Wow.  What a game.

Louisiana came back from a 17 point deficit in the first half and defeated Georgia State 84-80 before a season high 4,531 at the CAJUNDOME.  The meeting between the two teams who played for the Sun Belt Tournament championship last March played a game with all the intensity of a title contest.  Here are some thoughts, both on and off the court.

A CHARACTER WIN---There's no way to slice it or dice it.  A team has to show plenty of character to be able to get off the mat against a good basketball team.  Louisiana was down 16 points at the under 4:00 time out of the first half.  By the time the horn sounded, the deficit was down to one point after a 19-4 run.  Many times a team will come back like that, only to fall short.  Not this Cajun bunch.  Even though they were still behind with less than a minute to go they got it done.  That takes character.  This team obviously has it.

NICE CROWD--No, it wasn't the 8,000 the Cajuns had against Denver on senior night in Bob Marlin's first year.  But last night's crowd was loud and appreciative.  They were treated to one of the best games in the CAJUNDOME in quite some time.  They were taken out of the game early when GSU jumped out to the early lead.  But when the comeback started, they became the proverbial sixth man.  And, after what they saw, don't be surprised if you see the crowds get bigger.

THE GOOD NEWS ON R. J. HUNTER---The NBA prospect, who got a little chippy last year and didn't mind drawing attention to himself was much different at the 'Dome last night.  He was pretty much all business.  He didn't talk a bunch of smack, didn't stare anyone down or beat his chest going down court.  He just played.  And, played well.  I think that's called maturity.  And Hunter, after scoring fourteen points in the first ten minutes, was more than content to pile up assists the rest of the first half.  He finished with six assists in the game, with only one turnover.

THE BAD NEWS ON R. J. HUNTER--He must have known there were 13 NBA scouts in attendance last night, because he took two shots that were a minimum of 26 feet and one that was near the 30 foot mark.  He's got great range.  But I don't think a tight game on the road against an arch rival is the time to take those shots.  And, I'll bet the scouts would agree.

HARROW-ING EXPERIENCE--Ryan Harrow, who scored 37 points in the loss to the Cajuns last March, had 25 last night.  His drive, stop and underhand scoop from ten feet is indefensible.  He's got the quickness to get to the basket and the touch to finish.  But he also has issues.  Harrow likes to talk way too much and got his seventh technical foul of the season last night.  And, understand I'm generalizing here and not specifically accusing, he's the type of player than can really disrupt team chemistry.  If GSU picks up another loss or two, it will be interesting to see how Harrow reacts.

HUD READY TO SEND AN LOI--Ragin' Cajuns football coach Mark Hudspeth was impressed with the size of Panther's forward T. J. Shipes.  "I can just see him now at outside linebacker," the coach said to me at halftime.  Shipes had ten points before fouling out with under a minute to go.  His foul against Devonte Walker and the subsequent free throws gave the Cajuns the lead for good.  No word on whether a letter of intent is in the mail.

THE WRIGHT COACHING MOVE---Last night point guard Jay Wright got off to a rough start as Georgia State built the big lead.  The sophomore from Rincon, GA was pulled from the game, not surprising considering his play.  But while on the bench he got plenty of instruction and, as coach Bob Marlin said later, "we challenged him."  Wright was on the bench a little longer than usual.  When he came back in, the game had slowed for him.  And, when he came back in, Wright was instrumental in the Cajuns' comeback with six points, a steal, an assist and a rebound in the final three and a half minutes of the first half.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON....NOT--Let me say first of all, I think the UL band has made some great strides over the last two years.  They are a band UL fans and alumni can and should be proud of.  But their absence last night took away from the atmosphere of the game.   Yes, I know, they deserved the break.  And, had it not been the biggest home game of the season I wouldn't even mention it.  But they had been off since the New Orleans Bowl.  Last night was a time to take one for the team.  I'm disappointed it didn't happen.

BUT THE REST OF THE SUPPORT WAS FINE---It should be noted the UL cheerleaders and Ragin' Jazz haven't taken time off.  And, school has been out for them, too.

ME PHYSICAL, YOU FINESSE, ME SHOOT FREE THROWS---It would be easy for some to look at the disparity in free throw shooting and say the Cajuns had plenty of home cooking.  The Cajuns shot 38 free throws.  The Panthers shot 17.  But that's what happens when you have a one team that plays finesse and another team that pounds the ball inside and goes strong to the basket.  The Panthers' inside game was no match for the strength of Shawn Long, Devonte Walker and Brian Williams.  And, the free throw disparity was an example of that.

AND ME MAKE FREE THROWS, TOO---It should also be noticed that, in the second half, the Cajuns shot only four more free throws than Georgia State did.  But the Cajuns shot 89.5% from the line in the second half.  Georgia State shot 60% during that same span.  That was an eight point difference.

OH MY ACHING #$%#@$%#$---R. J. Hunter fouled Brian Williams with about five and a half minutes to go after a Williams pump fake got the Panther guard in the air.  I don't know if he landed wrong on Williams or if Williams shoulder got him, but it was evident Hunter was in an awful lot of pain.  Umpire Kevin Mathis squatted down and said something to Hunter to make him laugh for a second...but only for a second.  It's called ringing the bell.  That rhymes with hell, which is what it hurts like.

FLASHBACKS--As we discussed yesterday on our radio show before the game, Cajuns' fans wrath against Georgia State can be traced to two things:  Coach Ron Hunter's propensity to coach on the court rather than in the coach's box is reminiscent of Tim Floyd when he was at UNO.  "GET OFF THE COURT COACH" could be heard then.  And it was heard last night.  And, the brashness of the team itself is somewhat reminiscent of Billy Tubbs' Lamar squads back in the late 70's and early 80's.  Cajun fans didn't like them much, either.  But like Lamar, Georgia State can back it up with their talent.

THEY'LL TELL YOU IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY---When hockey came to the CAJUNDOME back in the 90's, some front row basketball fans got displaced.  That's when courtside seating was born.  And, those that sit courtside are certainly part of the game experience.  One fan kept inching his way on the court during dead balls in imitation of Georgia State coach Ron Hunter.  And, a couple of fans on the other end hammered referee Tim Gattis and umpires Kevin Mathis and John Hampton at every opportunity.  Those folks pay prime money for those seats.  Don't expect them to give them up any time soon.

AND NOW, ANOTHER STAR TO DEFEND---While Hunter and Harrow are putting up great numbers, no one is dominating this league in the statistical category like Georgia Southern's Jelani Hewitt.  Hewitt is first in the league in scoring, first in free throw percentage (.926), first in steals and first in three point baskets per game.  He's also fifth in the league in assists.  The Cajuns face Hewitt and the Eagles Thursday night in Statesboro, GA

BUT HAS ANYONE NOTICED HIM---While the Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in attendance by more than double the closest competitor (3,670 to UTA's 1,763), Georgia Southern is dead last in the league in attendance, averaging just 875 fans (?) per game.

A WEEKEND OFF, THEN IT GETS BUSY---The Cajuns have a bye on Saturday, but then have a string of games in a short period of time.  The Cajuns are at Georgia Southern next Thursday before entertaining South Alabama a week from Saturday to open a three game homestand.  Then the following week the Cajuns entertain ULM on Monday and Arkansas State on Thursday before the rematch with Georgia State on the 24th.  That'll be five games in a stretch of nine days.

We'll talk to you from Statesboro next Thursday.  And, we'll see you at the 'Dome a week from Saturday.

 

 

 

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