TIP-OFF

• The ULM men's basketball team continues opening week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana taking on the LSU Tigers. The Warhawks last defeated Champion Christian 111-61 to start the new campaign 1-0. They are looking for their first 2-0 start since 2019. 

SERIES HISTORY –

ULM and LSU face off for the ninth time in series history, with LSU winning all eight matchups. The two teams last met in the season opener in 2021, where LSU came away with a 101-39 win over  the Warhawks. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS –

The Tigers finished last year with an overall record of 17-16 and were selected to the National Invitation Tournament, where North Texas handed defeated the Tigers 84-77 in the first round. 

Returning for the Tigers is 6-6 junior guard Tyrell Ward from Washington, D.C.. Ward was fourth on the Tigers last season with 9.1 points per game and had a field-goal percentage of 43.8%. He socred the game-winning basket at the buzzer against then No. 17 Kentucky on Febuary 21, 2024. Head coach Matt McMahon returns for his third season with LSU, compiling a 31-35 record in his first two years with the program. 

RICHARD IN CHARGE–

The 2024-25 season marks the 15th year of Keith Richard leading ULM men's basketball and his 24th season overall as a head coach. Richard inherited a program saddled with APR sanctions and guided the Warhawks to four postseason appearances in five years. Richard's historic turnaround of the ULM program began in 2014-15, which was his first season without APR sanctions. Richard previously served as the head coach of Louisiana Tech from 1998-2007 and was an assistant at LSU from 2008-10 before being named ULM's head coach.

FAMILIAR FACES –

The Warhawks welcome back 10 players from the 2023-24 roster including starters Tyreese Watson, Jalen Bolden and Jerry Ngopot. Key role players including Jacob Wilson, Makai Willis, AD Diedhiou and P.D. McCraney are also back after playing in more than 10 games last season.

KEY ADDITIONS –

The 2024 ULM men's basketball signing class featured four new Warhawks to the 2024-25 roster. ULM signed two high school prospects (Micah Caster & Renars Sondors), one four-year transfer  (Coltie Young) and one junior college transfer (Ta'Zir Smith) in the 2024 class.

Additionaly, Phil Cunningham was introduced as an assistant head coach during the offseason. No stranger to the Sun Belt Conference, Cunningham was the head coach at Troy for six seasons and brings over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I level.

WARHAWK OLYMPIAN –

Former ULM men's basketball standout Majok Deng represented South Sudan at the Olympic Games in Paris this past summer. Deng is the first ULM player since Glynn Saulters to participate in the Olympic Games. Saulters, the only former ULM men's player in program history to have his jersey retired, competed at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and won a gold medal with the United States national basketball team.
 

UP NEXT –

ULM's continues its three-game road trip on Friday (Nov. 8) when the Warhawks travel to New Orleans for a matchup at Tulane at 6:30 p.m.