2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team

2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Record26–8 (13–5 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCajundome
Seasons
2022–23 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Southern Miss 14 – 4   .778 25 – 8   .758
Louisiana † 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765
Marshall 13 – 5   .722 24 – 8   .750
James Madison 12 – 6   .667 22 – 11   .667
Troy 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
Old Dominion 11 – 7   .611 19 – 12   .613
Georgia Southern 9 – 9   .500 17 – 16   .515
South Alabama 9 – 9   .500 19 – 16   .543
Appalachian State 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Louisiana–Monroe 7 – 11   .389 11 – 21   .344
Texas State 6 – 12   .333 16 – 19   .457
Coastal Carolina 5 – 13   .278 11 – 20   .355
Arkansas State 4 – 14   .222 13 – 20   .394
Georgia State 3 – 15   .167 10 – 21   .323
† 2023 Sun Belt Tournament winner

The 2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by 13th-year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 13–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Georgia Southern, Texas State, and South Alabama to win the tournament championship.[1] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East region.[2] Then they lost to Tennessee in the first round.[3]

Previous season

The Ragin' Cajuns finished the 2021–22 season 16–15, 8–9 in Sun Belt play to finish in eighth place. They defeated UT Arlington, Texas State, and Troy to advance to the Sun Belt tournament championship where they lost to Georgia State.[4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Trajan Wesley 3 G 5'9" 165 Junior Navasota, TX Transferred to Prairie View A&M
Theo Akwuba 10 F 6'11" 225 Junior Montgomery, AL Transferred to Ole Miss
Durey Cadwell 11 G 6'5" 185 Sophomore Houston, TX Left the team for personal reasons
Dou Gueye 23 F 6'9" 220 Senior Dakar, Senegal Graduated
Antwann Jones 25 G 6'6" 220 RS Sophomore Orlando, FL Left the team for personal reasons
Carter Domingue 40 G 6'2" 205 Freshman Lafayette, LA Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Brayan Au 41 G 6'4" 190 Junior Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico Left the team for personal reasons
Ty Harper 55 G 6'3" 175 Freshman Norcross, GA Transferred to Eastern Washington

Transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Themus Fulks 0 G 6'1" 175 RS Sophomore Winston-Salem, NC Dodge City CC
Terence Lewis II 34 G 6'6" 205 Senior Upper Marlboro, MD Jackson State

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Chancellor White
SG 		Richmond, TX Foster High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 16, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Vincent Sigona
PG 		Plano, TX Prestonwood Christian Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg)  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Kyran Ratliff
PF 		New Orleans, LA Booker T. Washington High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
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 2022-23 Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  • "2022-23 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.

Preseason

Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Ragin' Cajuns were picked to win the conference in the conference's preseason poll; they received 10 of 14 first-place votes.[5][6] Junior forward Jordan Brown was named the preseason player of the year.[6] Sophomore forward Kobe Julien was named to the preseason All-SBC Second Team.[6]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish Team (1st place Votes)
1 Louisiana - 190 (10)
2 Texas State - 162 (1)
3 South Alabama - 150 (1)
4 James Madison - 149 (1)
5 Georgia State - 127 (1)
6 Marshall - 122
7 App State - 120
8 Coastal Carolina - 100
9 Old Dominion - 93
10 Troy - 76
11 Georgia Southern - 69
12 Arkansas State - 48
13 Southern Miss - 34
14 ULM - 30

