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 a 16-8 advantage in the series versus MTSU. LA Tech is 10-2 all-time versus the Blue Raiders in Ruston. • Would give the Bulldogs their 7th straight victory at home. LA Tech is 22-3 in the TAC over the last two seasons. • Would give the Bulldogs their 130th all-time Conference USA win. LA Tech currently has the 7th-most CUSA victories in league history.
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AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 129
VS MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS (14-5, 5-1 cusa) Head Coach: Nick McDevitt Record at MTSU: 97-111 (7th year) Career Record: 195-177 (12 year) Record vs. LA Tech: 3-4
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 95
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech will go for another home sweep as the Bulldogs play host to league leader Middle Tennessee on Saturday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center. LA Tech is 8-1 in the TAC this season including a 3-0 mark in CUSA games. • After two straight two-point losses on the road, LA Tech got back into the win column by defeating WKU, 77-67, in the friendly confines of the TAC. In doing so, the Bulldogs extended their home winning streak to six games while taking a 23-22 edge in the series versus the Hilltoppers.
9.8 ppg | 2.3 rpg | 9.1 apg
1
• LA Tech set season highs for made free throws (29) and free throws attempted (42) against WKU. Both are the most by the Bulldogs in a single game since Dec. 4, 2015 against Jackson State. The 42 attempted free throws is also the most by a CUSA team this season. Thirty-one of those 42 attempts at the foul line came in the second half as WKU was whistled for 29 fouls.
• Daniel Batcho is currently the only player in college basketball to be averaging at least 18 points, six rebounds, and two blocks per game. He led the Bulldogs in scoring for the ninth time this season (third straight game), scoring 18 points versus WKU. The nation’s leader in field goal percentage at 73.5 percent was 5-of7 from the field while also going 8-of-14 from the foul line. He ranks first in CUSA and top 20 in the country in both free throws attempted (144) and free throws made (107). The nearly unstoppable power forward is averaging 6.0 fouls drawn per game and has drawn 10+ fouls in three of the last four games. • Sean Newman Jr. is nearly averaging a double-double at 9.8 points and 9.1 assists per game, which ranks second in the country along with his total of 182 assists behind only Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga. Just 20 games into the season, he has already cracked the top 10 for most assists in program history ranking ninth. He dished out five assists against WKU, marking the 19th time in 20 games with at least five dimes. He has registered 5+ assists in 38 of his 48 career games as a Bulldog.
AMAREE ABRAM
• The bench came up huge for the LA Tech in the win over WKU, matching their season high with 32 points. It marked just the third time this season that the bench scored 30+ points in a game (had scored a combined 38 points in the last three games).
12.4 ppg | 5.0 rpg | 2.0 apg
KADEN 11 COOPER
Overall: 14-6 | CUSA: 3-4 | H: 8-1 | A: 2-5 | 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+ W 81-64 11 LIBERTY* ESPNU W 79-74 16 at Jacksonville State* ESPN+ L 61-63 18 at Kennesaw State* ESPN+ L 76-78 23 WKU* CBS SN W 77-67 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: 51-34 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. MTSU: 2-3
11.0 ppg |7.7 rpg | 1.6 spg
0
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (14-6, 3-4 cusa)
• Jordan Crawford came up clutch against the Hilltoppers. The hometown Bulldog, who has been plagued by numerous injuries this season, registered a season-high 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds in just 11 minutes of action off the bench against WKU. Al Green was another spark off the bench as the shooting guard recorded 11 points after missing the last two games due to injury. • 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. 25 | 5:30 p.m. CT LOCATION: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 15-8 STREAK: Middle Tennessee, 1 LAST MEETING: March 13, 2024 | Huntsville, Ala. MTSU 70, LA Tech 67 MEDIA: ESPNU | ESPN+ TALENT: David Saltzman (pxp), Dean Keener (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 21 MATCHUP
5.4 ppg | 3.5 rpg | 0.3 apg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
18.7 ppg | 6.8 rpg | 2.2 bpg
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