LR Looks to Continue Record Start at Idaho

Game Notes
 
GM7: Little Rock (6-0) at Idaho (5-3)
Saturday, Dec. 5 | 7 p.m. (CST)
Moscow, Idaho | Cowan Spectrum (6,000)
Radio: The Point 94.1 FM / KKPT.com
Talent: Ray Tucker (PxP)
Live Video | Live Stats
 
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock men's basketball team travels to Moscow, Idaho, to take on the Idaho Vandals at 7 p.m. (CST) Saturday at Cowan Spectrum. A free live video stream of the game will be available through the Big Sky Network.
 
Fans can also follow the game via live scoring or can hear the game on The Point 94.1 FM, or online at KKPT.com.
 
Off to the best start of its Division I era, Little Rock will have a chance to improve to 7-0 for the first time. The Trojans are coming off a 79-73 win over Central Arkansas on Tuesday night that saw the team shoot 49.1 percent from the floor and put four players in double figures.
                                                 
Marcus Johnson Jr. led the way with 28 points on an efficient shooting line (8-12 FGs, 4-6 3FGs, 8-8 FTs), coming just two points shy of his second 30-point outing this season. Reigning Sun Belt Student-Athlete of the Week Josh Hagins stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
 
Little Rock's offense came alive in the win over UCA, but its defense has been the story through the first six games of the 2015-16 season. The Trojans rank third nationally in scoring defense (54.7 ppg) and 21st nationally in defensive field goal percentage (.363).
 
Idaho's defense has been strong this season. The Vandals' defense is only allowing teams to score 63.9 points per game and shoot 38.7 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. Idaho, who sits at 5-3 on the year, is among the national leaders in free throws attempted, shooting an average of 27.5 free throws per game while making 18.8.
 
Quick Hits
• Little Rock (6-0) is off to the best start of its Division I era following a 79-73 win over Central Arkansas on Tuesday at the Jack Stephens Center.
• A win Saturday at Idaho would continue the Trojans' best-ever streak to start a season, and would be the program's first seven-game win streak since 2007.
• Little Rock appears at No. 9 in the NCAA's latest RPI rankings (Dec. 4).
• Little Rock received votes in college basketball's AP Top 25 poll released on Monday and is currently ranked No. 15 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
• Little Rock's scoring defense ranks No. 3 nationally (54.7 ppg) and its defensive FG% (.363) ranks 21st.
• The Trojans also rank fourth nationally in free throw percentage (.807) and fifth in turnover margin (6.5).
• Josh Hagins was named the Sun Belt Student-Athlete of the Week on Dec. 1 after averaging 14.0 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in wins over East Carolina and Tulsa.
• 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.
 
Among National Leaders in RPI
Little Rock was ranked No. 9 in the NCAA's latest RPI release on Dec. 4.
 
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
Little Rock received votes in the NCAA's AP Top 25 poll released on Monday (Nov. 30), becoming 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 believed to be the first time Little Rock has received votes in the AP Poll since the Mike Newell era (1984-90), which included three NCAA Tournaments and four NIT appearances in six years.
 
No. 15 in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll
Little Rock appears at No. 15 in this week's CollegeInsider.com mid-major top-25 poll, the website announced on Monday.
 
Little Rock, who was unranked last week, is one of three Sun Belt Conference programs to appear in the poll, joining Louisiana (14) and UT Arlington (20).
 
About Idaho
Saturday's matchup will be the second-ever meeting between the programs, with Idaho winning the first matchup by a 64-54 final on Dec. 4, 1992 in the Southwest Missouri State Tournament.
 
Idaho is 5-3 on the season and coming off a 67-63 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday night. The Vandals have won two of three games away from home, and have a neutral court victory over Sun Belt member Troy.
 
The Vandals' defense is only allowing teams to score 63.9 points per game and shoot 38.7 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. Idaho is among the national leaders in free throws attempted, shooting an average of 27.5 free throws per game while making 18.8.
 
Perrion Callandret (13.8 ppg) and Victor Sanders (13.1 ppg) are averaging double figures to lead the Vandals on offense.