Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball

Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball
2015–16 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team
University University of Louisiana at Lafayette
First season 1911-1912
Conference Sun Belt
Location Lafayette, LA
Head coach Bob Marlin (6th year)
Arena Cajundome
(Capacity: 11,550)
Nickname Ragin' Cajuns
Colors

Vermilion and White

            
Uniforms
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1972*, 1973*
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
1992
NCAA Tournament appearances
1972*, 1973*, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2004*, 2005*, 2014
Conference tournament champions
Southland: 1982
Sun Belt: 1992, 1994, 2000, 2004*, 2005*, 2014
Conference regular season champions
Gulf States: 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
Southland: 1972*, 1973*, 1977, 1982
Sun Belt: 1992
Conference division season champions
Sun Belt West: 2002, 2003, 2004*, 2008, 2011[1]
*vacated by NCAA
For information on all University of Louisiana at Lafayette sports, see Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

The Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball program, often referred to by the nickname Louisiana or Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns,[2] represents intercollegiate men's basketball at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The school competes in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and play home games at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. Bob Marlin is in his sixth season as head coach.

History

Conference affiliations

NCAA sanctions

1968 infractions

In 1968, Southwestern Louisiana was placed on two years' probation and barred from postseason play during that time for recruiting violations and for student-athletes receiving financial assistance from an outside organization.[3]

1973 death penalty

In August 1973, Louisiana–Lafayette—then known as Southwestern Louisiana—became only the second school to receive the so-called "death penalty" from the NCAA. The basketball team was found guilty of over 120 violations. Most of them involved small cash payments to players, letting players borrow coaches' and boosters' cars, letting players use university credit cards to buy gas and buying clothes and other objects for players. However, the most severe violations involved massive academic fraud. In the most egregious case, an assistant coach altered a recruit's high school transcript and forged the principal's signature. Several boosters arranged for surrogates to take college entrance exams for prospective recruits. The NCAA Council found the violations so egregious that it wanted to throw Southwestern Louisiana out of the NCAA altogether. It settled for scrubbing the Ragin' Cajuns' 1972 and 1973 NCAA Tournament appearances from the books and canceling the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons.[4][5]

2007 major violations

In 2007, The Ragin Cajuns were found guilty of major violations in its men's basketball program. An NCAA investigation found that now-former player Orien Greene had relied on 15 hours of correspondence courses taken through another institution in order to remain eligible for the 2004 spring semester and the entire 2004-05 academic year. NCAA rules do not allow student-athletes to use correspondence courses taken from another institution to remain eligible. According to the NCAA, this was an "obvious error" that should have been caught right away, but the school's then-compliance coordinator, director of academic services and registrar all failed to catch it. When school officials learned about the violations, they vacated every game in which Greene participated—43 games in all, including NCAA tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005—and scrubbed Greene's records from the books. The NCAA accepted Louisiana–Lafayette's penalties and also imposed two years' probation.[6][7]

Postseason

NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Ragin Cajuns have unofficially appeared in ten NCAA Division I Tournaments. However, they have officially only appeared in six; the other four appearances have been vacated. In 1972, they became the first school to make the tournament in their first year of eligibility, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. They repeated this feat in 1973. However, both of these appearances were scrubbed from the books as a result of the 1973 infractions case. The Ragin Cajuns participated in the 2004 and 2005 NCAA tournaments, but both appearances were vacated due to major violations involving Orien Greene. Their official combined record is 1–6. All appearances prior to 2000 were when the school was still named Southwestern Louisiana.

Year Round Opponent Result Notes
1972* First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Marshall
Louisville
Texas
W 112–101
L 57–61
W 100–70
Vacated
Vacated
Vacated
1973* First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Houston
Kansas State
South Carolina
W 102–89
L 63–66
L 85–90
Vacated
Vacated
Vacated
1982 First Round Tennessee L 57–61
1983 First Round Rutgers L 53–60
1992 First Round
Second Round
Oklahoma
New Mexico State
W 87–83
L 73–81
1994 First Round Marquette L 59–81
2000 First Round Tennessee L 58–63
2004* First Round NC State L 52–61 Vacated
2005* First Round Louisville L 62–68 Vacated
2014 Second Round Creighton L 66–76

* appearance and records vacated

NCAA Division II Tournament results

The Ragin Cajuns appeared in the 1971 NCAA Division II Tournament. However, that appearance was later vacated due to the same rules violations that stripped them of their 1972 and 1973 Division I Tournament results.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score Notes
1971* Regional Semifinals
Regional Finals
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game
New Orleans
Tennessee State
Assumption
Evansville
Kentucky Wesleyan
W 113–107
W 86–82
W 110–99
L 74–93
W 105–83
Vacated
Vacated
Vacated
Vacated
Vacated

* appearance and records vacated

NAIA Tournament results

The Ragin Cajuns have appeared in two NAIA Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–2.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score
1965 First Round
Second Round
Colorado State-Pueblo
Oklahoma Baptist
W 66–59
L 82–95
1967 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Findlay
Central Michigan
Oklahoma Baptist
W 110–73
W 70–62
L 65–66

NIT results

The Ragin Cajuns appeared in five National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–6. All appearances prior to 2002 were when the school was still named Southwestern Louisiana.

Year Round Opponent Result
1980 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
UAB
Texas
Minnesota
W 74–72
W 77–76
L 73–94
1984 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third Place Game
Utah State
Weber State
Santa Clara
Notre Dame
Virginia Tech
W 94–92
W 74–72
W 97–76
L 59–65
L 70–71
1985 First Round
Second Round
Florida
Tennessee
W 65–64
L 72–73
2002 Opening Round Louisiana Tech L 63–83
2003 First Round UAB L 80–82

CIT results

The Ragin Cajuns appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Their combined record is 2–2.

Year Round Opponent Result
2012 First Round Rice L 63–68
2015 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Incarnate Word
Sam Houston State
Evansville
W 83–68
W 71–70
L 82–89

Home venues

Earl K. Long Gymnasium

Blackham Coliseum

Main article: Blackham Coliseum

Cajundome

Main article: Cajundome

See also

References

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