The Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-10 SU, 5-10-1 ATS, 1-5 Sun Belt) host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (14-4 SU, 7-7-1 ATS, 4-2 Sun Belt) inside First National Bank Arena at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. These teams split two meetings last season, with the home team winning each game.
Louisiana enters Thursday’s game on a four-game winning streak. It's looking to keep pace atop the Sun Belt standings, currently sitting at 4-2 in conference play. The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated South Alabama on Saturday, 79-76. Forward Jordan Brown tallied game-highs with 23 points and eight rebounds.
Road Sweep ??#GeauxCajuns ?? pic.twitter.com/gRro5k9hNi
— Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® Men's Basketball (@RaginCajunsMBB) January 14, 2023
Brown has been a force all season for Louisiana. He averages a team-best 19.2 points game, while also grabbing 7.5 rebounds, dishing out 2.2 assists, and block 1.3 shots. He shoots 56.3% from the field, which is third in the Sun Belt. His teammate, forward Terence Lewis II, leads the conference with 65.3% shooting. Point guard Themus Fulks is tops in the Sun Belt with 6.3 assists per game, and shooting guard Greg Williams Jr. is one of the best three-point shooters. He averages 2.2 triples per game.
Collectively, Louisiana ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring with 81.2 points per game. The Ragin’ Cajuns shoot conference-bests 49.7% from the floor and 39.6% from three-point range. They make 8.0 three-pointers per game. They are prone to turning the ball over, though. They average 13.2 giveaways per game, which is the third-most in the Sun Belt.
Defense has been the downfall this season for Louisiana. The Ragin&# x2019; Cajuns give up 71.9 points per game, which is the worst in the conference. Opponents are shooting 44.1% against them, which also ranks last in the Sun Belt. They’re a decent rebounding team, ranking sixth in the conference with 37.2 boards per game.
Louisiana is ranked No. 118 by KenPom, and is 5-4 on the road this season.