Week 15 Men's Basketball Preview: Coastal Carolina

After dropping a close game at home to Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina rebounded with one of the best games of the college basketball season, a 94-91 triple-overtime win over UMass. The Chants now return to conference play in a rare one-game week, traveling to Lafayette to take on the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Coastal Carolina at Louisiana

Louisiana enters the matchup on a four-game winning streak, most recently an 85-80 win over Central Michigan in the MAC-SBC Challenge. That victory improved the Cajuns to 9-16 (6-6 Sun Belt), while Coastal’s win over UMass moved the Chants to 15-11 (7-6).

In the UMass win, the guard trio of Josh Beadle, AJ Dancler and Rasheed Jones all scored more than 20 points and hit several key shots down the stretch. The three have been huge all season, with each ranking in the top 13 in scoring in the Sun Belt. Coastal’s best chance of winning comes when at least one of the guards has a big night, as the Chants are 13-3 when a player scores 20 or more points.

The role players have also been important of late and will need to contribute again against a red-hot Louisiana team. Forward Reggie Hill pulled down 13 rebounds in the last game and is tied for second on the team in three-point percentage, shooting 39.3% from deep. Guard Tristan Thompson and center Derrick Green have become key pieces, especially defensively, while Braeden MacVicar adds a stretch-big threat, although many of his bigger performances have come in Conway.

While the overall numbers may not jump off the page like Coastal’s trio, Louisiana has a group of its own in Dorian Finister, Jaxon Olvera and De’Vion Lavergne. Finister leads the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game and also in rebounding at 4.8 per contest. Olvera had big games early in the season but has cooled in league play, while Lavergne has heated up recently, leading the team in scoring in three of the last four games.

Rebounding has been a problem for the Cajuns, who sit at the bottom of the conference at 30.3 per game, nearly three fewer than the next-closest team. On the other hand, the Chanticleers are the top rebounding team in the Sun Belt. If Coastal controls the glass as expected, it could go a long way toward deciding the game.

The mismatches continue on the defensive end. Coastal is holding opponents to 39.6% from the field and 31.6% from three-point range, both among the best marks in the conference. Louisiana ranks second to last in opponent field-goal percentage and last in opponent three-point percentage. However, the Cajuns have improved defensively during their four-game winning streak, allowing fewer than 70 points per game.

Three-point shooting will be a key factor, as both teams rank in the top five in the conference in three-point percentage. In its last outing, Coastal shot 47% on 34 attempts from beyond the arc, including Dancler going 6-of-9. Louisiana shot 50%, although it was on nearly half as many attempts, in its win over Central Michigan.

Turnovers could also be critical. Louisiana averages just over 11 per game, while Coastal averages just under 11. Coastal Carolina Head Coach Justin Gray has said multiple times that if the Chants keep their turnovers to 10 or fewer, he likes their chances.

Coastal Carolina will get the extra rest, not playing again for another game for nearly six days. Louisiana will also not play on the weekend, but will travel to Old Dominion on Feb. 16.

Tipoff: Thursday, Feb. 12, 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)

TV: ESPN+

Radio: WRXZ 107.1 (Coastal Carolina), Ragin’ Cajuns Digital Network (Louisiana)

For more information on tickets, fans can click here. Fans can also contact the ticket office via phone at 1 (337) 482-4685, or via email at tickets@louisiana.edu.