| Game 13: Little Rock at Mississippi State |
| Date |
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 |
| Time |
7 p.m. |
| Location |
Starkville, Miss. |
| Arena |
Humphrey Coliseum |
| Records |
LR (3-9) | MSU (9-1) |
| Watch |
ESPN3 |
| Radio |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Stats |
HailState.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Mississippi State |
OPENING TIP
Little Rock closes out the non-conference portion of its 2017-18 schedule Wednesday, making the trip to Starkville, Mississippi to take on Mississippi State on Wednesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network + as fans can also watch the game online through the
WatchESPN app. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call between the Trojans and the Bulldogs from Humphrey Coliseum on The Point 94.1 FM and online at
KKPT.com.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
As the non-conference schedule wraps up in Mississippi, Little Rock concludes the busiest stretch of basketball during the 2017-18 season. The game in Starkville against Mississippi State marks Little Rock's fifth game in 11 days, traveling nearly 3,200 miles in the process. Add in the trips to Memphis, Grand Canyon and San Diego and the Trojans will have racked up almost 7,000 miles of travel through the first five weeks of the season, playing all seven of their road games in a different state.
ROCKY ROAD
Not only has Little Rock's non-conference schedule taken them across the country, the Trojans have faced some tough challenges along the way. Little Rock's seven non-conference road opponents have a combined record of 53-23 (.697) thus far in 2017-18 as all seven currently sit at .500 or better on the year. Mississippi State has just one blemish (9-1) this season, coming off a loss to 25th-ranked Cincinnati on December 12, with Bradley (9-2) joining the Bulldogs with nine wins and Memphis (7-3), Grand Canyon (8-3) and San Diego (8-3) each with just three losses.
MISSISSIPPI BOYS
Wednesday's game in Starkville will mark a homecoming for a pair of Trojans as
Deondre Burns and
Oliver Black both hail from the state of Mississippi. Burns was born in Yazoo City, about 130 miles southwest of Starkville while Black grew up not far away in Jackson, which is also roughly 130 miles from the Mississippi State campus. Black should also be quite familiar with the settings in Humphrey Coliseum as he played his freshman season for the Bulldogs, appearing in 31 games with four starts while scoring 56 points and adding 75 rebounds in a reserve role in 2014-15.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
2017-18: 9-1 overall, 0-0 Southeastern Conference, 9-0 at home. Receiving five votes in the latest USA Today coaches poll
Last Three Games: W vs. UT Martin (92-61); L at Cincinnati (65-50); W vs. North Georgia (95-62)
Head Coach: Ben Howland (Weber College, 1979). Third season at Mississippi State (39-34, .534); 22nd season overall (440-240, .647)-
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Mississippi State meet for the fifth time Wednesday night as the Bulldogs hold a 3-1 edge in the all-time series. The Trojans won the first meeting between the two, a 70-68 victory in Starkville on December 9, 1995, but the Bulldogs have won the last three, the last of which was a 83-53 Mississippi State victory on December 11, 2004. The Trojans are 1-2 all-time at Humphrey Coliseum, suffering a 91-83 defeat in Starkville on November 21, 2001. The lone game played in Little Rock was on January 3, 2004, won by the Bulldogs 68-58.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock took advantage of some home cooking Monday evening, routing the University of the Ozarks 94-49 at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans never trailed in the game, leading by 20 at halftime (45-25) and extended that margin to 45 late in the second half. Little Rock had its best shooting night of the season to date, hitting 52.9 percent (36-of-68) of its shots from the floor while hitting 12 of its 30 three-point attempts (40.0%). 12 different Trojans scored as Little Rock held a 44-25 rebounding advantage and registered 14 steals compared to just one for the Eagles. The 45-point victory was the most for Little Rock since a 100-38 win over Southwestern on November 25, 2000.
CAREER HIGHS FOR THE LOCAL GUYS
The 94-49 victory against Ozarks Monday night produced a number of career highs in points for Trojans who hail from central Arkansas.
Anthony Black (Little Rock),
Ben Marcus (Pine Bluff) and
Ryan Pippins (Little Rock) each notched personal-bests against the Eagles, led by Black's 19 points of 7-of-10 shooting, highlighted by a 5-of-7 performance from beyond the arc. Marcus and Pippins each finished with 14 points against Ozarks as Marcus was an efficient 7-of-8 from the floor while Pippins went 5-of-10 in his first appearance of the season.
CORCORAN IN THE CLUTCH
One of 11 newcomers on this season's Trojan roster, freshman
Cameron Corcoran has started to emerge as one of the Trojans' top scoring threats. Corcoran has registered double-digit point totals in each of the last three games for Little Rock, including his 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in the win over Ozarks. Corcoran scored a career-high 14 at Bradley on December 13 while finishing with 11 at Sam Houston State on December 15 as the Orlando, Florida native has converted 11 of his 19 three point attempts (57.9%) during the last three games. Corcoran also dished out a career-high six assists in the win over Ozarks.
CONTROLLING THE PAINT...
One area that has become Little Rock's strength early through the first month of the 2017-18 season has been its play in the paint. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 354-262 in points in the paint through 12 games this season, averaging 29.5 points in the key per game. Little Rock has held the advantage in nine of its 12 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).
...AS O.B. TAKES CHARGE
Junior
Oliver Black has emerged as one of the Sun Belt's biggest presences in the paint and has been a key factor in helping the Trojans' efficiency inside. Black pulled down 11 rebounds against Ozarks and just missed a double-double, finishing with eight points, chalking up his third double-digit rebounding tally of the season. Through 12 games, Black is averaging 8.1 rebounds per game, currently ranking seventh in the Sun Belt Conference, complemented by his 5.7 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor.
SEEKING THEIR ROAD TOUCH
The Trojans head to Mississippi in search of their first road victory away the Jack. Little Rock is 0-6 in road games this season, extending its winless streak in true road games to seven-straight while winning just one of its last 14 in enemy territory. Little Rock's last win away from the Jack Stephens Center came in a 62-57 against South Alabama in Mobile on March 2, 2017.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
An impressive program milestone remains tantalizingly close for
Wes Flanigan's squad. Playing its 80th season of basketball, Little Rock has compiled an overall program record of 992-1,011 (.495), sitting just eight 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. The Trojans have already hit another big milestone this season as the December 9th game at Central Arkansas marked the 2,000th game in program history.
TROJANS AGAINST THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Little Rock enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 2-14 (.125) against 10 current members of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State, the Trojans' opponent, is the team Little Rock has met up with the most frequently, going 1-3 all-time against the Bulldogs. The other win against an SEC school came on December 8, 1993 when the Trojans upset Tennessee in Knoxville  69-59.
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AND HERE WE GO...
The game in Starkville wraps up Little Rock's 2017-18 non-conference schedule as the Trojans will now shift their attention to the 18-game Sun Belt Conference slate. That stretch begins on Friday, December 29 when Little Rock plays host to Louisiana at the Jack Stephens Center, tipping off against the Ragin' Cajuns at approximately 7:15 p.m. following the women's game prior.
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