Louisiana Tech's start to Conference USA play was drastically different on the men and women's side this weekend.

The Tech men opened with two double-digit losses to UTEP and New Mexico State by an average of 20 points per contest.

Brooke Stoehr's squad opened with a 13-point home win against UTEP on Thursday night before defeating New Mexico State by 9 on Saturday afternoon.

Three Things We Learned

1 — League Play won't be Easy

Traveling to UTEP and New Mexico State is never an easy road trip, and that proved to be true once again this weekend.

The Miners and Aggies both took it to the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor.

Home teams are now 62-8 within Conference USA this season.

Its been brutally difficult to get wins on the road within the league all year and it appears that'll remain the case now that we are into conference play.

Splitting road trips will be essential over the next 2.5 months for both the men and women.

2 — Daniel Batcho's Limited Effectiveness

Daniel Batcho was limited to 7 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes per game against UTEP and New Mexico State.

It's obvious that the Paris, France native must be more productive, but Batcho also needs more touches inside.

With the Bulldogs shooting only 25% from behind the 3-point line and averaging 16 turnovers per game, Talvin Hester will certainly instruct his team to play through its big man on Thursday night when FIU comes to town.

3 — Paris Bradley shines in Lady Techsters two wins

Paris Bradley is the glue for a Lady Techsters team that is now 9-4 overall and 2-0 in Conference USA play.

Bradley averaged 9.5 points, 3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals in the two victories.

The freshman from Carrollton, TX native has continued to improve throughout the season and has scored in double-figures in 5 of her last 7 games.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 — Can the Lady Techsters stay hot?

The Techsters haver won four in a row and will now hit the road for trips to FIU and Liberty this weekend.

Defense travels, and the Techsters have held their last four opponents to less than 40% shooting from the field while also forcing 20+ turnovers in 3 of the 4 games.

Getting a split would be huge.

2 — Can the Dunkin' Dogs 'get right' at home this week?

It's never optimal to lose two on the road, but is it really time to panic? Absolutely not.

FIU and Liberty comes to Ruston this week, and Talvin Hester's squad will need to bounce back.

The Bulldogs are averaging 17.2 turnovers per game in their four losses this season. That'll continue to remain a talking point, but getting back into the friendly confines of the Thomas Assembly Center should provide a nice boost in confidence for the Dunkin' Dogs.

One Prediction for Next Week

Daniel Batcho averages 20 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks against FIU & Liberty this week.

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