Roster

2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Themus Fulks 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So North Davidson HS
Dodge CC 		Winston-Salem, North Carolina
F 1 Joe Charles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Carencro HS Carencro, Louisiana
G 2 Michael Thomas 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Hamilton Christian Lake Charles, Louisiana
G 3 Chancellor White 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Foster HS Richmond, Texas
F 4 Kobe Julien 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Madison Preparatory Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G 5 Jalen Dalcourt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Lafayette HS
San Jose State 		Lafayette, Louisiana
G 11 Isaiah Crawford (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Archbishop Shaw HS New Orleans, Louisiana
G 13 Greg Williams, Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Lafayette Christian
St. John's 		Lafayette, Louisiana
F 21 Jordan Brown 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Prolific Preparatory
Arizona 		Roseville, California
G 22 Kentrell Garnett 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Catholic HS Donaldsonville, Louisiana
F 23 Kyran Ratliff 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Booker T. Washington HS
Shaun Dumas Academy 		New Orleans, Louisiana
G 30 Vinny Sigona 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Prestonwood Christian Academy Plano, Texas
F 34 Terence Lewis II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Combine Academy
Jackson State
North Texas 		Upper Marlboro, Maryland
F 35 Isaiah Richards 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So South Shore HS
Springfield Commonwealth 		Brooklyn, New York
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Centenary W 106–55  1–0
  26 – Brown   10 – Charles   7 – Fulks  Cajundome (2,045)
Lafayette, LA
November 11, 2022*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Harvard
Asheville Championship semifinals 		W 75–61  2–0
  20 – Lewis II   11 – Lewis II   3 – Fulks  Harrah's Cherokee Center (565)
Asheville, NC
November 13, 2022*
3:30 p.m., ESPNU 		vs. East Tennessee State
Asheville Championship final 		W 81–77  3–0
  14 – Brown   9 – Lewis II   5 – Fulks  Harrah's Cherokee Center (1,221)
Asheville, NC
November 17, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Louisiana Tech W 94–88  4–0
  23 – Lewis II   12 – Lewis II   7 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,181)
Lafayette, LA
November 22, 2022*
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at SMU W 76–72  5–0
  26 – Brown   9 – Williams Jr.   6 – Thomas  Moody Coliseum (3,194)
University Park, TX
November 26, 2022*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Drake L 64–76  5–1
  16 – Fulks   7 – Brown   3 – Fulks  Knapp Center (2,819)
Des Moines, IA
November 29, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Loyola (New Orleans) W 104–70  6–1
  27 – Brown   17 – Lewis II   9 – Fulks  Cajundome (2,630)
Lafayette, LA
December 3, 2022*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at New Orleans W 78–77  7–1
  27 – Williams Jr.   13 – Brown   5 – Fulks  Lakefront Arena (1,243)
New Orleans, LA
December 10, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Samford W 75–58  8–1
  19 – Lewis II   10 – Lewis II   7 – Fulks  Cajundome (2,643)
Lafayette, LA
December 12, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Louisiana Christian W 98–63  9–1
  37 – Brown   6 – Tied   11 – Fulks  Cajundome (2,475)
Lafayette, LA
December 15, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at McNeese State W 78–70  10–1
  20 – Brown   8 – Lewis II   6 – Fulks  The Legacy Center (2,101)
Lake Charles, LA
December 21, 2022*
7:00 p.m., LHN 		at No. 7 Texas L 72–100  10–2
  20 – Brown   6 – Brown   5 – Fulks  Moody Center (10,763)
Austin, TX
Sun Belt Conference regular season
December 29, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Coastal Carolina L 76–77  10–3
(0–1) 		 25 – Brown   10 – Lewis II   9 – Fulks  HTC Center (1,372)
Conway, SC
December 31, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Old Dominion L 66–70  10–4
(0–2) 		 16 – Tied   11 – Brown   12 – Fulks  Chartway Arena (5,094)
Norfolk, VA
January 5, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southern Miss W 75–61  11–4
(1–2) 		 20 – Garnett   9 – Lewis II   5 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,007)
Lafayette, LA
January 7, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Georgia State W 78–70  12–4
(2–2) 		 16 – Brown   10 – Brown   5 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,306)
Lafayette, LA
January 12, 2023
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Louisiana–Monroe W 86–73  13–4
(3–2) 		 21 – Brown   8 – Lewis II   8 – Fulks  Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,568)
Monroe, LA
January 14, 2023
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Alabama W 79–76  14–4
(4–2) 		 23 – Brown   8 – Brown   6 – Brown  Mitchell Center (2,246)
Mobile, AL
January 19, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Arkansas State W 80–71  15–4
(5–2) 		 31 – Brown   13 – Brown   11 – Fulks  First National Bank Arena (1,132)
Jonesboro, AR
January 21, 2023
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas State W 60–51  16–4
(6–2) 		 22 – Williams   9 – Brown   4 – Fulks  Strahan Coliseum (3,397)
San Marcos, TX
January 26, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Troy W 72–57  17–4
(7–2) 		 21 – Williams   11 – Lewis II   7 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,148)
Lafayette, LA
January 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Georgia Southern W 94–87  18–4
(8–2) 		 21 – Williams   11 – Lewis II   6 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,504)
Lafayette, LA
February 2, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Texas State W 82–63  19–4
(9–2) 		 23 – Williams Jr.   7 – Brown   9 – Fulks  Cajundome (3,256)
Lafayette, LA
February 4, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Marshall W 77–67  20–4
(10–2) 		 26 – Brown   20 – Brown   7 – Fulks  Cajundome (5,351)
Lafayette, LA
February 9, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Southern Miss L 71–82  20–5
(10–3) 		 25 – Brown   8 – Tied   4 – Fulks  Reed Green Coliseum (8,097)
Hattiesburg, MS
February 11, 2023
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Troy L 60–85  20–6
(10–4) 		 15 – Williams Jr.   8 – Richards   6 – Fulks  Trojan Arena (3,772)
Troy, AL
February 16, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Louisiana–Monroe W 84–67  21–6
(11–4) 		 17 – Fulks   7 – Brown   4 – Thomas  Cajundome (2,948)
Lafayette, IN
February 18, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at James Madison L 68–74  21–7
(11–5) 		 17 – Brown   10 – Brown   7 – Fulks  Atlantic Union Bank Center (5,668)
Harrisonburg, VA
February 22, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Arkansas State W 85–74  22–7
(12–5) 		 24 – Brown   12 – Brown   3 – Tied  Cajundome (2,615)
Lafayette, LA
February 24, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Alabama W 74–64  23–7
(13–5) 		 28 – Brown   11 – Brown   5 – Fulks  Cajundome 
Lafayette, LA
Sun Belt tournament
March 4, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(2) vs. (7) Georgia Southern
Quarterfinals 		W 67–49  24–7
  16 – Brown   13 – Brown   3 – Lewis II  Pensacola Bay Center 
Pensacola, FL
March 5, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(2) vs. (11) Texas State
Semifinals 		W 64–58  25–7
  18 – Brown   7 – Tied   5 – Fulks  Pensacola Bay Center (2,050)
Pensacola, FL
March 6, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(2) vs. (8) South Alabama
Championship 		W 71–66  26–7
  23 – Fulks   16 – Brown   3 – Fulks  Pensacola Bay Center 
Pensacola, FL
NCAA Tournament
March 16, 2023*
8:40 pm, CBS 		(13 E) vs. (4 E) No. 20 Tennessee
First Round 		L 55–58  26–8
  16 – Brown   7 – Brown   11 – Fulks  Amway Center (18,018)
Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Sun Belt Men's Championship: Louisiana-Lafayette come up clutch late to take down South Alabama". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, a 13-seed in NCAA Tournament, will face Tennessee in March Madness". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Louisiana 55-58 Tennessee (Mar 16, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "2021-22 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men 's Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Staff, MetroNews (October 18, 2022). "Marshall men chosen sixth in Sun Belt preseason poll". WV MetroNews. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Louisiana Headlines Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "2022-23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men 's Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 19, 2023.