Few college basketball programs have a history as complicated as the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. The average fan may not even be aware, but some of the program’s dark days have contributed to cheap Louisiana-Lafayette basketball tickets being more readily available compared to other Sun Belt teams. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns have done a truly incredible job of rebuilding and getting to the point where Louisiana-Lafayette can compete at a high level. In fact, one could say that the Ragin’ Cajuns are a program on the rise inside the Sun Belt, leading to an increase in the demand for last-minute Louisiana-Lafayette basketball tickets.

The Dreaded Death Penalty

In 1973, after many years of success at the NAIA and Division II levels, the Ragin Cajuns (at the time called Southwest Louisiana) were given the infamous “death penalty” by the NCAA. The basketball program committed 120 violations ranging from players receiving improper financial benefits to academic fraud. As a result, the Ragin’ Cajuns were forced to vacate their first two appearances in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level and have two full seasons canceled. As one of just two basketball programs to receive the “death penalty,” it’s truly a black mark in Louisiana’s history.

Rising from the Dead

While the “death penalty” was a huge setback for the program, the Ragin’ Cajuns were able to find their way back. They returned to the court for the 1975-76 season, and in 1982, they won the Southland regular-season and tournament championships, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since being punished. It was a huge accomplishment and a sign of brighter days ahead for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In the Sun

Starting with the 1991-92 season, the Ragin’ Cajuns became members of the Sun Belt Conference. They became conference champions in their first season and proceeded to pull off an upset of Oklahoma in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. More appearances in the Big Dance would follow, and when Bob Marlin took over at Louisiana in 2010, he brought great stability to the Ragin’ Cajuns, turning them into a force to be reckoned with inside the Sun Belt.