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 put the Bulldogs back into the win column for home games. LA Tech has lost back-to-back games at home only three times in the last 13 seasons. • Would give the Bulldogs their 112th victory when facing an opponent in the TAC for the first time. LA Tech is 4-1 against firsttime opponents at home this season (111-18 all-time).
VS JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS (17-8, 9-3 cusa) Head Coach: Ray Harper Record at Jax State: 163-120 (9th year) Career Record: 502-246 (26th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 1-0
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 114
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech looks to split its conference games this week as the Bulldogs host league leader Jacksonville State on Saturday inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. LA Tech is currently in sixth in the league standings with six games to go. • LA Tech was held to a season low in points as the Bulldogs had their eight-game home winning streak snapped on Thursday in a 69-47 loss to Kennesaw State. It was the fewest points scored at home by the ‘Dogs since 2011 and the second fewest ever scored in a CUSA game.
1
AMAREE ABRAM
• Al Green was the lone Bulldog to score in double figures against the Owls, tallying 11 points which was his ninth double-digit scoring game of the season and the fifth time leading LA Tech in scoring. As the primary sixth man off the bench, Green is averaging 10.3 points over the last eight games while shooting 50.0 percent from three-point range (18-of-36). For the season, he is averaging 8.8 points while shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.
9.8 ppg | 2.2 rpg | 8.6 apg
11.8 ppg | 4.7 rpg | 1.8 apg
3
• It was the LA Tech bench that did the bulk of the scoring against Kennesaw State, providing 26 of the team’s 47 points. The starters have typically done most of the scoring this season, responsible for 70 percent of the team’s points. It was the fifth time in conference play that the Bulldog bench has scored 20+ points.
• Sean Newman Jr. ranks top three in the country in both total assists (214) and assists per game (8.6). His four assists against Kennesaw State brought his season assists total to 214, which ranks as the fourth most in program history. His streak of 17 consecutive games with at least five dimes was snapped in the loss to KSU, ending as second longest streak in school history. He has recorded at least five dimes in 23 of the 25 games played this season. • Daniel Batcho continues to be the nation’s leader in field goal percentage at 69.5 percent. If the season ended today, it would break the program record for best shooting percentage in a single season and would be the second best in Conference USA history. He is averaging a team-best 17.8 points per game this season. Batcho also now has 56 blocks on the season, 11th most in the country. The two blocks against Kennesaw State brought his Bulldog career total to 123, tied for the sixth most in program history. It marked the 15th time this season he has had multiple blocks in a single game (averaging 2.6 rejections over his last five 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).
3.5 ppg | 1.8 rpg | 1.5 apg
4.8 ppg | 3.3 rpg | 0.4 apg
• 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.
• Would give the Bulldogs their 18th win of the season. LA Tech has won 18+ games in 11 of the last 13 seasons.
@LATECHHOOPS
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 143
AJ BATES
Overall: 17-8 | CUSA: 6-6 | H: 10-2 | A: 3-6 | 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+ W 82-71 13 KENNESAW STATE* ESPN+ L 47-69 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: 54-36 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. Jax State: 2-1
0
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (17-8, 6-6 cusa)
DEVIN REE
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Feb. 15 | 3:00 p.m. CT LOCATION: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 2-1 STREAK: Jacksonville State, 1 LAST MEETING: Jan. 16, 2025 | Jacksonville, Ala. Jax State 63, LA Tech 61 MEDIA: ESPN+ TALENT: Will Kollmeyer (pxp), Spencer Pattison (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 26 MATCHUP
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
17.8 ppg | 6.8 rpg | 2.2 bpg @LATECHHOOPS
/LATECHMBB