LOUISIANA TECH 2025-26 BULLDOG BASKETBALL
All home games CAPS | All times CST and subject to change ^ LA Tech MTE * Conference USA game | $ Huntsville, Ala.
A LA TECH WIN... • Would give the Bulldogs their second straight victory in a season opener. LA Tech has won eight of its last 11 season openers. • Would give the Bulldogs their fourth win over the Wolf Pack in Reno. LA Tech is 3-8 on the road against Nevada, having lost three straight. • Would give Talvin Hester his 58th victory as head coach, surpassing Kerry Rupp (2007-11) to move up to 10th for most wins as a LA Tech head coach.
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AT NEVADA WOLF PACK (0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Alford Record at Nevada: 112-73 (7th year) Career Record: 699-371 (35th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 2-0
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: N/A
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: N/A
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
4
• Louisiana Tech begins its 99th season as a men’s basketball program Tuesday as the Bulldogs open up on the road at Nevada.
• LA Tech is no stranger to opening a season on the road, and against a tough opponent. The Bulldogs have started out away from home 19 times in the last 25 years. The last road season opener also came against a Mountain West Conference opponent when they played at Colorado State in 2023. Other recent road opponents to start the year include Alabama (2003 and 2021), Wichita State (2018), South Carolina (2016), Saint Mary’s (2013), Texas A&M (2012), and Texas (2010). LA Tech’s last such victory came in the 2019 season opener, winning at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 82-49 which was the biggest season-opening road win in program history. • It is practically a brand new roster for LA Tech as 10 newcomers joined the squad, including eight transfers and two high school signees. It has become the new norm in college basketball and the Bulldogs are no different, having averaged 8.7 newcomers per season over the last three years. The 10 years before that, LA Tech averaged just 5.1 newcomers per season. • LA Tech lost 78.5 percent of its scoring from a season ago, including its top four scorers. The biggest piece to replace, literally, is 6-foot-11 Daniel Batcho who graduated following a two-year stint where he was a two-time First Team All-CUSA selection, CUSA Newcomer of the Year, and CUSA Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. His defense will be missed just as much as he totaled 131 blocks in two seasons, finishing with the fifth most in school history.
SPEEDY SMITH
• This will mark the first-ever non-conference meeting between LA Tech and Nevada as all 25 of the previous matchups came as Western Athletic Conference opponents (2001-12). Three of the Bulldogs six wins over the Wolf Pack have come in Reno, including back-to-back victories in 2002 and 2003 and a 2009 win that snapped a 12-game losing skid to Nevada.
6.2 ppg | 6.1 apg | 1.8 spg
ISAIAH 22 CRAWFORD
Overall: 0-0 | CUSA: 0-0 | H: 0-0 | A: 0-0 | N: 0-0 NOVEMBER MEDIA W/L SCORE 4 at Nevada MWN 9 p.m. 9 LYON COLLEGE ESPN+ 2 p.m. 15 JACKSON STATE ESPN+ 6 p.m. 19 at Indiana State ----- 6 p.m. 26 INDIANA STATE^ ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 29 ALCORN STATE^ ESPN+ Noon DECEMBER 3 at Georgia Southern ESPN+ 6 p.m. 7 ECCLESIA COLLEGE ESPN+ 2 p.m. 13 UL-LAFAYETTE ESPN+ 2 p.m. 17 at Tulane ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 22 DALLAS CHRISTIAN ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 29 UTEP* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. JANUARY 2 at Middle Tennessee* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 4 at WKU* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 8 LIBERTY* CBS SN 6 p.m. 10 DELAWARE* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 14 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 17 at Jacksonville State* ESPN+ 4 p.m. 24 KENNESAW STATE* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 28 at UTEP* ESPN+ 8 p.m. 31 at Sam Houston* ESPN2 9 p.m. FEBRUARY 4 NEW MEXICO STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 7 SAM HOUSTON* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 12 at Missouri State* CBS SN 7:30 p.m. 14 at FIU* ESPN+ 1 p.m. 18 JACKSONVILLE STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 21 at Kennesaw State* ESPN+ 4 p.m. 26 MISSOURI STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 28 FIU* ESPN+ 2 p.m. MARCH 5 at Liberty* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 7 at Delaware* ESPN+ 11 a.m. 10 at CUSA Championship$ ----- TBD
Head Coach: Talvin Hester Record at LA Tech: 57-40 (4th year) Career Record: Same Record vs. Nevada: 0-0
13.1 ppg | 5.3 rpg | 2.2 apg
KENNETH 2 LOFTON JR.
2025-26 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (0-0)
14.3 ppg | 9.0 rpg | 2.1 apg
• The Bulldogs return just four players from last season’s 20-win team, including junior Kaden Cooper who was one of 10 players voted to the Conference USA All-Preseason Team. He emerged as one of the most versatile two-way players in the league last season following a transfer from Oklahoma. He started in 30 games, averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game while also pacing LA Tech in total steals with 48. His 6.22 defensive rebounds per game ranked first in CUSA and 32nd in the country. • Will Allen is back for his fifth year with the program (redshirted his first year due to a shoulder injury). The 24-year old who graduated this past summer brings a wealth of leadership to a fresh roster. He will also be counted on for his experience on the court where he has seen action in 89 career games for the Bulldogs, including 20 starts. • Talvin Hester enters his fourth season at the helm at LA Tech. In his third year, Hester guided the Bulldogs to a 20-win season, marking the 30th time in program history the team has reached 20+ victories. This was the second straight season Hester led the team to 20 wins, going 22-10 in 2013-14. As a result, he became the seventh head coach in program history to register back-toback 20-win seasons.
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24 PAUL MILLSAP
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Nov. 4 | 9:00 p.m. CT LOCATION: Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nev.) SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads, 19-6 STREAK: LA Tech, 1 LAST MEETING: March 9, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev. LA Tech 78, Nevada 73 MEDIA: Mountain West Network TALENT: N/A RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app TALENT: Kyle Schassburger (pxp) STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 1 MATCHUP
18.6 ppg | 12.7 rpg | 2.0 bpg
32 KARL MALONE
GAMEDAY INFO
18.7 ppg | 9.3 rpg | 1.6 spg
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