Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Record: 23-11
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (4th season)
Season summary: The Ragin' Cajuns pulled of two improbable upsets in the Sun Belt conference tournament to secure an automatic bid. Louisiana Lafayette does not have a win against a ranked opponent this season, but the Ragin' Cajuns have won 11 of their last 13 games. Led by the scoring-tandem of Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long, who combine for 37.8 points per game, Louisiana Lafayette has poured in 81.4 points per game this season—the 13th-highest total in the nation.
How they make a run: Payton and Long get enough help from role players to outscore more athletic teams.
How they falter: The Ragin' Cajuns revert back to their early-season, nonconference form and fail to contain on the defensive end against the nation's best teams.
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