Little Rock Stays Home to Host Idaho on Friday

Little Rock vs. Idaho
Date	Friday, November 18
Time	6:30 p.m.
Location	Little Rock, Ark.
Arena	Jack Stephens Center
Stats	Statbroadcast
Audio	The Point 94.1 FM
Video	Little Rock All-Access
Notes	Little Rock | Idaho

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock (2-0) returns to the Jack Stephens Center to host Idaho (1-1) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Trojans enter the game with an 18-game home winning streak, the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.
 
Friday is Hometown Hero Night at the Jack Stephens Center. Admission is free to all veterans and service personnel. There will be a Maroon Mob hat give-a-way while supplies last. The Salvation Army will also be in attendance.
 
Little Rock's 203 points through two games are its most since the 1994-95 season.
 
The Trojans' 98.5 points per game rank 14th nationally, while the team's field goal percentage (.578) ranks seventh. Little Rock's scoring margin (+35.5) is 18th nationally.
 
Little Rock also ranks in the top-50 nationally in rebounding margin (+13.0), assists per game (18.5), 3-point field goals per game (10.5), 3-point percentage (.429) and free throw percentage (.778).
 
Little Rock leads the Sun Belt in a number of offensive categories, including field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and scoring margin.
 
Little Rock's five active seniors are averaging 60.5 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent from 3 over the Trojans' first two games. Five players are averaging double figures in scoring, and eight are averaging at least 6.5 ppg.
 
The Idaho Vandals are 1-1 on the season after falling at Northern Illinois on Wednesday night. Idaho beat Corban University to open the season on Nov. 12.
 
Idaho won 21 games a season ago, topping the 20-win mark for the first time since the 1992-93 season.  Its 12 conference wins were the most since 1989-90. The Vandals advanced to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals and earned a bid to the 2016 College Basketball Invitational.
 
League coaches picked the Vandals to finish second in the Big Sky and guard Victor Sanders was voted to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team. Sanders led the Vandals at 15.9 points per game a season ago.
 
The Trojans topped Idaho 64-54 last season in Moscow to tie the all-time series at 1-1. Little Rock trailed 29-28 at halftime, but outscored Idaho by 11 after the break while holding the Vandals to 26.7 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes. Jalen Jackson led Little Rock with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Marcus Johnson made three 3s and scored 12 points.
 
Quick Hits
• Coming off of its best season in program history, Little Rock has been picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches poll.
• Little Rock ranks 14th nationally in scoring (98.5 ppg) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.578).
• Marcus Johnson Jr. was voted Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team after averaging 12.5 points and leading the Sun Belt in 3-point percentage (.466) in 2015-16.
• Despite losing two of their top three scorers, the Trojans return eight lettermen, six seniors and three starters in 2016-17.
• Last season, Little Rock won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and beat Purdue in the NCAA Tournament first round.
• Little Rock went 30-5 last season, establishing program and conference records for wins in a season.
• The Trojans' five losses last season tied with Villanova, Kansas and SMU for the fewest in the nation.
• Little Rock's 18-game home winning streak is the eighth-longest in the nation.
• Head coach Wes Flanigan enters his first season at the helm after serving as associate head coach on Little Rock's record-breaking 2015-16 team.