RUSTON -- Every game tells a story, and this season's non-conference slate is full of them.

Whether it's Mike Green lighting up Memorial Gym against the rival Cajuns or the Bulldogs shocking top-seeded Nevada in a WAC Tournament thriller, these opponents have been part of some unforgettable chapters in Louisiana Tech men's basketball history. Before the ball tips this November, here's a look back at some fun facts and notable games that connect the past to the present.

NOV. 4 AT NEVADA
Fun Facts

• First-ever non-conference meeting between LA Tech and Nevada (all 15 previous matchups came as Western Athletic Conference opponents from 2001-12).
• Despite Nevada winning all six meetings from 2003-06, the battles between LA Tech's Paul Millsap and Nevada's Nick Fazekas were legendary.
  • Millsap averaged 17.8 points and 13.2 rebounds in those games.
  • Fazekas countered with 20.0 points and 11.2 rebounds.
  • Millsap edged Fazekas for 2004 WAC Freshman of the Year after posting 20-20 games in both meetings versus the Wolfpack.
• Three of LA Tech's six wins over Nevada have come in Reno, including back-to-back victories in 2002 and 2003 and a 2009 win that snapped a 12-game skid to the Wolfpack.

Notable Game – March 9, 2012: WAC Tournament Shock
Top-seeded Nevada entered the 2012 WAC semifinals as a heavy favorite, having eliminated LA Tech twice before in the league tournament and winning 18 of the last 20 meetings. Up 71-69 with 2:53 left, it looked like another heartbreak for the Bulldogs. But LA Tech answered with a 7-0 run to stun the Wolfpack, 78-73, and advance to its first-ever WAC Tournament championship game. Trevor Gaskins scored a game-high 21 points, followed by WAC Freshman of the Year Raheem Appleby who had 17.
 
NOV. 19 AT INDIANA STATE / NOV. 26 VS. INDIANA STATE
Fun Facts

• This will not be the first time the two schools play twice in the same season – LA Tech and Indiana State also had a home-and-home in 1974-75 (Larry Bird was not yet on the roster in case you were wondering).
• LA Tech's 1974 opener in Terre Haute marked its first-ever basketball game in the state of Indiana. Since then, the Bulldogs have only played in Indiana three more times (most recently vs. Indiana in Bloomington in 2019).
• Hosting in-season multi-team events (MTEs) has become a trend. LA Tech has hosted three since 2014 and remains unbeaten in home MTE games (7-0), with the last sweep coming in 2023 against Southern Utah and McNeese State.

Notable Game – Jan. 27, 1975: Turning Point vs. Sycamores
After dropping 11 of their first 15 games, the Bulldogs badly needed momentum. Hosting Indiana State in a rematch, LA Tech clung to a 31–27 halftime lead before the Sycamores surged ahead 47–44 with a 12-2 run. The game stayed tight until the final minute when Lanky Wells broke a 63-63 tie with a bucket, followed by two Mike McConathy free throws that sealed the 67-63 win. It sparked a turnaround for the season as the Bulldogs won eight of their last 10 contests.
 
DEC. 3 AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Fun Facts

• Only the second-ever game for LA Tech at Georgia Southern (five total meetings). The lone Statesboro matchup came in the 1969-70 season opener.
• When LA Tech first played in the state of Montana (1987 Champion Holiday Classic in Missoula), one of its opponents was Georgia Southern – a 63-46 loss.
• In last year's 77-63 win in Ruston, Kaden Cooper (25 pts, 8 reb) and Daniel Batcho (22 pts, 8 reb) became the first Bulldog duo in at least 20 years to each post 22+ points and 8+ boards in the same game.

Notable Game – Dec. 16, 1972: Mike Green's Big Night
Hosting Georgia Southern for the first time ever at Memorial Gym, LA Tech trailed late in the first half before closing on a 13–2 run to take a 45–38 lead. The Eagles cut it to one with under three minutes left, but Hall of Famer Mike Green (31 pts, 13 reb) carried the Bulldogs to an 85-80 win. It was one of his 16 games that year with 30+ points and one of his 25 double-doubles (out of 26 games).
 
DEC. 13 VS. UL-LAFAYETTE
Fun Facts

• Longtime in-state rivalry dates back to 1926, with 170 total meetings on record.
• The schools have shared conference ties in six different leagues, most recently the Sun Belt until LA Tech departed for the WAC in 2001. The rivalry will resume in-league when LA Tech rejoins the SBC.
• As non-conference foes, they have played 18 times – including every season since 2013 in a rolling home-and-home series. The series has been dead even since then at 6-6.

Notable Game – Jan. 11, 1971: Top-10 Showdown in Ruston
No. 1-ranked Southwestern Louisiana came to Ruston to face No. 8 LA Tech in front of 6,000 fans at Memorial Gym. Bulldog greats Mike Green and Jim Jenkins each scored 22, while the defense limited Cajun star Dwight "Bo" Lamar to 10-of-32 shooting. LA Tech pulled out a thrilling 103-94 victory in one of the most hyped games in Louisiana basketball history, a win that catapulted the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking.
 
DEC. 17 AT TULANE
Fun Facts

• LA Tech and Tulane have met four times in three different locations: New Orleans, Monroe, and Baton Rouge.
• In the 2004 Louisiana Classic played in the state's capital, Paul Millsap played all 40 minutes and put up 25 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks in a 69-66 win. (He was the last Bulldog to post that stat line in a single game.)
• This matchup is part of a home-and-home series. Tulane will make its first-ever trip to Ruston in 2026.

Notable Game – Jan. 16, 2014: Defensive Domination
For head coach Michael White, who grew up on Tulane's campus, a road win in New Orleans was extra special. Behind hot shooting from Jaron Johnson and Kenyon McNeail (14 pts each), LA Tech rolled 73-45 in a conference game inside Devlin Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs smothered Tulane defensively, holding the Green Wave to just 10 made field goals on 23.3% shooting – tied for the fewest makes by a LA Tech opponent in the last 25 years.