Little Rock Hosts Arkansas State in Home Finale

GM30: Little Rock (26-3, 16-2 SBC) vs. Arkansas State (11-18, 7-11 SBC)
Tuesday, March 1 | 7:15 p.m. (CST)
Little Rock, Ark. | Jack Stephens Center (5,600)
Radio: The Point 94.1 FM / KKPT.com
Talent: Ray Tucker (PxP), Bobby Vint (Analyst)
Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes
 
LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock will play its home finale vs. Arkansas State in the Farm Bureau Insurance Classic on Tuesday at the Jack Stephens Center. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m.
 
The Trojans will honor each of their four seniors – Daniel Green, Josh Hagins, Jermaine Ruttley and Roger Woods – in a ceremony before tipoff.
 
Little Rock will enter the game with the best record in the nation at 26-3. The Trojans have already set new program records for regular-season wins and Sun Belt Conference victories, and a win Tuesday would set a new program record for overall victories in a season. The Trojans received votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll on Monday.
 
The Trojans are 13-0 at the Jack Stephens Center this season and have won 15 straight games dating back to last season. Little Rock last started 14-0 at home in the 1987-88 season, and has only once completed a full season without a home loss once since moving to Division I. The Trojans were 12-0 at home in the 1981-82 season.
 
Arkansas State is 11-18 on the season and 7-11 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Red Wolves have dropped seven straight and its last two wins have come in overtime games.
 
Devin Carter leads Arkansas State on offense with 17.3 points per game. Anthony Livingston scores 15.5 per game while Donte Thomas averages 11.4 points and 5.5 assists.
 
Head coach John Brady is in his eighth season with the Red Wolves.
 
In the teams' first meeting of the season, Little Rock battled back from a 19-point deficit and had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds before ultimately falling to Arkansas State by a 76-73 final score at the Convocation Center on Jan. 18.
 
Little Rock outscored Arkansas State 43-28 after halftime, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 18-point hole it dug over the first 20 minutes. The Red Wolves made 18 of 29 shots in the first half, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Little Rock connected on just 8 of 27 shots and turned the ball over eight times in the first half.
 
Arkansas State leads 50-32 in the all-time series. Little Rock has won four straight meetings at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
Quick Hits
• Little Rock is off to its best start in program history and owns the best record in the nation at 26-3 (.897).
• With its win Saturday vs. Texas State, Little Rock clinched the program's first-ever outright Sun Belt Championship.
• Little Rock has secured its first-ever No. 1 seed and a double-bye at the Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans, La.
• Little Rock recently secured its first 20-win season since 2008-09, and 10th in its Division I history.
• Little Rock has established new program records for regular-season wins, Sun Belt wins and has matched the single-season overall wins record of 26 (1986-87).
• Little Rock is 13-0 at home and has won an arena-record 15 straight at the JSC dating back to last season.
• Little Rock's 12 road wins are a program record and second-most nationally in 2015-16.
• Little Rock's scoring defense ranks first nationally (58.8 ppg) and its defensive FG% (.380) ranks fifth.
• 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.