Bulldogs

NCAAB Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

General Team Information:

NCAA Division: Division I

Conference: Conference USA (2013-present)

Past Conferences: Southland, American South, Sun Belt, Western Athletic

City: Ruston, La.

Stadium: Thomas Assembly Center

NCAA Tournaments: 5 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991)

Championships:

National Championships: None

Conference Tournament Titles: 6 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991)

Conference Regular Season Titles: 10 (1976, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2013, 2014, 2015)

Team History

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are a Division I team based in Ruston, La. Louisiana Tech joined Conference USA in 2013 following a 12-year stint in the Western Athletic Conference.

Louisiana Tech became a postseason regular in the 1980s, making the NCAA Tournament or National Invitational Tournament nine straight years between 1984-92. That era saw the Bulldogs produce premier talent, including All-Americans Karl Malone and Randy White.

Malone took the Bulldogs to another level in 1983-84, guiding them to a then-program-record 26 wins, the Southland Conference Tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Louisiana Tech overcame odds to beat No. 7 seed Fresno State in the first round before falling to Houston’s Phi Slama Jama — the nickname given to the rim-rattling Cougars teams of the 80s — in the round of 32.

Karl Malone Makes the Difference

With Malone back in tow, Louisiana Tech was even better the next season. The Bulldogs went 29-3, rose to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll, and swept the Southland regular season and tournament titles. Malone averaged 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, and the Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16. They wound up losing 86-84 in overtime to top-seeded Oklahoma on a last-second shot by Wayman Tisdale. That same year, Malone was selected 13th overall in the NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, with whom he’d become a two-time Most Valuable Player and 14-time All-Star.

Other notable alumni include four-time NBA All-Star Paul Millsap, 2008 NBA champion P.J. Brown, and Naismith Hall of Famer Leon Barmore, who won an NCAA title while coaching Louisiana Tech’s women’s basketball team from 1985-02.

Louisiana Tech also made the NCAA Tournament in 1987, 1989 and 1991, but hasn’t been back since. The Bulldogs’ postseason history also includes 10 appearances in the NIT, with third-place finishes in both 1986 and 2021.

The Bulldogs have been among C-USA’s upper echelon teams, with nine consecutive winning seasons since joining the league, including back-to-back regular season titles in 2014-15. Talvin Hester, a former Louisiana Tech and Texas Tech assistant, became the school’s head coach in 2022-23 following Eric Konkol’s departure.