After dropping from its No. 1 ranking, Kansas took care of business in its home opener.
Vermont led for much of the first half before No. 2 KU broke the game open in the second half in the eventual 84-68 win. Senior Lagerald Vick put on a clinic to lead the Jayhawks, hitting all eight of his 3-pointers in the win to set a Big 12 record for most triples without a miss.
Kansas will look to continue its early dominance when it welcomes Louisiana (1-1) tonight in Allen Fieldhouse.
“They blew out their opponent in the first game,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Against Tennessee, they actually hung in there except Tennessee went on a 16-2 run. They are capable and they are very athletic.”
Game is slated to start at 7 p.m.
**Series history:** This series is tied with Louisiana winning the first meeting, 54-45, on Dec. 29, 1983, and Kansas winning the most recent match-up, 96-51, on Dec. 11, 2004.
**BREAKING DOWN LOUISIANA**
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**TOP PLAYER**
*No. 23 — F JaKeenan Gant | 6-8, 215, sr.*
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Gant is already off to a strong start in his senior season.
Though two games, Gant has scored a total of 37 points on a combined 16-for-24 shooting. He’s collected a total of 10 rebounds, adding in four total blocks as well. He’s done all this by playing a combined 29 minutes in two contests.
Gant, who transferred from Missouri before his junior season, averaged 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest last year. He recorded a 9.1 block rate last year, which ranked 39th in the nation via KenPom.com.
**SUPPORTING CAST**
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*No. 35 — G Marcus Stroman | 6-2, 200, sr.*
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Stroman has a knack for getting his teammates involved.
Through two games, Stroman has already recorded a total of 19 assists for the Rajun Cajuns. As a junior, Stroman finished second in the Sun Belt Conference in assists per game (6.5), while leading the league in assist/turnover rate (2.2).
His 213 assists during the season were the fourth-most by a Louisiana player in school history and 12th-highest total among NCAA players during the season. He registered at least 10 assists in six games, including 15 dimes at Georgia State.
*No. 1 — G Malik Marquetti | 6-6, 200, sr.*
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After an efficient outing in the opener, Marquetti settled back to earth against Tennessee.
Marquetti scored 19 points in just 20 minutes, hitting 6 of 8 attempts from the field against Virgin Islands. In the next game, however, Marquetti finished with just eight points despite attempting 13 shots in 38 minutes.
Last season, Marquetti averaged 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in his first campaign with Louisiana.
*No. 11 — F Jerekius Davis | 6-6, 225, jr.*
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Davis has yet to play more than 15 minutes in a game this season.
In the opener, Davis scored 14 points in 15 minutes by going 5-for-9 from the floor. He then finished with just two points in the second game of the season. Last year, Davis reached double figures in three games, including a 20-point showing at South Alabama.
*No. 0 — G Cedric Russell | 6-2, 175, so.*
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Russell is the biggest threat from deep for the Rajun Cajuns.
Last year, Russell finished with 43.3 percentage from long range to lead the team. He converted 55 of 127 attempts from distance, drilling three or more 3-pointers in seven different games.
This year, Russell is 5-for-9 from downtown in a total of 53 minutes across two games.
**ONE THING LOUISIANA DOES WELL**
The Rajun Cajuns have demonstrated the ability to take care of the ball, allowing opponents to record just a 4.4 steal percentage thus far, according to KenPom. Through two games, Louisiana has also posted a turnover rate of 17.5 percentage.
**ONE AREA LOUISIANA STRUGGLES**
It is a small-sample size, but Kansas could have a field day on the offensive glass. Louisiana has allowed opponents to grab 35.5 percent of its offensive rebounds, which ranks 288th in the nation.
**MEET THE COACH**
The Ragin’ Cajuns are coached by Bob Marlin, who is 156-112 in his ninth season at UL.
**VEGAS SAYS…**
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According to Bovada, Kansas is a 21-point favorite over Louisiana as of Friday morning. I’ve missed on the first two games of the year, but this is where I hopefully start my comeback. Unlike Vermont, Louisiana doesn’t have the 3-point shooting to keep this game close. Kansas should be in control from the start.
**My prediction:** Kansas 93, Louisiana 67.
Record against spread: 0-2
