LOUISIANA TECH 2024-25 BULLDOG BASKETBALL
All home games CAPS | All times CST and subject to change # Icons of the Game (Long Island, N.Y.) ^ Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.) * Conference USA game | $ Huntsville, Ala.
A LA TECH WIN... • Would give the Bulldogs their first CUSA win of the season. LA Tech has not lost its first two league games since the 2017-18 season (only time they have done so in CUSA). • Would give the Bulldogs their third straight win over the Aggies. LA Tech won for the first time ever in the Pan American Center last season (had lost the previous 10). • Would give Talvin Hester his 49th career win as head coach. He is 48-31 all-time in his third season with the Bulldogs.
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AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 105
AT new mexico state aggies (8-6, 1-0 cusa) Head Coach: Jason Hooten Record at NM State: 21-25 (2nd year) Career Record: 255-194 (15th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 1-3
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 234
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
9.8 ppg | 2.7 rpg | 9.6 apg
1
• LA Tech suffered its third straight loss in a CUSA opener, falling 70-60 to UTEP in El Paso. The Bulldogs tied their season high with 20 turnovers that led to 24 points for the Miners who came into the contest ranking No. 1 in the country in forcing turnovers. In the ‘Dogs 11 victories this season, they are averaging only 11.9 turnovers with teams averaging 11.5 points off turnovers. Meanwhile in their three losses, LA Tech is averaging 19.0 turnovers with opponents averaging 23.7 points off turnovers.
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech looks to bounce back on Saturday as the Bulldogs battle New Mexico State at 3 p.m. CT inside the Pan American Center. This is the second straight season LA Tech is playing its first two conference games on the road, the only team in the league to have done so.
• Kaden Cooper scored a team-high 14 points against UTEP. After missing his first three three-pointers, the sophomore made four of his last six attempts for a new career high. He has scored in double figures in five of his last six games, averaging 14.2 points while shooting 56.7 percent during that stretch. • Sean Newman Jr. was named CUSA Player of the Week for week seven after averaging 16.0 points and 14.5 assists in LA Tech’s two victories over WAC preseason favorite Grand Canyon and Rust College. The point guard scored a career-high 25 points to go along with nine assists versus the Lopes then broke the LA Tech and CUSA single-game assist record with 20 dimes against the Bearcats. Despite fouling out for just the second time in his collegiate career, he still dished out seven assists against UTEP. He currently ranks first in the country in assists per game (9.6) and second in total assists (135), having posted six games with double-digit assists.
AMAREE ABRAM
• Despite only forcing three turnovers and recording zero steals (something that has not happened in at least 25 years), the Bulldogs still held the Miners to just 37.9 percent shooting. LA Tech currently ranks 40th in the country in field goal percentage defense (39.7), having held three of its last four opponents to under 40 percent shooting. They are currently one of only 10 teams in the nation ranked in the top 40 in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense.
13.3 ppg | 4.9 rpg | 2.1 spg
KADEN 11 COOPER
Overall: 11-3 | CUSA: 0-1 | H: 5-1 | A: 2-2 | N: 4-0 NOVEMBER MEDIA W/L SCORE 4 LSU-ALEXANDRIA ESPN+ W 77-50 9 at UT Arlington ESPN+ W 92-77 13 vs. UMass# MSG+ W 76-66 18 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE ESPN+ W 105-67 25 vs. Southern Illinois^ FloCollege W 85-79OT 26 vs. Richmond^ FloCollege W 65-62 27 vs. Eastern Kentucky^ FloCollege W 78-69 30 SOUTHERN ESPN+ L 70-73 DECEMBER 4 at #16 Memphis ESPN+ L 71-81 8 at UL-Lafayette ESPN+ W 69-58 13 GEORGIA SOUTHERN ESPN+ W 77-63 16 GRAND CANYON ESPN+ W 74-66 21 RUST COLLEGE ESPN+ W 108-60 JANUARY 2 at UTEP* ESPN+ L 60-70 4 at New Mexico State* ESPN+ 3 p.m. 9 FIU* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 11 LIBERTY* ESPNU 7 p.m. 16 at Jacksonville State* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 18 at Kennesaw State* ESPN+ 4 p.m. 23 WKU* CBS SN 6 p.m. 25 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* ESPNU 5:30 p.m. FEBRUARY 1 SAM HOUSTON* ESPNU 3 p.m. 6 at Liberty* CBS SN 7 p.m. 8 at FIU* ESPN+ 1 p.m. 13 KENNESAW STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 15 JACKSONVILLE STATE* ESPN+ 3 p.m. 20 at Middle Tennessee* CBS SN 8 p.m. 22 at WKU* ESPN+ 7 p.m. MARCH 1 at Sam Houston* ESPN+ 4:30 p.m. 6 NEW MEXICO STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 8 UTEP* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 11 CUSA Championship$ ----- TBA
Head Coach: Talvin Hester Record at LA Tech: 48-31 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. NM State: 2-0
12.9 ppg | 8.0 rpg | 2.0 spg
0
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (11-3, 0-1 cusa)
• Daniel Batcho was limited to just four field goal attempts against UTEP, which tied his season low. The CUSA Preseason Player of the Year still notched 10 points, extending his streak of consecutive games scoring in double figures to 21). He is currently averaging a team-best 19.3 points per game while shooting 74.6 percent from the field, which leads the country. Defensively, his 36 total blocks rank fifth in the nation (has recorded at least one block in 18 consecutive games). • Talvin Hester is in his third season at the helm at LA Tech. In his second year, Hester was able to blend in seven newcomers in route to a 22-win season and a second-place finish in CUSA. He will be tasked with the same thing as seven newcomers join the 2024-25 squad, mixed in with six returners (five of which made a combined 67 starts last season). • LA Tech was picked to finish first in the Conference USA preseason poll, as voted on by the league head coaches. It was definitely not unanimous as five of the 10 conference teams picked up at least one first-place vote and the top three were separated by only four points. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Bulldogs are preseason league favorites.
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DEVIN REE
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Jan. 4 | 3:00 p.m. CT LOCATION: Pan American Center (Las Cruces, N.M.) SERIES HISTORY: NM State leads, 16-6 STREAK: LA Tech, 2 LAST MEETING: Feb. 24, 2024 | Las Cruces, N.M. LA Tech 67, NM State 58 MEDIA: ESPN+ TALENT: Adam Young (pxp), Rus Bradburd (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 15 MATCHUP
5.1 ppg | 3.2 rpg | 0.2 spg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
19.3 ppg | 6.9 rpg | 2.6 bpg
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