OPENING TIP
Little Rock plays part two of its season opening Tiger Two-Pack Tuesday, heading up I-40 for a showdown with Memphis. The game against the Tigers at the FedEx Forum will tip at 7 p.m., airing live on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app with Ray Tucker on the call on The Point 94.1, airing over the air and online at KKPT.com.
PACK YOUR BAGS
The Trojans hit the road for the first time this season, making the 142-mile trek into Tennessee for the game against the Tigers. The trip marks the first of 15 road games for Little Rock this season, a stretch that will take the Trojans to 12 different states in all four time zones. Â The short ride over to Memphis will be the second-shortest trip of the year for Little Rock, surpassed only by the 34 mile trip to Conway for the December 9th game at Central Arkansas.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
2017-18: 0-1 overall, 0-0 American Athletic Conference
Last Game: L, 82-70 vs. Alabama (in Annapolis, Md. in Veterans Classic)
Head Coach: Tubby Smith (High Point, 1973). Second season at Memphis (19-14); 27th season overall (576-290)
Last Game Starters:
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#0 Kyvon Davenport (Jr., F): 15 pts., 11 reb., 41.7 FG%, 20.0 3PT%, 57.1 FT%, 1 blk.
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#2 Jimario Rivers (Sr., G/F): 10 pts., 3 reb., 57.1 FG%, 50. FT%, 1 ast., 1 stl.
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#3 Jeremiah Martin (Jr., G): 10 pts., 7 reb., 36.4 FG%, 20.0 3PT%, 33.3 FT%, 2 ast., 1 stl.
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#5 Karee Brewton Jr. (Jr., G): 13 pts., 4 reb., 40.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT%, 83.3 FT%, 4 ast., 3 stl.
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#10 Mike Parks Jr. (Jr., F): 4 pts., 4 reb., 33.3 FG%, 1 blk.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's game marks the sixth all-time meeting between the Trojans and Tigers with Memphis having won the previous five. Four of the five meetings have taken place in Memphis, the last of which was a 73-59 Tiger victory on December 13, 2013. Memphis has visited Arkansas' capital city just once, defeating the Trojans 83-71Â at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock on December 12, 2009.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock stumbled in its 2017-18 season opener Saturday, falling to Ouachita Baptist 81-79 at the Jack Stephens Center. The loss came despite Little Rock shooting 55 percent from the floor and dominating the paint, outscoring the Tigers 48-20. But Ouachita Baptist did its damage from the outside, hitting 14 of 28 three-point attempts to earn the victory. The loss marked just the third time the Trojans have fallen in their home opener since making the move to Division I in 1978, holding a 36-3 overall record.
WELCOME TO THE ROCK
While not the outcome he was hoping for Saturday, head coach
Wes Flanigan expressed optimism as he looks forward to the 2017-18 season. Inexperience was the key factor against the Tigers as nine of the 12 Trojans that played were doing so for the first time in a Trojan uniform while eight of those were competing in their first game at the Division I level.
HADZIC'S MEMORABLE DEBUT
Freshman
Damir Hadzic's first game in a Trojan uniform is surely one he'll remember for a while, leading the team with 16 points while adding four rebounds against Ouachita Baptist. Hadzic went 7-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, with an assist and a block in his first action since joining the program this past winter.
SOLID PREMIERE FOR MOMPREMIER
Another newcomer that turned some heads in Saturday's home opener was graduate transfer
Wadly Mompremier, who finished with 11 points in his Trojan debut. The transfer from Ohio didn't miss against Ouachita Baptist, going 4-for-4 from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, while hitting both of his free throws, giving him a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage across the board.Â
VETERAN CONTRIBUTIONS
The three players that did not make their Trojan debuts Saturday all posted solid performances as the trio combined for 31 points against Ouachita Baptist. Junior
Ben Marcus led the way with 12 points, followed by 10 points and five assists from sophomore
Andre Jones. Junior
Oliver Black nearly logged is first double-double of the season, finishing with eight point and nine rebounds to complement his three assists. The trio have been looked to to provide leadership early as they combined for 61 of Little Rock's 84 points in the exhibition win over Southwest Baptist.
