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 three league games since the 2017-18 season (only time they have done so in CUSA). • Would give the Bulldogs their fifth straight win over the Panthers. LA Tech has won seven of the last eight meetings and are a perfect 7-0 versus FIU in Ruston as CUSA opponents. • Would give Talvin Hester his 49th career win as head coach. He is 48-32 all-time in his third season with the Bulldogs.
@LATECHHOOPS
VS FIU PANTHERS (7-8, 1-1 cusa) Head Coach: Jeremy Ballard Record at FIU: 95-109 (7th year) Career Record: Same Record vs. LA Tech: 3-7
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 146
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 222
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
9.4 ppg | 2.8 rpg | 9.4 apg
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• LA Tech had its worst outing of the season this past Saturday, falling 78-48 to New Mexico State in Las Cruces. It was the first 30-point defeat since 2020 and the first time the Bulldogs have lost by more than 10 points in 46 games (since March of 2023). LA Tech set several season lows including total points, field goal percentage (31.5), and three-point field goal percentage (21.2) while also allowing NM State to shoot 55.6 percent from the field, which was only the second time this season an opponent has eclipsed 44 percent shooting.
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• After a tough road trip to open Conference USA play, Louisiana Tech returns home to face FIU on Thursday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. The Bulldogs will play five of their next seven CUSA games in Ruston.
• One of the few bright spots in the New Mexico State game was the play of LA Tech’s bench. Sean Elkinton, who has seen limited action this season due to injury, played 20 minutes while scoring a season-high and team-high 12 points. In doing so, the junior transfer eclipsed 1,000 points for his collegiate career. Freshman Landren Blocker also got a lot of playing time, seeing 14 minutes of action and scoring five points. • Amaree Abram was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures against the Aggies, tallying 10 points which was his 12th double-digit scoring game this season. He knocked down two three-pointers, giving him multiple made threes in eight straight games. He is shooting a team-best 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, having made 33 triples (eighth most in the league).
AMAREE ABRAM
• The Bulldogs are off to an 0-2 start in CUSA play for just the second time ever (other time was 2018). LA Tech will try to get back to playing like it did in non-conference (pre-Christmas) when they averaged 80.5 points while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and then holding teams to 67.0 points and 39.8 percent shooting. In the conference losses to UTEP and New Mexico State, the ‘Dogs averaged 54.0 points and shot 35.6 percent from the field while the Miners and Aggies combined to shoot 45.8 percent and score an average of 74.0 points.
13.1 ppg | 4.7 rpg | 1.9 spg
KADEN 11 COOPER
Overall: 11-4 | CUSA: 0-2 | H: 5-1 | A: 2-3 | 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+ L 48-78 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: 48-32 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. FIU: 4-1
12.2 ppg |7.7 rpg | 1.9 spg
• Despite LA Tech’s offensive woes on the road trip, Sean Newman Jr. still managed to dish out 13 combined assists against the Miners and Aggies to give him 141 for the season, second most in the country, and 500 total for his collegiate career. His average of 9.4 assists per game also ranks second in the nation. • Daniel Batcho was very limited on the road trip as the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year was held to just 14 total points on just six field goal attempts. He is still averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game while shooting 75.0 percent from the field, which ranks first in the country. • 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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2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (11-4, 0-2 cusa)
DEVIN REE
DATE/TIME: Thursday, Jan. 9 | 6:30 p.m. CT LOCATION: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 13-8 STREAK: LA Tech, 4 LAST MEETING: Feb. 17, 2024 | Ruston, La. LA Tech 75, FIU 68 MEDIA: ESPN+ TALENT: Lyn Rollins (pxp), Victor Howell (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 16 MATCHUP
5.1 ppg | 3.1 rpg | 0.2 spg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
18.3 ppg | 6.6 rpg | 2.4 bpg
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