OPENING TIP
Little Rock begins a tough stretch to close out the non-conference schedule as the Trojans will play four of their next five away from the Jack Stephens Center. That run begins with the shortest road trip of the season, making the 33-mile trek up I-40 to Conway to take on rival Central Arkansas Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Farris Center. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call against the Bears on The Point 94.1 FM and online at kkpt.com.
WHERE ARE WE AGAIN?
Little Rock's challenging road schedule revs back up this week as the Trojans will play four of their final five non-conference games away from home. The final four road games of the non-conference slate will all be played in different states, beginning with Saturday's 33-mile trip to Conway to take on Central Arkansas. Little Rock will then travel 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 40-17 (.702) thus far in 2017-18 as all seven currently are at .500 or better. Mississippi State, Little Rock's opponent on December 20, is currently 7-0 with Memphis (5-2), Grand Canyon (5-2), San Diego (6-2) and Bradley (7-2) each sporting just two losses on the season.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
2017-18: 5-5 overall, 0-0 Southland Conference
Last Three Games: W at California (96-69); L at San Francisco (78-76), L at Little Rock (71-65)Â
Head Coach: Russ Pennell (Central Arkansas, 1984). Fourth season at Central Arkansas (22-77, .222)
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SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Central Arkansas meet for the 37th time overall and the second in the last 10 days as the Trojans and Bears will conclude their home-and-home series for the 2017-18 season. UCA holds a 23-13 edge in the all-time series, one which dates back to the Trojans' inaugural 1930-31 season, as the Bears dominated the early part of the rivalry, winning 23 of the first 25 games. Little Rock has had the upper hand since the Trojans' move to Division I, however, winning 11-straight since the 1981-82 season. That streak reached 11 thanks to the Trojans' 71-65 win at the Jack Stephens Center on November 29, one which saw Little Rock rally from a 16-point first half deficit to defeat the Bears.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock rallied from an 11-point first half deficit, an eight-point hole in the second half and a three-point deficit in the first overtime period, but couldn't get over the hump as the Trojans dropped a 74-66 double overtime decision to Oral Roberts at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday, December 2. The loss came despite a career-high 25 points from
Andre Jones as he once again helped spark a furious second half rally, scoring eight of Little Rock's first 12 points in the second 20 minutes as the Trojans used a 15-4 run over the first 3:50 to erase the 11-point hole.
CAREER WEEK FOR JONES
Sophomore
Andre Jones put together his best two games in a Little Rock uniform last week, putting on a performance Trojan fans had not seen in over a decade. Jones opened the week with a then-career-best 24 points in the come-from-behind win over Central Arkansas, then did one better, finishing with a career-high 25 in the double overtime loss to Oral Roberts. 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). Jones leads the team averaging 13.4 points per game, ranking 21st in the Sun Belt Conference.
BLACK'S CAREER NIGHT
Junior
Anthony Black was a key component of Little Rock's comeback efforts against Oral Roberts on December 2 as the Little Rock native set or matched his career-bests in points, field goals, steals, assists and minutes. Black finished with a career-best 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting, his second double-digit scoring performance of his Trojan career, while playing a career-high 44 minutes in the double overtime thriller. Black also notched a career-best four steals (the high water mark of the year for Little Rock), while matching his career-high with three assists against ORU.Â
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 254-178 in points in the paint through seven games this season, averaging 31.8 points in the key per game. That charge has been led by junior
Oliver Black, who is averaging 6.4 points per game and 7.9 Â rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the Sun Belt Conference.
PARTY LIKE ITS 1,999
Saturday's game at Central Arkansas will mark a small piece of Little Rock basketball history as the game against the Bears will mark the 2,000th game in Trojan program history. Through its first 1,999 games, Little Rock has posted a 991-1008 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.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
Little Rock found itself in a deep hole late in the first half on November 29th, trailing rival Central Arkansas by 16 points with 1:00 to play before halftime. An and-one by
Andre Jones in the waning seconds seemed to spark the Trojans, however, as the sophomore from Little Rock then scored the first seven points of the second half for the Trojans, helping jump start the rally. The 16-point comeback was the largest for Little Rock since January 25, 2013, when the Trojans rallied from 22 points down to defeat Florida Atlantic 65-62 at the Jack Stephens Center. It was the 15th time Little Rock had rallied from a 10-plus point deficit since the 22-point comeback against the Owls.
BALANCING THE ROCK
When it comes to scoring through the first eight games of 2017-18, Little Rock has nearly been a textbook definition of the word "balanced." After
Andre Jones' team-high 107 points, five different players have scored between 50 and 53 points this season, with
Anthony Black and
Jaizec Lottie each registering 53 (6.6 ppg). Â
Ben Marcus had added 52 points (6.5 ppg), followed by 51 from
Oliver Black (6.4 ppg) and 50 for
Damir Hadzic (6.3 ppg).
Wadly Mompremier (39 pts., 4.9 ppg),
Camron Reedus (38 pts., 5.4 ppg) and
Cameron Corcoran (34 pts., 4.9 ppg) have all added to the distributed scoring early in 2017-18.
TROJANS AGAINST THE SOUTHLAND
Little Rock has an extensive history against the Southland Conference, posting an 85-81 (.512) record against 11 of the 13 current league members. A handful of Southland Conference schools were once fellow league members of the Trojans in either the TAAC or the Sun Belt, including Houston Baptist, Lamar, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin. The Trojans have faced New Orleans and Central Arkansas the most among Southland schools, going head-to-head with each 36 times. Little Rock will play three games against the Southland Conference in 2017-18, comprised of the home-and-home series with UCA and a December 15th game at Sam Houston State.
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Little Rock's challenging end to the non-conference schedule continues next week as the Trojans will play a pair of games against preseason conference challengers. Little Rock's week begins in Peoria, Illinois, facing Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday, December 13. Tip-off against the Braves is set for 7 p.m. at Carver Arena.
