WATCH: Marlin Recaps Ragin’ Cajuns Trip To Texas
Winning on the road in conference play is a tough task, but Bob Marlin still wanted his Ragin' Cajuns to leave the state of Texas with a sweep.
After picking up a solid win over Texas State in San Marcos, Louisiana got blown out in Arlington against the top team in the conference. Coach Marlin knows how important it is to win in Sun Belt play, and he wasn't pleased with the outcome from the road trip.
"Disappointed we got a split," Marlin said. Thought we could get a sweep after winning the first one."
The game against Texas State required a lot of heart, but the loss against UT-Arlington was deflating.
Marlin didn't try to sugar-coat the loss to finish the road trip, and he tried to explain it to the fans and media.
"We came out and did not have the energy we needed in the first half," Marlin said. He also added, "Final score was not a factor. We decided to play some guys and try to get better."
He wanted to give a couple youngsters some experience before the conference tournament pops up on the schedule, but it didn't work out in Louisiana's favor.
Over the last three games, Louisiana allowed over 100 points in two losses. Marlin isn't pleased with the defense, and he plans on addressing it.
All throughout the year, Marlin mentioned that his team needed to play better team defense. In the two recent losses to Georgia State and UT-Arlington, his points was proved in a brutal fashion.
"Everything we did, we guessed wrong," Marlin admitted.
Every time they tried to take the three point line away, their opponent went inside. When they wanted to block off the paint, the opposing team went to the outside for a bucket. It's been a frustrating two weeks for Louisiana's defense, but Marlin's team is heading back to the Cajundome now, where they are 8-2 this season.
The Ragin' Cajuns are now 3-4 in conference play and looking to right the ship. They have Little Rock and Arkansas State coming into town next, and Marlin hopes his team can put their trip to Texas behind them. He also acknowledged that it's a long grind in college basketball.
"When you have a young team, sometimes fatigue can be an issue," Marlin pointed out. When it comes to the loss to UT-Arlington, Marlin said, "It will be important for them to shake it off."
Louisiana tips off against Little Rock this Saturday at 7:15 pm (on ESPN 1420 and HOT 107.9), so don't miss a minute of the action.