S. Alabama faces La.-Lafeyette in Sun Belt quarters
South Alabama (16-16, 9-10) vs. No. 5 seed Louisiana-Lafayette (19-12, 10-8)
Sun Belt Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Lakefront Arena, New Orleans; Thursday, 5 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette are set to do battle in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Jan. 24, when South Alabama made only six 3-pointers on 21 attempts while the Ragin' Cajuns hit 12 of 27 from deep en route to the four-point victory.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Both of these teams have depended heavily on their seniors this year. Jakeenan Gant, Marcus Stroman and Jerekius Davis have collectively scored 49 percent of Louisiana-Lafayette's points this season. For South Alabama, Josh Ajayi, Trhae Mitchell, Rodrick Sikes and Kory Holden have collectively accounted for 67 percent of all South Alabama scoring, including 80 percent of the team's points over its last five games.
GIFTED GANT: Gant has connected on 35.5 percent of the 110 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 3 of 9 over the last three games. He's also converted 79.7 percent of his free throws this season.
WINLESS WHEN: South Alabama is 0-8 when scoring fewer than 65 points and 16-8 when scoring at least 65.
PERFECT WHEN: The Ragin' Cajuns are 7-0 when they block at least six opposing shots and 12-12 when they fall shy of that mark. The Jaguars are 8-0 when they hold opponents to 63 points or fewer and 8-16 whenever opponents exceed 63 points.
DID YOU KNOW: Louisiana-Lafayette is ranked second among Sun Belt teams with an average of 82 points per game.