Bulldogs set to face tough challenge at tournament
RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech will opens the 2020 Conference USA Tournament on Thursday night at 9 p.m. on Court B at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
The Bulldogs, who are the No. 3 seed, will play a quarterfinal matchup against either No. 6 seed Marshall or No. 11 seed UTEP.
Louisiana Tech (22-8) comes into the postseason having won five of its last six games, finishing with two home victories this past week versus Florida International and Charlotte to help register a 13-5 conference record.
The Bulldogs were very efficient in the last game against the 49ers, leading wire-to-wire for a 66-43 victory. They jumped out to a 38-13 lead through the first 20 minutes. The 13 minutes were the fewest allowed in a half since 2015 and the 43 total points tied for the fewest allowed this season.
Kalob Ledoux, who was selected as the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year, poured in a game-high 18 points while making a season-high five threes. The junior ended up being named Conference USA Player of the Week after shooting 67 percent from the field and 64 percent from downtown over the two contests.
DaQuan Bracey, who was named First-Team AllConference USA, made his 100th career start as a Bulldog in the game, notching 12 points. He and Derric Jean, a Conference USA All-Defensive Team selection, were two of the four seniors who played their final game inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
In conference games only, the Bullogs rank in the top three in the league in field goal percentage (46.7), 3-point field goal percentage (36.5), field goal percent defense (41.2) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.7).
Potential opponent Marshall (16-15) enters its firstround game having won four of its last five, ending conference play with a 10-6 mark. They grabbed the top slot of the middle pod in bonus play after going 3-1 with wins over Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic and Texas-San Antonio.
The Thundering Herd got the better of the Bulldogs in the regular season, winning 83-79 in overtime at home. Marshall tied the game with five seconds left in regulation and ended up making a season-high 13 treys.
UTEP (17-14) went a perfect 4-0 in the bottom pod of bonus play to finish with an 8-10 conference record. The Miners defeated Rice twice as well as Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee.
Louisiana Tech was down seven points with a little over three minutes to go, but closed the game out on a 10-0 run to down UTEP by a score of 64-61 in El Paso back in January.
It would mark the second time facing the Thundering Herd in the Conference USA Tournament. Marshall got the best of that lone meeting in the 2017 semifinals when they hit a staggering 19 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs have never faced the Miners in the Conference USA Tournament, but the two teams did face off against one another in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in 2004.