Trojans Face Sixth-Ranked Wolf Pack Friday on ESPNU

STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock notched the 1,000th victory in program history in the 83-67 win at Tennessee State Tuesday.
• Little Rock and Nevada meet for the first time Friday as the Trojans will play their seventh game in program history in the state of Nevada.
• Nevada will be the highest-ranked opponent Little Rock has faced since falling to No. 2 Kentucky 73-51 on January 3, 2012.
• The road trip to Nevada will be the longest of the year for Little Rock as it is roughly 1,900 miles from the Jack Stephens Center to the Lawlor Events Center.
• Little Rock has won back-to-back road games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

OPENING TIP
Little Rock's three game road trip rolls into the Silver State for a showdown against nationally-ranked Nevada. The Trojans take on the sixth-ranked Wolf Pack Friday, November 16, tipping at 10 p.m. CT from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU with Steve Quis and Richie Schueler handling the broadcasting duties. Ray Tucker will once again handle the radio call on The Point 94.1 FM with the pregame show getting underway at 9:40 p.m. CT. 

TROJANS IN THE SILVER STATE
Little Rock is getting set to play its seventh game in the state of Nevada but the first in the city of Reno as the Trojans and Wolf Pack will go head-to-head for the first time. Little Rock's previous six games in the Silver State all took place in Las Vegas, competing in non-conference tournaments in 2010, 2014 and 2015. The Trojans are 0-1 all-time against teams from the state of Nevada, falling to UNLV 102-72 in the opening round of the 1990 NCAA Tournament.

WIN #1,000
Little Rock notched a milestone victory in its 83-67 win over Tennessee State Tuesday evening in Nashville, registering the 1,000th victory in program history. Playing its first season in 1930-31, the Trojans have accumulated 35 winning seasons, winning 20 or more games 11 times, as 663 of those 1,000 victories have come at the Division I level.

STRONG START FOR WALKER
Little Rock improved to 2-0 on the season with Tuesday's 83-67 victory at Tennessee State, giving head coach Darrell Walker his first two victories at the Division I level. Walker is one of just five Trojan head coaches to win their first two games, joining Wimp Sanderson (1994), Porter Moser (2000), Chris Beard (2015) and Wes Flanigan (2016). Beard holds the program record for most consecutive victories to begin their Little Rock coaching career with 10, followed by Sanderson with five, Moser with four and Flanigan winning his first three games on the Trojan sideline. 

LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock used a furious second half surge, putting together runs of 8-0, 14-2 and 13-0 to turn a one-point halftime advantage into a 23-point second half lead en route to a convincing 83-67 win at Tennessee State Tuesday. As a team, Little Rock shot 56.9 percent from the floor and outscored Tennessee State 52-22 in the paint, winning its second-straight true road game, dating back to last season's win at Louisiana in the regular season finale. 

TAKE IT TO THE BANK-STON
It was another impressive performance to start the season for sophomore Kris Bankston, who finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win at Tennessee State. Through the first two games of the year, Bankston is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while connecting on 13 of his 15 shots from the floor (.867). His five blocks also leads the Trojans as the Dewitt, Arkansas native is averaging 30.0 minutes per game thus far, double his average from his freshman season.

COMING ON STRONG
After having to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations, redshirt junior Rayjon Tucker is making up for lost time. In two games this season, Tucker is averaging 14.5 points and shooting 63.2 percent from the floor while grabbing 5.5 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game. Tucker notched a season-high 15 points in the win at Tennessee State, going 7-of-8 from the floor with five rebounds, leading a balanced Trojan attack that saw four different players finish in double figures.

FIRE AT WILL
One thing Little Rock has gotten quite comfortable with through the first two games of 2018-19 is watching their opponents square up from beyond the arc. The Trojans' first two opponents have put up a combined 82 three-point attempts (47 from Southeastern Oklahoma State, 35 from Tennessee State), making 30 for a 36.6% three-point percentage. It is something the Trojans will likely factor into their game plan for Friday as Nevada is averaging 29.5 three-point attempts through its first two games of 2018-19.

STRONG INSIDE
A hallmark of Little Rock's teams over the past few years has been strong play inside, and 2018-19 is shaping up to following in those footsteps. Through two games, the Trojans have outscored their opponents 96-46 in points in the paint, outscoring their opponents by at least 20 in both games. Little Rock held a 44-24 edge over Southeastern Oklahoma State in the season opener, then dominated Tennessee State Tuesday, outscoring the Tigers 52-22 in the paint in Nashville.

SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK
2018-19: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Mountain West Conference. Currently ranked sixth in the latest Associated Press Top-25 poll
Last Games: W vs. BYU (86-70), W vs. Pacific (83-61)  |  Next Two: Nov. 19 vs. California Baptist; Nov. 22 vs. Tulsa
Series: First all-time meeting between Little Rock and Nevada
Head Coach: Eric Musselman (San Diego, 1987). Fourth season at Nevada (83-29, .741)
Key Players:

• #10 Caleb Martin (Sr.,F) 21.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
• #24 Jordan Caroline (Sr. G) 20.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg
• #22 Jazz Johnson (Jr. G) 12.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
• #0 Tre'Shawn Thurman (Sr. F) 9.5 ppg, 7.0 ppg 
• #11 Cody Martin (Sr. F) 5.5 ppg, 10.5 apg

TROJANS AGAINST THE MWC
Little Rock and Nevada face off for the first time Friday evening as the game in Reno will mark the Trojans' eighth game in program history against a current member of the Mountain West Conference. Colorado State is the only school Little Rock has seen twice, defeating the Rams in both 2001 and 2002, while the Trojans have also earned victories over San Diego State (2015) and San Jose State (1989).

FACING THE BEST
When Little Rock tips against Nevada Friday night, it will mark the highest ranked opponent the Trojans have faced since going head-to-head against second-ranked Kentucky on January 3, 2012. Since the 2000-01 season, Little Rock has faced 11 teams ranked in the AP Top-25, including five match-ups against top-10 teams. The Trojans are 1-10 in those meetings with the lone win a memorable one - the 85-83 double overtime win over 12th-ranked Purdue in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

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