OPENING TIP
Little Rock opens the 2017-18 Sun Belt Conference schedule with the Louisiana duo this weekend, beginning with a meeting with the Ragin' Cajuns on Friday, December 29. Opening tip against Louisiana is set for approximately 7:15 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center following the completion of the women's game prior. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call between the Trojans and the Ragin' Cajuns on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2005, Little Rock has called the Jack Stephens Center home, and the venue has helped the Trojans become one of the Sun Belt's toughest home teams. Little Rock has posted a 123-62 record (.665) at the Jack since the doors opened in 2005, including a 67-41 mark (.620) against Sun Belt Conference foes. The Trojans are 3-3 on their home court this season and have posted a winning home record every year at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.
ANOTHER YEAR IN THE BELT
Friday's game against Louisiana marks the beginning of Little Rock's 27th season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference as the Trojans joined the league in the 1991-92 season. During that stretch, the Trojans have posted a 232-208 (.527) record in conference play, winning the 2016 Sun Belt title with five divisional championships. Little Rock has traditionally started out its Sun Belt Conference slate on a positive note, winning 16 of its 26 conference openers (.615) including the last two.
SCOUTING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
2017-18: 10-3 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference, 2-2 on the road
Last Three Games: L at Clemson (89-60); W vs. Southeastern Louisiana (82-74); W vs. New Orleans (87-65)
Head Coach: Bobby Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981). Eighth season at Louisiana (138-107, .563), 25th season overall (486-273, .640)
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Louisiana meet for the 49th time Friday evening with the Ragin' Cajuns owning a 27-21 (.563) edge in the all-time series. The series began with a 124-85 win by-then Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette as the Ragin' Cajuns won six of the first seven meetings between the two. Little Rock owns the longest winning streak between the two, winning six-straight from 2006-2010, but Louisiana has had the upper hand in the last three meetings, including a 78-71 victory in the 2017 Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans to end the Trojans' season. Little Rock is 14-10 (.583) against the Ragin' Cajuns in Little Rock, winning eight of the 12 meetings at the Jack Stephens Center.
A TALE OF TWO TEAMS
It will be a tale of two contrasting teams Friday evening when Little Rock and Louisiana square off in the Sun Belt Conference opener. The Ragin' Cajuns lead the league in scoring offense, and are 20th nationally, averaging 86.4 points per game, while the Trojans sit last at 62.5 points per game. Â Defensively, however, Little Rock will hope to find their edge as the Trojans allow 68.5 points per game, compared to 74.2 for Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns are also first in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (47.4%), compared to the Trojans' 41.4%, tied for 11th.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock gave Mississippi State all it could handle for the first 20 minutes, holding the Bulldogs to just 26 points on 24.0% shooting in the first half. But Mississippi State pulled away on its home court in the second half, handing the Trojans a 64-48 defeat at Humphrey Coliseum on December 20 in Starkville. A pair of 27-10 advantages proved to be the difference for Mississippi State as the Bulldogs took advantage of 21 Little Rock turnovers, leading to a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers, while shooting 27 free throws compared to just 10 for Little Rock.
BALANCE IN THE ROCK
Balance has been an appropriate description of Little Rock's point distribution through the non-conference portion of its 2017-18 schedule. Only two players have surpassed the 100-point plateau, led by
Andre Jones' 136 points and
Anthony Black's 104, as Jones leads the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game. After the 104 points from Black, five different Trojans have registered between 82 and 74 points in 2017-18, led by 82 from
Jaizec Lottie (6.3 ppg), followed by 80 from
Damir Hadzic (6.2 ppg) and 77 from
Ben Marcus (6.4 ppg). Five different Trojans have held the title as the team's leading scorer this season, with
Andre Jones pacing the Trojans on six occasions and
Cameron Corcoran doing so three times.
CONTROLLING THE PAINT
One area that has become Little Rock's strength through the non-conference portion of 2017-18 has been its play in the paint. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 382-292 in points in the paint through 13 games this season, averaging 29.4 points in the key per game. Little Rock has held the advantage in nine of its 13 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).
TROJANS AMONG SUN BELT LEADERS
With the non-conference schedule behind it, a number of Little Rock players find themselves among the Sun Belt Conference leaders heading into league play.
Oliver Black is tied for fifth in rebounds per game (7.8), including sitting third in offensive rebounds per game (3.1) with
Jaizec Lottie ranking seventh in assist to turnover ration (1.4) Â and tied for ninth in assists per game (3.2).
Wadly Mompremier also checks in among the league leaders, ranking ninth in blocked shots per game (1.0).
IRON UNKIND
Despite Little Rock's success in the paint, beyond the arc has proven to be its Achilles heel. Heading into the pair of Sun Belt Conference games this weekend, the Trojans are shooting just 27.5% from three-point range, ranking 346th out of 351 teams at the Division I level. Little Rock is averaging 22 threes per game but making, on average, just six, as the Trojans are coming off a 4-for-20 showing at Mississippi State.
Anthony Black has the most made threes on the year with 20 (on 59 attempts) while
Cameron Corcoran leads the team shooting 42.1% (16-of-38).
ROCKY ROAD
Not only did Little Rock's non-conference schedule take them across the country, the Trojans faced some tough challenges along the way. Little Rock's seven non-conference road opponents have a combined record of 60-28 (.682) thus far in 2017-18 as five of the seven currently boast winning records. Mississippi State has just one blemish (11-1) this season, coming off a loss to 25th-ranked Cincinnati on December 12, with Bradley sitting at 10-3 while Memphis (9-3), Grand Canyon (9-4) and San Diego (9-3) have each registered nine wins on the season.
PLAYING CATCH-UP
One of the biggest struggles Little Rock has faced through the first month of the 2017-18 season has been its habit of playing from behind. In the first 13 games of the season, the Trojans have led for just 169:07 of the 530 minutes played, roughly 32% of game time to date. Additionally, the Trojans have had to overcome some sizable deficits as Little Rock has found itself trailing by 10 points or more in 10 of its first 13 games, trailing by 16 or more in seven of its 13 games.Â
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 992-1,012 (.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.
NEW YEAR WITH THE WARHAWKS
Little Rock's Louisiana two-pack continues Sunday when the Trojans host ULM on New Year's Eve at the Jack Stephens Center. Opening tip against the Warhawks will be at approximately 4:15 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game as Little Rock tries to close out 2017 with a notch in the win column.
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