Little Rock to Face DePaul Saturday on Fox Sports 1

Game Notes

GM8: Little Rock (7-0) at DePaul (5-3)
Saturday, Dec. 12 | 9 p.m. (CST)
Chicago, Ill. | McGrath-Phillips Arena (3,000)
TV: Fox Sports 1
Talent: Steve Physioc (PxP), Stephen Bardo (analyst)
Radio: The Point 94.1 FM / KKPT.com
Talent: Ray Tucker (PxP)
Live Stats
 
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock men's basketball team will look to stay unbeaten when it travels to Chicago, Ill., to face DePaul in McGrath-Phillips Arena on Saturday. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. and be televised on Fox Sports 1.
 
The Trojans' 7-0 start is the best in program history, and a win Saturday would give the program its first eight-game win streak since the 1988-89 season. Additionally, a victory would match the fifth-longest win streak in program history. Little Rock recently received votes in the AP Top 25 for the second straight week. It is the first time the Trojans have received votes in the AP Poll since Feb. 1988.
 
Making the 7-0 start even more impressive is the fact that it includes a 3-0 record in true road games. The Trojans are one of just three teams in the country – Joining Navy at 4-0 and James Madison at 3-0 – with a true road record of 3-0 or better. The start matches the Derek Fisher-led 1995-96 team as the only other Trojan team to win its first three road games to start a season.
 
DePaul will enter Saturday night's matchup as winners of four straight, most recently topping Drake 74-71 on Wednesday night. The Blue Demons are led by Preseason All-BIG EAST pick Billy Garrett, who is averaging 15.6 points through eight games.
 
Quick Hits
• Little Rock (7-0) is off to the best start in program history following a 64-54 win at Idaho on Dec. 5.
• The Trojans are one of just seven programs in the country with an overall record of 7-0 or better.
• Little Rock is one of just three programs in the country with a road record of 3-0 or better.
• Little Rock appears at No. 22 in the NCAA's latest RPI rankings (Dec. 10).
• For the second straight week, Little Rock received votes in college basketball's AP Top 25 Poll. This is the first time a Little Rock team has received votes in the AP Poll since Feb. 1988.
• Little Rock is ranked No. 7 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Poll, and received one No. 1 vote.
• Little Rock's scoring defense ranks first nationally (54.6 ppg) and its defensive FG% (.357) ranks sixth.
• The Trojans rank second nationally in free throw percentage (.815) and fifth in turnover margin (6.4).
• Five different Trojans are scoring 7.1 ppg or more.
• Head coach Chris Beard comes to Little Rock after two seasons at Angelo State, where he went 47-15 and led ASU to the 2015 NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen and No. 19 national ranking in 2014-15.
 
About DePaul (5-3 Overall)
Little Rock and DePaul will face off for the first time at 9 p.m. Saturday in McGrath-Phillips Arena. The Trojans will be looking to extend their record start to 8-0, while DePaul will be searching for its fifth straight victory.
 
The Blue Demons are coming off a 74-71 win at Drake on Wednesday night in which four players scored in double figures. DePaul finished the game shooting 57.1 percent as a team, including a 6-of-12 effort from 3-point range.
 
Through eight games, DePaul is 5-3 and shooting 47.6 percent as a team. The Blue Demons are scoring 74.1 ppg with three games of 80 or more on the season.
 
DePaul was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST in a preseason vote of the league's coaches. Billy Garrett was a Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST selection and is averaging 15.6 points through eight games this season.
 
Among National Leaders in RPI
Little Rock is ranked No. 22 in the NCAA's latest RPI release on Dec. 10.
 
The Trojans appeared at No. 1 in Yahoo Sports' RPI rankings on Sunday, Nov. 29, following its win over Tulsa – its second top-50 RPI victory of the year.
 
Receiving Votes in AP Top 25
For the second straight week, Little Rock received votes in the NCAA's AP Top 25 poll released on Monday (Dec. 7). The Trojans are the first Sun Belt Conference men's basketball program to earn AP Top 25 votes since Middle Tennessee during the 2012-13 season. The Blue Raiders received votes in the AP Top 25 in three separate weeks that season.
 
It is the first time Little Rock has received votes in the AP Poll since Feb. 1988.
 
Trojans Rising in Mid Major Polls
Little Rock appears at No. 7 in this week's CollegeInsider.com mid-major top-25 poll, and received one of 31 No. 1 votes in the poll. The Trojans jumped eight spots after appearing at No. 15 last week.
 
Little Rock also appears in this week's MidMajorMadness.com poll at No. 11.
 
Road Victories
Little Rock is one of just three programs in the country with a road record of 3-0 or better, with Navy (4-0) and James Madison (3-0) being the other two.
 
The Trojans are 1-0 in neutral court games, beating East Carolina 54-46 at the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 26.
 
This season marks just the second time of Little Rock's Division I era that a team has won its first three true road games of the season, joining the Derek Fisher-led 1995-96 team.