LOTS OF NEW FACES
Little Rock will have a lot of new faces on their roster this year as the 11 newcomers is tied with Pitt for the most among Division I programs. One of the nation's most inexperienced teams, the Trojans return just 27.4 percent of its minutes and 24.2 percent of its scoring from 2016-17. Junior
Deondre Burns is Little Rock's top returning scorer, averaging 7.0 points per game last season, but has yet to play this season recovering from an offseason injury. Redshirt junior
Oliver Black posted 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the floor while sophomore
Andre Jones looks to build on his 3.5 points and 1.6 rebound average.
THEIR CITY. THEIR TEAM.
The Trojans have made an assertive effort to be known as Little Rocks Team, and that focus is apparent by looking at the Trojan roster. Six Trojans hail from the state of Arkansas, including five who played their high school ball in the city of Little Rock (
Kris Bankston - J.A. Fair H.S.;
Anthony Black - Hall H.S.;
Andre Jones - Malvern H.S.;
Ryan Pippins - Parkview H.S.;
Brandon Brady - Pulaski Academy). The other native Arkansan is
Ben Marcus, a native of Pine Bluff who played at Watson Chapel H.S.
TROJANS AGAINST THE AMERICAN
Little Rock has posted a 9-13 (.409) all-time record against current members of the American Athletic Conference, going head-to-head against eight of the 14 institutions. The Trojans have won their last two games against the league, defeating East Carolina (54-46) and Tulsa (64-60) in 2015. The most common American foe Little Rock has faced has been the Golden Hurricane, going 4-5 in nine meetings against Tulsa, followed by the five all-time meetings against Memphis. SMU is the only other school the Trojans have faced more than once, going 2-1 all-time against the Mustangs.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
As the 2017-18 campaign gets underway, an impressive program milestone sits in the not-too-distant horizon for
Wes Flanigan's squad. Entering its 80th season, Little Rock has compiled an overall program record of 989-1,003 (.496), sitting just 11 wins shy of reaching 1,000 victories. The Trojans have accumulated 35 winning seasons in program history and have won 20 or more games 11 times, highlighted by the memorable 30-win campaign in 2016-17.
TROJANS PICKED 10TH IN PRESEASON POLL
Little Rock enters 2017-18 knowing it will have its work cut out for it as the Trojans were picked 10th in the preseason Sun Belt Conference poll. The Trojans, who finished 15-17 and 6-12 in league play in 2016-17, garnered 37 points, sitting two ahead of 11th-place Appalachian State and six behind ninth-place South Alabama. UT Arlington was tabbed as the favorite to win the Sun Belt, picking up nine first place votes and 128 total points, with Georgia State (116 pts.), Troy (115 pts.), Georgia Southern (114 pts.) and Louisiana (113 pts.) separated by just three points in the number two through five position.
FLANIGAN SIGNS THREE DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Head coach
Wes Flanigan announced the signing of three future Trojans during the fall early signing period last week. Flanigan signed a junior college transfer in Melkizedek Moreaux, a 6-6, 210-lb. native of Hamburg, Germany who is currently playing at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. Flanigan also added a pair of high school signees in Kalin Bennett and Traylynn Spencer, a pair of versatile players that can play multiple positions. Bennett (6-10, 255) knows the program well, playing at Little Rock Christian Academy while Spencer (6-8, 175) is one of the Dallas-Fort Worth area's top defenders, playing at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
WESTWARD BOUND
The game at Memphis is the first in a three-game road swing as the Trojans will head west for the next two. Little Rock next heads to Phoenix for its first-ever meeting with Grand Canyon, tipping at 8 p.m. CT Friday, November 18. The Trojans then continue on to California for a date with San Diego, getting underway at 9 p.m. CT Monday, November 20.Â
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