OPENING TIP
Little Rock's challenging road trip continues this week with a pair of games in two different states, beginning with a trip to Illinois. The Trojans square off with Bradley on Wednesday, December 13 at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois, tipping off at 7 p.m. on
ESPN3. Ray Tucker will have the call against the Braves on The Point 94.1 FM and online at
KKPT.com.
WHERE ARE WE AGAIN?
Little Rock's challenging road schedule continues this week as the Trojans will play four of their final five non-conference games away from home. Beginning with the short trip to Conway on Saturday, Little Rock now travels to Illinois (Bradley), Texas (Sam Houston State) and Mississippi (Mississippi State), meaning each of the Trojans' first seven road games will have been played in different states, including Tennessee (Memphis), Arizona (Grand Canyon) and California (San Diego).
CHALLENGING ROAD AHEAD
Not only does Little Rock's non-conference schedule take them across the country, the Trojans will be facing some tough challenges along the way. Little Rock's seven non-conference road opponents have a combined record of 45-17 (.726) thus far in 2017-18 as all seven currently boast winning records. Mississippi State, Little Rock's opponent on December 20, is currently 8-0 with Memphis (6-2), Grand Canyon (6-2), San Diego (7-2) and Bradley (7-2) each sporting just two losses on the season.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
2017-18: 7-2 overall, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference, 5-0 at home
Last Three Games: L at San Diego State (75-52); W vs. Eastern Illinois (67-56); W vs. Georgia Southern (62-57)
Head Coach: Brian Wardle (Marquette, 2001). Third season at Bradley (25-49, .338); Eighth season overall (120-114, .513)
Series: Little Rock leads, 1-0. Â Last Meeting: December 22, 2014 (Las Vegas, Nev.) - Little Rock 64, Bradley 54
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TROJANS IN THE LAND OF LINCOLN
The game Wednesday marks the 13th time in Little Rock program history the Trojans will play a game in the Land of Lincoln, posting a 3-9 (.333) record in the previous 12 games. Little Rock's last game in Illinois came in 2015, defeating DePaul 66-44 in Chicago, as the Trojans' most frequent trip to Illinois has been to Champaign, playing four games at what was then Assembly Hall.
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by five at halftime at rival Central Arkansas, Little Rock was looking for another second half surge, similar to the one it had seen in the previous two games. But this time around, it was the Bears that found the scoring touch, using a 13-2 run to put the game away and hand the Trojans a 69-54 defeat at the Farris Center. Little Rock again struggled to find its scoring touch, connecting on just 28.3 percent of its shots (including 26.1 percent from three point range), suffering its first loss to the Bears since 1974 and snapping its 11-game winning streak over UCA.
BASKETBALL JONES
Sophomore
Andre Jones has emerged as the Trojans' top scoring threat early in the 2017-18 campaign, leading the team with his 13.3 points per game. The Little Rock native has taken 119 shots on the year, nearly double the next closest Trojan, while ranking second on the team in rebounds at 45. Jones has scored in double figures in six of nine games this season, including a then-career-best 24 points in the come-from-behind win over Central Arkansas on Nov. 29, followed by a career-high 25 in the double overtime loss to Oral Roberts on Dec. 2. With the performance, Jones became the first Trojan to score 24 or more points in back-to-back games since Brandon Freeman's 27-point performances against both St. Gregory's (Dec. 29, 2004) and Harding (Jan. 2, 2005).Â
STEPPING UP BIG
While he typically is the smallest player on the court, junior
Anthony Black has stepped up big over the past few games for the Trojans. Black has scored in double figures in each of the last two games for the Trojans, including his career-high 14 in the double overtime loss to Oral Roberts on Dec. 2. Black ranks second on the team in scoring (7.0 ppg) while leading the team in steals (nine) and ranking third in assists (14).
CONTROLLING THE PAINT
One area that has become Little Rock's strength early in 2017-18 has been its play in the paint. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 272-204 in points in the paint through nine games this season, averaging 30.2 points in the key per game. Little Rock has held the advantage in seven of its nine games this season, including a 20+ point differential against both Ouachita Baptist (48-20) and Norfolk State (38-10). Little Rock has held its own in rebounding as well, holding a slim 332-331 edge while averaging 36.9 boards per game. That charge has been led by junior
Oliver Black, who leads the team and ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference averaging 8.0 rebounds per game.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
Little Rock has faced its fair share of growing pains early in 2017-18 as the Trojans' roster has 11 newcomers on it, tied for the most in Division I with Pitt. One of those newcomers that has made his mark early is freshman
Jaizec Lottie, who has started eight of nine games at the point guard position for the Trojans. Lottie, who ranks third on the team in minutes (26.9) has been a significant contributor, leads the team in assists per game (3.1) while ranking second in steals per game (0.8), third in points per game (6.7) and fifth in rebounds per game (2.7).
CAREER HIGHS IN CONWAY
While the result wasn't what Little Rock wanted against Central Arkansas in Conway Saturday evening, a number of Trojans registered new career-bests against the Bears.
K.J. Gilmore set a new personal-best with nine points, including going 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while
Khari Harley also set a new career-best in a Trojan uniform with five points.
Cezanne Carson saw his most significant minutes on the year, playing a season-high 16 and pulling down a career-best seven rebounds while scoring his first basket as a Trojan.
IRON UNKIND
Despite Little Rock's success in the paint, beyond the arc has proven to be its Achilles heel. The Trojans enter this week shooting just 25.0% from three-point range (46-of-184), ranking 350th out of 351 Division-I programs. Little Rock sits one spot ahead of Fordham (24.1%) out of the bottom spot as the Trojans are coming off a 6-of-23 (26.1%) performance at Central Arkansas. The good news is that the Trojans have limited their opponents to just 35.8% from beyond the arc, ranking 229th nationally and eighth in the Sun Belt Conference.
TROJAN 2K
Saturday's game at Central Arkansas marked a small piece of Little Rock basketball history as the game against the Bears was the 2,000th game in Trojan program history. Little Rock has posted a 991-1009 record (.496), leaving the Trojans just nine victories shy of reaching the 1,000-win plateau. Since beginning the program in the 1930-31 season, Little Rock has accumulated 35 winning seasons in program history and have won 20 games or more 11 times, including the memorable 30-win campaign in 2015-16.
TROJANS AGAINST THE MVC
Little Rock has a limited history against the Missouri Valley Conference, posting a 5-12 (.294) record against current members of the league. That number is skewed slightly as the Trojans are 0-7 all-time against Missouri State and 5-5 against the six teams it has gone head-to-head with. Little Rock's last meetings against the MVC came in 2014, falling to the Bears 73-68 in Springfield, Missouri, on December 4 before defeating Bradley 64-54 on December 22 as part of the South Point Hoops Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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TEXAS BOUND
Little Rock's road swing heads south following its trip to Illinois, heading to Texas for a showdown with Sam Houston State Friday. Opening tip against the Bearkats is set for 6:30 p.m. from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville.
