LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock returns to the Jack Stephens Center to host Arkansas State in the 2017 Farm Bureau Classic. Tipoff is 6 p.m.
Saturday is Greek Night at the Jack Stephens Center. The Junior Trojans Club Kids Zone will be open on Fisher Court. The Bale Shot 4 A Car will also take place during the game.Â
Both Little Rock and Arkansas State are 11-6 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt play. Last weekend, Little Rock topped Appalachian State in Boone before falling at Coastal Carolina. Arkansas State dropped both contests after going 2-0 in its opening weekend of league play.
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Making his first two starts of the season,
Deondre Burns established new career highs in scoring in back-to-back games, totaling 33 points on just 22 shots in contests at Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina.
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Burns averaged 16.5 points, shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from 3 in the two games. At App State on Saturday, Burns scored a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-6 effort from 3. On Monday at Coastal Carolina, Burns topped his career high again, scoring 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and going 3 of 6 from deep. He added six rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes.
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Arkansas State is 11-6 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt play following losses at Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State last week. The Red Wolves went 9-4 in non-conference play with four road wins, including victories at Georgetown and Army.
Devin Carter is averaging 15.9 ppg to lead three Arkansas State players scoring in double figures. Carter has made 53 3-pointers and is shooting 39.0 percent from deep on the season. Donte Thomas has handed out a team-high 99 assists on the year.
Arkansas State leads 50-33 in the all-time series and 36-25 since the Trojans moved to Division I in 1978-79. The series is tied 28-28 since both became members of the Sun Belt. Little Rock leads 21-11 in games played in on its home floor. The two teams' split the series last year, with both winning on their home floors. The 5,619 that packed the Jack Stephens Center for the Trojans' 89-80 win set a new arena attendance record.
Head coach Grant McCasland is in his first season in Jonesboro.
Quick Hits
• Little Rock's win percentage of .788 (41-11) since the start of the 2015-16 season is tied for 13th nationally.
• Little Rock's road win percentage of .682 (15-7) over the same span is 12th nationally.
• Little Rock's 15 true road wins since the start of 2015-16 are tied for fourth-most nationally.
• Four Little Rock players are averaging double figures and a fifth is averaging 9.8 ppg. The 1989-90 season was the last time Little Rock had five double-figure scorers in a season.
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Deondre Burns averaged 16.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting while making his first two starts of the season at Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina.
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Marcus Johnson Jr. has averaged 17.5 points on 55.6 percent shooting while coming off the bench each of the last two games.
• Little Rock leads the Sun Belt Conference in free throw shooting percentage (.730).
• Little Rock has won five straight games against Arkansas State at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans' last home loss to A-State was Jan. 29, 2011.
• Last year's Little Rock-Arkansas State game at the JSC set a new arena attendance record (5,619).
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