| Game 21: Little Rock at Appalachian State |
| Date |
Thursday, January 25, 2018 |
| Time |
6:30 p.m. CT |
| Location |
Boone, N.C. |
| Arena |
Holmes Convocation Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (5-15, 2-5 Sun Belt)
Appalachian St. (8-13, 3-5 Sun Belt) |
| Watch |
ESPN3 |
| Radio |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Stats |
AppStateSports.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Appalachian State |
OPENING TIP
Little Rock heads back on the road this week, heading east to the Carolinas. The road swing begins in Boone, North Carolina, as the Trojans face Appalachian State on Thursday, January 25. The game against the Mountaineers will stream live on
ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, tipping at 6:30 p.m. CT. Ray Tucker will have the call between the Trojans and the Mountaineers from the Holmes Convocation Center on The Point 94.1 FM and online at
KKPT.com, beginning with the pregame show at 6:15 p.m. CT.
WHERE ARE WE AGAIN?
Little Rock's challenging road schedule continues this weekend as the Trojans will add two more states to their growing travelogue. North and South Carolina will be the ninth and 10th different states Little Rock will have played a road game this season, comprised of Tennessee (Memphis), Arizona (Grand Canyon), California (San Diego), Arkansas (Central Arkansas), Illinois (Bradley), Texas (Sam Houston State), Mississippi (Mississippi State) and Georgia (Georgia State and Georgia Southern). To date, the Trojans have racked up nearly 8,500 miles traveled and will eclipse the 10,000-mile mark this weekend, adding over 1,800 miles during their trek to the east coast.
CHALLENGING ROAD AHEAD
Not only has Little Rock's road games taken them across the country, the Trojans have faced some tough challenges along the way. Little Rock's 10 road opponents have a combined record of 117-64 (.646) as nine of the 10 currently boast winning records. Grand Canyon, Bradley, Mississippi State, Georgia State and Georgia Southern each have registered 14 wins so far in 2017-18 with Memphis and San Diego sitting at 13 victories on the year.
PREVIEWING THE MOUNTAINEERS
2017-18: 8-13 overall, 3-5 Sun Belt Conference (8th), 6-2 at home
Last Three Games: L at Troy (81-79); L at South Alabama (83-77); L vs. Georgia Southern (60-59)
Head Coach: Jim Fox (SUNY Geneso, 1995). Fourth season at Appalachian State (38-73, .342)
APPALACHIAN STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Appalachian State enters Thursday's contest on a four-game losing skid, including last second losses to both Georgia Southern and Troy. The Mountaineers rank third in the Sun Belt in scoring average at 77.5 points per game while sitting fourth in three point percentage (35.6%) and second in rebounds per game (39.7). Appalachian State has made 201 three-pointers on the season, the most in the conference, as 44 percent of the Mountaineer's field goal attempts come from beyond the arc. Individually, Ronshad Shabazz leads Appalachian State in scoring at 19.1 points per game, ranking fourth in the Sun Belt, while Justin Forrest averages 14.3 points as the duo have combined to shoot nearly 300 three-pointers on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Appalachian State meet for the ninth time Thursday with the Trojans holding a 6-2 edge in the all-time series. The two teams first met in a home-and-home series in 2005 with each winning on their home court before squaring off as Sun Belt Conference foes beginning in the 2014-15 season. The Trojans are 2-2 all-time at the Holmes Convocation Center, including last season's 76-68 victory, as Little Rock swept the season series in 2016-17.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock held the early advantage in its rivalry game against Arkansas State, racing out to a 19-6 lead at the midway point of the first half. But the Red Wolves shot 56.5 percent from three-point range and the Trojans couldn't keep pace, dropping a 70-62 decision to their in-state rivals at the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock made just 29.4 percent of its three-point attempts, making just one of its last 13 and going 0-for-7 in the second half.
BASKETBALL JONES
Sophomore
Andre Jones continues to pace the Trojan offensive attack, leading the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game. Jones has finished in double figures a team-high 12 times (including three games of at least 24 points) and has been the Trojans' leading scorer in nine games this season, coming within a whisker of his first career double-double four times. The Little Rock native also ranks second on the team in both rebounds (4.7 rpg) and assists (2.3 apg), leading the team in minutes played per game at 28.4.
ON YOUR MARC-US
Junior
Ben Marcus has quietly emerged as a reliable presence in the paint for Little Rock this season. Marcus has made 49 of his 66 shots on the year, a 74.2 percent shooting average, which would lead the Sun Belt if he had met the minimum. The Pine Bluff native currently would shatter the Trojans' single season field goal percentage record of .650, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98, but would need to attempt 24 more shots over the final 11-plus games of the season to reach the 90 field goals attempted minimum.
CONTROLLING THE PAINT
One area that has become Little Rock's strength through the non-conference portion of 2017-18 has been its play in the paint. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 602-468 in points in the paint through 20 games this season, averaging 30.1 points in the key per game and accounting for nearly 47% of their offensive production. Little Rock has held the advantage in 15 of its 20 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).
IN OUR DEFENSE ...
While Little Rock's offensive struggles have been well documented, the Trojans' defensive presence has gone largely unnoticed. Little Rock is giving up just 69.1 points per game, ranking in the top-100 nationally (97th), holding opponents to just 42.8 percent shooting from the floor and 35.2 percent from three-point range. The Trojans have held 14 of their 20 opponents under their season average in scoring, keeping foes 10 points under their scoring average on seven different occasions.
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
The four true freshmen on Little Rock's 2017-18 roster haven't had much time to settle into things as all four have been relied upon early and often. The quartet of
Cameron Corcoran,
Jaizec Lottie,
Damir Hadzic and
Kris Bankston have combined to play 1,309 minutes already this season, accounting for 32.3% of the Trojans' 4,050 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the game Saturday averaging 20.1 points per game, nearly 32% of Little Rock's offensive production, as Lottie, Hadzic and Bankston have combined for 34 starts this season.
BALANCING THE ROCK
Among anything else, Little Rock has established itself as a balanced offensive team in 2017-18. Eight Trojans are averaging at least six points per game, led by
Andre Jones' 12.1 average, with
Anthony Black (8.3) and
Ryan Pippins (8.1) both averaging over eight points per game.
Oliver Black (6.8),
Camron Reedus (6.5),
Jaizec Lottie (6.4),
Ben Marcus (6.3) and
Cameron Corcoran (6.2) each average over six points a game as nine different Trojans have been the team's high scorer through 20 games this season.
SEEKING THEIR ROAD TOUCH
The Trojans head to North Carolina in search of their first victory away from the Jack this season. Little Rock is 0-9 in road games this season, extending its winless streak in true road games to 10-straight, while winning just one of its last 17 in enemy territory. Little Rock's last win away from the Jack Stephens Center came in a 62-57 against South Alabama in Mobile on March 2, 2017.
PLAYING CATCH-UP
The key to victory for Little Rock this season has been to race out to an early lead and never look back. In the Trojans' five victories, Little Rock has held the lead for an average of 33:42 and has not trailed at any point in each of the last three wins over University of the Ozarks, ULM and UT Arlington. On the flip side, in the games the Trojans have lost this season, Little Rock has held the lead for an average of 7:41 and has found itself trailing by double digits on 12 occasions.
HEADING FOR THE COAST
Little Rock's Carolina tour continues Saturday when the Trojans make the 285-mile trek to Conway, South Carolina, for a showdown with Coastal Carolina. Opening tip between the Trojans and Chanticleers is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT from the HTC Center.
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