OPENING TIP
Little Rock hits the mid point of its three game home stand, playing host to Texas State on Saturday, January 13. Opening tip against the Bobcats is scheduled for approximately 5:15 p.m., following the conclusion of the women's game. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call between the Trojans and the Bobcats on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com, beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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 125-63 record (.665) at the Jack since the doors opened in 2005, including a 69-42 mark (.622) against Sun Belt Conference foes. The Trojans are 4-4 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
The 2017-18 season marks Little Rock's 27th year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, joining the league in the 1991-92 season. During that stretch, the Trojans have posted a 234-211 (.526) record in conference play, winning the 2016 Sun Belt title with five divisional championships. Little Rock and UT Arlington began meeting as Sun Belt Conference opponents in the 2013-14 season when the Mavericks joined the league, meeting for the eighth time as league foes Thursday.
PREVIEWING THE BOBCATS
2017-18: 11-7 overall, 4-1 Sun Belt Conference (T-2nd), 4-5 on the road
Last Three Games: W at Arkansas State (73-67); W vs. Troy (57-56); W vs. South Alabama (72-69)
Head Coach: Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978). Fifth season at Texas State (70-77, .476), 27th season overall (535-270, .665)
TEXAS STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Texas State enters Saturday's game at the Jack on a four-game winning streak, sitting at 4-1 in Sun Belt play a half game back of undefeated Louisiana. The Bobcats rank as one of the top defensive teams in the league, leading the conference in both scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and rebounding defense (30.3 rpg), ranking third in three-point defense (30.4%). Texas State has been efficient from the field, ranking second in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (46.0%), but struggle from beyond the arc, making just shy of six threes per game. The Bobcats have two players that average in double figures, led by Nijal Pearson's 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, with Immanuel King adding 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, shooting 61.3 percent from the floor.
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Texas State meet for the 12th time Saturday afternoon with the Trojans holding an 8-3 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-0 mark in Little Rock. The two teams first met in 1994, a 66-65 Texas State victory in San Marcos, before the Trojans won eight of the next nine from 1995 to 2016. The two have squared off as Sun Belt foes every year since 2013-14 with the Trojans winning five of the seven meetings, although the Bobcats won the last game between the two - a 56-49 victory in San Marcos in the lone meeting of the 2016-17 season.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock raced out to an early lead and never looked back, handing preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite UT Arlington a 77-65 loss at the Jack Stephens Center Thursday. The Trojans led by double digits for a large portion of the first half, then saw that lead dwindle to a 39-39 tie early in the second. But Little Rock responded with a pair of extended runs, leading by as many as 16 before cruising to the 12-point victory.
BASKETBALL JONES
Little Rock's victory over UT Arlington was sparked by another strong performance from sophomore
Andre Jones, who finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Mavericks. It was the third time Jones had scored over 20 points this season and was one point off his career-best 25-point performance against Oral Roberts on December 2, 2017. Jones has finished in double figures in 10 of Little Rock's first 18 games, leading the team in scoring with his 11.8 ppg average.
LOCKED IN LOTTIE
The early spark in Little Rock's win over the Mavericks was provided by freshman
Jaizec Lottie, who finished with a career-high 16 points. Lottie scored 13 of his 16 in the first half, including six of the Trojans' first eight points, going 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. The Aurora, Colorado native has been a key component of Little Rock's production in 2017-18, leading the team in both steals (18) and assists (53) while ranking third in minutes (437), fourth in points (117) and fifth in three-pointers made (13).
ON THE MARC-US
One of the quiet strengths of the Little Rock program in 2017-18 has been the play of junior
Ben Marcus. At the midway point of the season, Marcus is setting himself up for a chance to join the Little Rock record books as he is shooting 76.7 percent in 2017-18, hitting 46 of his 60 field goal attempts. That mark is well above the single season field goal percentage record of 65.0 percent, set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98. Marcus would need to take 30 more shots over the next 13 games to reach the 90 field goals attempted minimum.
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 534-418 in points in the paint through 18 games this season, averaging 29.7 points in the key per game. Little Rock has held the advantage in 13 of its 18 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
The four true freshmen on Little Rock's 2017-18 roster haven't had much time to settle into things as all four have been relied upon early and often. The quartet of
Cameron Corcoran,
Jaizec Lottie,
Damir Hadzic and
Kris Bankston have combined to play 1,151 minutes already this season, accounting for 31.5% of the Trojans' 3,650 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the game Saturday averaging 19.8 points per game, nearly 31% of Little Rock's offensive production, as Lottie and Hadzic have both been constants in the Little Rock starting five.
THE CENTURY CLUB
At the midway point of the 2017-18 season, balanced scoring continues to be a theme for Little Rock. Six different players have registered 100 or more points this season, led by
Andre Jones' 200 and 133 from
Anthony Black.
Oliver Black (118),
Jaizec Lottie (107),
Ben Marcus (106) and
Damir Hadzic (100) have each reached triple figures in points this season with
Cameron Corcoran sitting on the verge at 96 points. Eight different Trojans have led the team in scoring through 18 games this season, led by Jones on six occasions.
NO LOOKING BACK
Little Rock has found a good strategy for winning games is to jump out to an early lead and don't look back. In each of the Trojans' last three victories, Little Rock never trailed and have led for over 37 minutes of game time in each win. The Trojans led for 39:45 in the 94-49 victory over University of the Ozarks, for 38:54 in the 71-62 win against ULM and for 37:05 in Thursday's 77-65 win over UT Arlington. Little Rock has led for 30 or more minutes on five occasions this season, holding an advantage on Memphis for 31:59 and leading for 32:47 in the win over Norfolk State.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 994-1,015 (.495), sitting just six 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.Â
RIVALRY RENEWED
Little Rock's home stand concludes with perhaps the most anticipated game of the season when the Trojans renew their rivalry with Arkansas State. Opening tip against the Red Wolves is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, at the Jack Stephens Center.
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