Town, Cayman Islands
    Nov 22*
    4:00 pm    		 vs. Richmond
    Cayman Islands Classic 3rd place game    		 W 82–76  4–2
    		 John Gray High School (850)
    George Town, Cayman Islands
    Nov 28*
    7:00 pm    		 McNeese State W 89–78  5–2
    		 Cajundome (3,489)
    Lafayette, LA
    Dec 1*
    7:00 pm    		 at Nicholls State W 105–80  6–2
    		 Stopher Gym (733)
    Thibodaux, LA
    Dec 6*
    7:00 pm    		 Loyola–New Orleans W 98–56  7–2
    		 Cajundome (3,190)
    Lafayette, LA
    Dec 12*
    6:30 pm    		 at Louisiana Tech W 75–71  8–2
    		 Thomas Assembly Center (3,438)
    Ruston, LA
    Dec 16*
    7:00 pm    		 New Orleans W 87–65  9–2
    		 Cajundome (3,445)
    Lafayette, LA
    Dec 19*
    7:00 pm    		 Southeastern Louisiana W 82–74  10–2
    		 Cajundome (3,323)
    Lafayette, LA
    Dec 22*
    2:00 pm, ACCN Extra    		 at Clemson L 60–89  10–3
    		 Littlejohn Coliseum (8,847)
    Clemson, SC
    Sun Belt regular season
    Dec 29
    7:00 pm    		 at Little Rock W 77–63  11–3
    (1–0)    		 Jack Stephens Center (1,688)
    Little Rock, AR
    Dec 31
    3:30 pm    		 at Arkansas State W 88–78  12–3
    (2–0)    		 First National Bank Arena (2,076)
    Jonesboro, AR
    Jan 4, 2018
    7:15 pm    		 Appalachian State W 78–45  13–3
    (3–0)    		 Cajundome (4,329)
    Lafayette, LA
    Jan 6
    7:00 pm    		 Coastal Carolina W 81–64  14–3
    (4–0)    		 Cajundome (4,150)
    Lafayette, LA
    Jan 13
    7:00 pm    		 Louisiana–Monroe W 82–48  15–3
    (5–0)    		 Cajundome (5,813)
    Lafayette, LA
    Jan 18
    7:15 pm, ESPN3    		 at Texas–Arlington W 77–65  16–3
    (6–0)    		 College Park Center (2,384)
    Arlington, TX
    Jan 20
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Texas State W 80–55  17–3
    (7–0)    		 Strahan Coliseum (3,222)
    San Marcos, TX
    Jan 25
    7:15 pm    		 South Alabama W 76–57  18–3
    (8–0)    		 Cajundome (5,036)
    Lafayette, LA
    Jan 27
    2:00 pm    		 Troy W 81–69  19–3
    (9–0)    		 Cajundome (4,865)
    Lafayette, LA
    Feb 3
    2:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Louisiana–Monroe W 80–53  20–3
    (10–0)    		 Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,269)
    Monroe, LA
    Feb 8
    6:15 pm, ESPN3    		 at Georgia State L 92–106  20–4
    (10–1)    		 GSU Sports Arena (2,065)
    Atlanta, GA
    Feb 10
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Georgia Southern W 102–91  21–4
    (11–1)    		 Hanner Fieldhouse (2,687)
    Statesboro, GA
    Feb 15
    7:15 pm    		 Texas State W 73–63  22–4
    (12–1)    		 Cajundome (4,382)
    Lafayette, LA
    Feb 17
    7:00 pm    		 Texas–Arlington W 100–79  23–4
    (13–1)    		 Cajundome (5,104)
    Lafayette, LA
    Feb 22
    7:15 pm, ESPN3    		 at Troy W 81–76  24–4
    (14–1)    		 Trojan Arena (2,236)
    Troy, AL
    Feb 24
    7:05 pm    		 at South Alabama W 88–71  25–4
    (15–1)    		 Mitchell Center (1,946)
    Mobile, AL
    Mar 1
    7:15 pm    		 Arkansas State W 85–74  26–4
    (16–1)    		 Cajundome (4,307)
    Lafayette, LA
    Mar 3
    7:00 pm    		 Little Rock L 61–72  26–5
    (16–2)    		 Cajundome (5,275)
    Lafayette, LA
    Sun Belt Tournament
    Mar 9
    11:30 am, ESPN3    		 (1) vs. (9) Texas State
    Quarterfinals    		 W 80–54  27–5
    		 Lakefront Arena 
    New Orleans, LA
    Mar 10
    11:30 am, ESPN3    		 (1) vs. (4) Texas–Arlington
    Semifinals    		 L 68–71  27–6
    		 Lakefront Arena 
    New Orleans, LA
    NIT
    Mar 14*
    6:00 pm, ESPN3    		 (6) at (3) LSU
    First round – Saint Mary's Bracket    		 L 76–84  27–7
    		 Maravich Center (6,846)
    Baton Rouge, LA
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    [12]

    References

    1. ↑ "Louisiana vs. South Alabama - Game Recap - February 24, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    2. ↑ "Arkansas State vs. Louisiana - Game Recap - March 1, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    3. ↑ Advocate, MIKE STROM | Special to The. "Cajuns shred Texas State in Sun Belt tournament opener". The Advocate. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    4. ↑ "UT Arlington dethrones top-seeded Louisiana, now one win away from spot in NCAA Tournament". star-telegram. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    5. ↑ "LSU advances past ULL in NIT, 84-76". Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    6. ↑ smickles@theadvocate.com, SHELDON MICKLES |. "UL-Lafayette coach on LSU, NIT: Tigers 'probably didn't want to play this game, to be honest'". The Advocate. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    7. ↑ "LSU and UL-Lafayette make hate great again in NIT first round". SEC Country. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    8. ↑ "Watch: LSU coach, Louisiana coach have heated exchange". SI.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    9. ↑ "Little Rock vs. Louisiana - Game Recap - March 8, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    10. ↑ "Louisiana vs. Georgia State - Game Recap - March 10, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
    11. ↑ "Brown To Transfer From Ragin' Cajuns Basketball Program". Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
    12. ↑ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
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