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 sixth straight win over the Panthers. LA Tech has won eight of the last nine meetings. • Would give the Bulldogs back-to-back wins over the Panthers in Miami, someting that has happened only once before (200001) when the two programs were in the Sun Belt Conference. • Would put an end to the Bulldogs’ five-game road losing streak in conference games. The last time LA Tech lost six straight CUSA games was during the 2018-19 season.
@LATECHHOOPS
AT FIU PANTHERS (8-15, 2-8 cusa) Head Coach: Jeremy Ballard Record at FIU: 96-116 (12th year) Career Record: Same Record vs. LA Tech: 3-8
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 130
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 244
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech will have another shot to crack the road code as the Bulldogs face the FIU Panthers in Miami at the FIU Convocation Center. LA Tech has suffered losses in all five road CUSA games. • For the first time in 58 games (since Feb. 23, 2023), LA Tech did not lead at any point as the Bulldog fell, 77-53, to the Liberty Flames on Thursday. It was the second fewest points scored for the ‘Dogs this season. Turnovers were an issue again, committing 16 of them which was turned into 24 points for the Flames.
• The bench was the lone bright spot offensively for LA Tech at Liberty. Al Green stepped in to score a game-high 18 points, going 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three (made four of the Bulldogs six triples). It marked the fifth time this season with 18+ points in a game. Meanwhile, Sean Elkinton netted 11 points as the forward is averaging 8.3 points during conference action. The duo are combining to shoot 43.1 percent from deep in CUSA play.
1
10.2 ppg | 2.3 rpg | 8.9 apg
AMAREE ABRAM
• The Bulldogs have not been able to find their offense on the road in CUSA, averaging just 59.6 points while shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from three-point range. The opposite is true for the home CUSA games with LA Tech averaging 75.6 points while shooting 46.1 percent. Another stark contrast is getting to the foul line where the Bulldogs are shooting 74.8 percent, second best in the league. In the road league games, they are averaging 11.2 free throw attempts per game while at home they are getting to the charity stripe on average 26.0 times.
11.8 ppg | 4.7 rpg | 1.6 spg
KADEN 11 COOPER
Overall: 16-7 | CUSA: 5-5 | H: 10-1 | A: 2-6 | 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 W 75-69 FEBRUARY 1 SAM HOUSTON* ESPNU W 66-61OT 6 at Liberty* CBS SN L 53-77 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: 53-35 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. FIU: 5-1
• Sean Newman Jr. continues to rank second in the country in both total assists (204) and assists per game (8.9). With the six assists at Liberty, the point guard became just the fourth Bulldog in program history to reach 200 assists in a single season. He did so in 23 games, the fastest ever. He has dished out at least five assists in all but one contest this season. • Daniel Batcho was held in check against the Flames, registering just eight points and five rebounds. It was only the second time this season the power forward did not reach double-digit points. Even so, he continues to be the nation’s leader in field goal percentage at 70.2 percent. He also tallied one block, bringing his season total to 51 which ranks 13th in the country. He is currently one of only three players in the country (along with Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton and Johni Broome of Auburn) to be averaging at least 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks per game. • 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).
10.5 ppg | 7.6 rpg | 1.4 spg
0
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (16-7, 5-5 cusa)
DEVIN REE
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Feb. 8 | 1 p.m. CT LOCATION: FIU Convocation Center (Miami, Fla.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 14-8 STREAK: LA Tech, 5 LAST MEETING: Jan. 9, 2025 | Ruston, La. LA Tech 81, FIU 64 MEDIA: ESPN+ RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 24 MATCHUP
4.8 ppg | 3.3 rpg | 0.3 spg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
• 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.
18.3 ppg | 7.0 rpg | 2.2 bpg @LATECHHOOPS
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