LA Tech Hoops 7-1, Head to Arizona

Louisiana Tech improved to 7-1 with a 98-70 win over Northwestern State. The game against the Demons was just the second home game of the season for the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech Head Coach Kerry Rupp and his Bulldogs hit the road again as they face Arizona on Wednesday night.

Tipoff is slated for 10:00 CST time and will be shown on Fox Sports Southwest in Louisiana. Louisiana Tech's only loss so far this year is at New Mexico. Arizona has lost three straight games. The Wildcats have played two games in December. On December 2nd, Arizona lost 74-72 in two overtimes to UNLV. On Sunday, the Wildcats lost 79-62 at Oklahoma. Nic Wise, a 5'10" senior guard from Houston, leads the Wildcats with 16.6 points per game. Derrick Williams, a 6'7" 210 pound freshman from California, averages 14.6 points and 6 rebounds per game. Jamelle Horne, a 6'6" 209 pound junior from San Diego, averages 10.6 points and a team high 8.6 rebounds for the Wildcats. Arizona is a small, quick team that features mostly guards. Seven players average over 20 minutes per game, including 6'6" 195 pound freshman Solomon Hill. A third freshman forward, Kyryl Natyazhko, is the only other player getting more than 5 minutes per game. The 6'10" post player from the Ukraine averages 4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 15.4 minutes. Kyle Fogg, Brendon Lavender, and Lamont Jones are all 5'11" to 6'3" guards that average between 5 and 6 points a game in 21 to 29 minutes per game and all three shoot under 40% from the field. Kyle Gibson leads Louisiana Tech with 21 points per game. The 6'4" senior is shooting .452 from behind the arc. Gibson hit the game winning three pointer against Louisiana-Monroe, then scored 29 against Northwestern State. Up front, Olu Ashaolu leads Tech with 10.0 rebounds to go with 13.0 points on .643 shooting. 6'11" Magnum Rolle averages 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Rolle has 18 blocks on the year. Senior David Jackson is a 6'8" forward from Tucson, AZ. DeAndre Brown will try to slow down Nic Wise. Brown is averaging 8.3 points and 3.25 assists so far this year. The 5'11" Brown had 16 points and 6 rebounds against ULM. The junior point guard used his quickness to get in the lane and score against the Warhawks. Louisiana Tech will look to go to 8-1 for the first time since 1989-1990. That year the Bulldogs, behind P.J. Brown and Anthony Dade, started 8-1 before falling to Oregon St. 82-81. Arizona has played a tough schedule so far this season. Three of the Wildcat's four losses have come against teams from the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12. While Louisiana Tech did lose at New Mexico, they have three road wins on the year including a 68-63 win at TCU. The Bulldogs also have two neutral site wins, having beaten Nichols State and Miami, Ohio in the New Mexico tournament. It should be a good game on Wednesday night. Tune in to Fox Sports Soutwest in Louisiana at 10:00 p.m.for some good hardwood action!

Arizona made it to the sweet sixteen last year, but lost Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill early to the NBA. (AP)