OPENING TIP
Little Rock will head back on the road for its first Sun Belt Conference road trip this weekend, heading to Georgia for a pair of games. First up for the Trojans is a date with Georgia Southern in Atlanta on Thursday, January 4, tipping at approximately 6:15 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN3 and through the WatchESPN app. Â Ray Tucker will have the call between the Trojans and the Panthers on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com.
WHERE ARE WE AGAIN?
Little Rock's challenging road schedule continues this weekend as the Trojans will add yet another state to their growing travelogue. Georgia will be the eighth different state 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) and Mississippi (Mississippi State). To date, the Trojans have racked up nearly 7,000 miles traveled and will add another nearly 1,500 miles to that total this weekend.
ROCKY ROAD
Not only did Little Rock's non-conference schedule take them across the country, the Trojans faced some tough challenges along the way. Little Rock's seven non-conference road opponents have a combined record of 66-34 (.660) thus far in 2017-18 as five of the seven currently boast winning records. Mississippi State has just one blemish (12-1) this season, coming off a loss to 25th-ranked Cincinnati on December 12, with San Diego (11-3), Bradley (11-4) and Grand Canyon (10-5) each with double digit win totals. The road trip to Georgia will add to that challenging slate as Georgia State (9-6) and Georgia Southern (10-5) both have winning records this season.
PREVIEWING THE PANTHERS
2017-18: 9-6 overall, 0-2 Sun Belt Conference (T-10th), 4-1 at home
Last Three Games: L at Troy (68-66); L at South Alabama (86-64); W at Chattanooga (71-48)
Head Coach: Ron Hunter (Miami (Ohio), 1986). Seventh season at Georgia State (132-80, .623), 22nd season overall (406-299, .576)
GEORGIA STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Thursday's game between Little Rock and Georgia State likely will come down to which team can establish their defensive identity. Georgia State ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense (65.5 ppg) while leading the league in steals per game (8.9) and ranking second in both field goal percentage defense (39.8%) and blocked shots per game (4.3). The Panthers are the Sun Belt's best in turnover margin, sitting at +5.27 and forcing 253 turnovers this season, and are also efficient from three-point range, hitting 37.2% of their attempts (second in the Sun Belt). D'Marcus Simonds ranks second in the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 21.3 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Georgia State meet for the 25th time Thursday with the Trojans holding a 19-5 edge in the all-time series, dating back to 1984. The two teams were conference foes in the Trans America Athletic Conference on a pair of occasions before Little Rock departed for the Sun Belt Conference in 1992, where they were rejoined by the Panthers in 2014. Little Rock dominated the early part of the series, winning the first 16 meetings between the two, but Georgia State has won five of the last eight as the teams split their two meetings last season, earning a victory on each other's home court. Little Rock defeated the Panthers 57-49 in Atlanta before Georgia State returned the favor with a 71-54 victory in Little Rock.
LAST TIME OUT
Three Trojans scored in double figures as Little Rock raced out to a sizable first half lead and never looked back, defeating ULM 71-62 on New Year's Eve for their first Sun Belt victory of the season. Little Rock led by as many as 15 in the first half, taking a 36-24 lead into halftime. ULM pulled to within two at 39-37 in the second half, but the Trojans distanced themselves from the Warhawks as nine different players scored in the win.
ON THE MARC-US
One of the quiet strengths of the Little Rock program in 2017-18 has been the play of junior
Ben Marcus. The Pine Bluff native had another strong showing against ULM, finishing with 10 points on five-of-five shooting from the floor. Nearing the midway point of the season, Marcus is setting himself up for a chance to join the Little Rock record books as he is shooting 78.6 percent in 2017-18, hitting 44 of his 56 field goal attempts. That mark is well above the single season field goal percentage record of 65.0 percent, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98. Marcus would need to take 34 more shots to reach the 90 field goals attempted minimum.
PRODUCTIVE PIPPINS
Since returning to the active lineup in mid-December, sophomore
Ryan Pippins has been an offensive spark the Trojans had been seeking. Since his return, Pippins ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game, including a career-high 15 points in the win over ULM Sunday. The Little Rock native is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range while hitting 10 of his 12 free throws, highlighted by a perfect 8-for-8 in the win over the Warhawks.
WELCOME BACK CAM
Sunday's victory saw junior
Camron Reedus start to get back into form, registering a career-high 13 points in the victory over ULM. Reedus, who had missed six games with a foot injury that has been lingering since the summer, registered his second double digit point total of the season, besting his previous-high of 11 against Memphis on November 14. He has also emerged as one of the Trojans' most consistent free throw shooters, converting on 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the charity stripe.
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 440-346 in points in the paint through 15 games this season, averaging 29.3 points in the key per game. Little Rock has held the advantage in 10 of its 15 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).
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 938 minutes already this season, accounting for over 31% of the Trojans' 3,010 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the weekend averaging 19.2 points per game as Lottie and Hadzic have both been constants in the Little Rock starting five.
SEEKING THEIR ROAD TOUCH
The Trojans head to Georgia in search of their first victory away from the Jack this season. Little Rock is 0-7 in road games this season, extending its winless streak in true road games to eight-straight, while winning just one of its last 15 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.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
An impressive program milestone remains tantalizingly close for
Wes Flanigan's squad. Playing its 80th season of basketball, Little Rock has compiled an overall program record of 993-1,013 (.495), sitting just seven wins shy of reaching 1,000 victories. The Trojans have accumulated 35 winning seasons in program history and have won 20 or more games 11 times, highlighted by the memorable 30-win campaign in 2016-17. The Trojans have already hit another big milestone this season as the December 9th game at Central Arkansas marked the 2,000th game in program history.
SOUTHERN, NOT STATE
The second half of Little Rock's Georgia road swing takes place Saturday as the Trojans will make the 200-mile trip southeast to Statesboro, facing Georgia Southern on Saturday, January 6. Opening tip against the Eagles is set for 4 p.m. CT from Hanner Fieldhouse.
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