STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock and Sam Houston State meet for the seventh time with the teams splitting the previous six meetings.
• Last season, the Bearkats earned a 57-55 win over the Trojans in Huntsville in the teams' first meeting since 1996.
• The game against the Bearkats marks the fourth of seven-straight games the Trojans will play in the central Arkansas region, six of which will be at the Jack Stephens Center.
• Little Rock continues to rank among the top of the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage, sitting second in the league and 44th nationally shooting 49.0%.
• Four different Trojans are averaging over 10 points per game, led by Rayjon Tucker's 18.7 ppg average as he has scored in double figures in all six games in which he's played in 2018-19.
OPENING TIP
Little Rock begins a key four-game home stretch Saturday when the Trojans host Sam Houston State at 3 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center. The game against the Bearkats marks Little Rock's Homecoming game for 2018 as well as the first game of Rise Up For The Rock Week. Live video and stats are available at LRTrojans.com with Ray Tucker calling the action on The Point 94.1 FM.
RISE UP FOR THE ROCK
Little Rock's game against Sam Houston State kicks off an exciting week of Trojan basketball, featuring five games in a week's span. The Trojans start with a men's and women's doubleheader Saturday, with the men facing the Bearkats and the women squaring off with Western Kentucky, leading into a showdown with Bradley on Tuesday, December 4. The week concludes with another Saturday doubleheader, beginning with the women taking on Kansas State and concluding with the rematch between Little Rock and Central Arkansas in the Governor's I-40 Showdown.
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 126-70 record (.643) at the Jack since the doors opened in 2005, including a 69-45 mark (.605) against Sun Belt Conference foes. The Trojans have posted a winning home record every year at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.
LAST TIME OUT
A second half run by an in-state foe, coupled by Little Rock's worst free throw shooting performance of the season, resulted in a 78-65 loss at Central Arkansas Wednesday night in Conway. Trailing 33-32 at halftime, the Trojans watched as the Bears scored 15 of the first 17 points in the second half, then held off a late Trojan run to seal their second-straight win in the series. Little Rock didn't help itself in the loss, making just four of its 21 free throw attempts (19.0%), including missing 13-straight at one point.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE BEARKATS
Down nine with just over three minutes to play, Little Rock rallied to within two at Sam Houston State and had the ball in the waning seconds, but the feed inside for the potential game-tying lay-up was stolen away with two seconds left as the Trojans dropped the 57-55 decision to the Bearkats in Huntsville. The game was a tale of extended runs as Little Rock used an 18-2 stretch midway through the first half to build an eight point lead on Sam Houston and held a four-point lead at halftime. But a 19-3 run for the Bearkats in the second half helped Sam Houston State build that nine-point cushion before holding on for the victory.
IRON MAN
Redshirt junior Rayjon Tucker has emerged as Little Rock's on-court leader in 2018-19, leading the team in a handful of categories. He is the Trojans' leading scorer, averaging 18.7 points a game and has scored in double figures in every game he has played while averaging 36:20 of playing time, ranking 36th nationally. Tucker also leads the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and is fourth in field goal percentage (50.6%), taking a team-high 81 shots on the season. The Charlotte native is also second on the team in three-point percentage (41.7%).
CAREER NIGHT FOR KAMANI​​​​​​​
Freshman Kamani Johnson had a career night for the Trojans at Central Arkansas Wednesday night, just missing his first career double-double. Johnson finished with eight points (one shy of his career best) and 12 rebounds, matching the Trojans' single game rebounding high for the season. The Brooklyn, New York native was efficient from the floor, going 4-for-5, dishing out two assists and notching a block in 29 minutes.
LEAN ON LOTTIE
Its not often a player in his seventh game of his sophomore year can boast the team's most experience, but that is where Jaizec Lottie finds himself. The sophomore guard from Aurora, Colorado, is Little Rock's leader in minutes played, sitting at 996 for his Trojan career as he aims to surpass the 1,000-minute mark against the Bearkats. Lottie is also the Trojans' leader in games started (37) and is tied for second in games played (38).
LIVE OR DIE INSIDE
One area that has played a key role for Little Rock has been its play inside by the three forward combo of Kris Bankston, Nikola Maric and Kamani Johnson. In the three Trojan victories this season, the trio has combined to average 28.0 points while committing 7.3 fouls between them. In the losses, however, the big three are averaging just 20.1 points per game while committing 13.0 fouls, equaling out to 4.3 per player. Combined on the year, Bankston, Maric and Johnson have eight total foul-outs, seven of which have come in losses.
EFFICIENT FROM THE FLOOR...
A hallmark of Darrell Walker's offensive scheme is patience when it comes to shot selection, and it is beginning to pay dividends for Little Rock. Through the first seven games of the season, the Trojans are shooting 49.0% from the floor, ranking second in the Sun Belt (behind national leader Georgia Southern) and 44th nationally. It is a marked improvement from 2017-18 when the Trojans ranked 275th nationally and connected on just 42.9% of their shots. That charge has been led by Kris Bankston's 88.2% field goal percentage as the sophomore has made 30 of his 34 attempts.
...BUT STRUGGLES FROM THE STRIPE
An area of continued struggles for Little Rock has been free throw shooting as the Trojans ranked 351st out of 353 Division I teams, connecting on just 55.7% of its attempts. Little Rock ended the 2017-18 season shooting 63.0% from the charity stripe, ranking 348th out of 351 Division I teams, and the struggles were amplified Wednesday night in Conway as the Trojans made just four of 21 attempts (19.0%), including a stretch in which Little Rock missed 13-straight from the free throw line.
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
2018-19: 3-5 overall, 0-0 Southland Conference, 0-4 on the road
Last Three Games: L vs. Central Michigan (81-65); L at East Tennessee State (77-63); W vs. Jackson State (75-60)
Series: Series tied, 3-3 (.500) | Streak: SHSU won 1 | First: Dec. 6, 1986 (L, 77-71) | Last: Dec. 15, 2017 (L, 57-55)
Head Coach: Jason Hooten (Tarleton State, 1993). Ninth season at Sam Houston State (161-118)
Key Players:
- #2 Cameron Delaney (R-Sr., G) - 11.8 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
- #20 Kai Mitchell (Jr., F/C) - 10.5 ppg., 7.3 rpg.
- #1 R.J. Smith (R-So., F) - 9.3 ppg., 6.6 rpg.
- #3 Chad Bowie (Jr., G) -Â 9.0 ppg., 4.3 rpg.
- #15 Josh Delaney (Sr., G) -Â 8.5 ppg., 2.0 rpg.
TROJANS AGAINST THE SOUTHLAND
Little Rock has an extensive history against the Southland Conference, posting an overall record of 82-85 (.491) against current members of the league which shares a similar footprint to the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans hold a winning record against six current Southland institutions, several of which were one-time conference foes with Little Rock. Sam Houston State is the second-straight Southland Conference foe the Trojans will face as Little Rock will have one more against the league in the rematch with Central Arkansas on Saturday, December 8.
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