An arduous and sometimes tortuous season may finally be coming to an end for UL’s Ragin Cajun basketball team. The Cajuns (13-16, 10-8) and seeded No. 7 in this weekend’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament, are matched with 10th seeded UL-Monroe (11- 18, 6-12) in Saturday’s firstround game in Hot Springs, Ark.

The good news is that Robert Lee’s club has already beaten the Warhawks twice.

The bad news is that for UL to reach post-season play — and to have any chance at a winning record — it will have to win four times in Arkansas. The really bad news is that the Cajuns have won only three times away from the Cajundome all season and the other two victims aren’t in Hot Springs this weekend.

There’s more. UL finished the regular campaign in Colorado by losing to Denver and, because of injuries and suspensions, had only seven players available. Seven is good only if you’re an Olympic curling team.

The mountain may not be impossible to scale but it’s seemingly getting bigger by the minute.

Like last season, the latest Cajun edition has demonstrated a disturbing consistency in its ability to lose close games: 11 of the 16 losses have come by single digits. In fact, dating back to the 2006-07 season, the

Cajuns have lost 43 times by less than 10 points.

Even more bothersome to UL fans is to whom the Cajuns have lost this season: Mobile (17-10, NAIA), Centenary (8-21), Tulane (7-20) and McNeese State (10-18) — and all occurred at the Cajundome.

UL’s home attendance in the 11,500 seat facility has in turn dropped to 2,762 per game, the lowest mark in four years.

All this despite the presence of 6-8 senior Tyren Johnson, who leads the league in scoring, is second in rebounding and steals and is arguably the best player in the Sun Belt.

But not even Johnson has been able to overcome a 1- 8 road record in the SBC and 25 road losses in the last 29 games.

Saturday’s winner will play No. 2 seed North Texas, which has won seven games in a row.

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