STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock and Central Arkansas meet for the 37th time overall, and the second time this season, with the Bears winning the first match-up 78-65 on November 28 in Conway.
• Central Arkansas holds an 18.5-3.5 led in the inaugural Governor's I-40 Showdown with four points on the line in the contest Saturday between the Trojans and Bears.
•
Rayjon Tucker has scored in double figures in eight-straight games he's played in for the Trojans, the longest streak by a Little Rock player since
Josh Hagins did it in 11-straight from 2015-16.
•
Kris Bankston would rank first nationally in field goal percentage (84.4%) if he met the NCAA minimum of 5.0 made field goals per game (he is currently averaging 4.2). Of his 38 made field goals on the year, 24 have been dunks.
• Little Rock remains efficient from the floor, making 49.1% of its shots and ranking 32nd nationally.
OPENING TIP
Little Rock's four-game home stand continues as the Trojans welcome in-state rival Central Arkansas to the Jack Stephens Center for the second game of the home-and-home battle in the Governor's I-40 Showdown Saturday. Live video and stats are available at LRTrojans.com with Ray Tucker calling the action on The Point 94.1 FM.
GOVERNOR'S I-40 SHOWDOWN
There is more than just bragging rights on the line Saturday evening as Little Rock and Central Arkansas meet in the second game of the home-and-home Governor's I-40 Showdown for 2018-19. The inaugural in-state competition was officially announced on August 16, 2018 by Governor Asa Hutchison at the Arkansas State Capitol with a point system assigned to each competition between the two. Currently, UCA holds a commanding 18.5-3.5 lead in this year's standings with four points on the line in Saturday's contest.
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 127-71 record (.641) 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 in 12 of their 13 seasons at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.
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 at 20.0 points a game while averaging 36:15 of playing time, ranking first in the Sun Belt and 30th nationally. Tucker ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring (and 53rd nationally), fifth in field goal percentage (50.5%) and sixth in defensive rebounds (5.4).
DOUBLE FIGURE TUCKER
Rayjon Tucker's offensive output has sparked the Trojans through the early part of the season thus far as he has scored in double figures in each of the eight games he has played in, surpassing the 20-point plateau four times. His eight-straight games of scoring in double figures is the longest for a Little Rock player since
Josh Hagins accomplished the feat in 11-straight games, a span which encompassed the final five games of the 2014-15 season and carried over into the first six games of the 2015-16 campaign
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock stymied Bradley out of the gates Tuesday night, scoring the game's first 12 points and limiting the Braves to just 1-for-19 shooting through the opening 15 minutes. But turnovers and free throw woes got the better of the Trojans as Bradley mounted a second half comeback, using a 12-0 run of its own to close out the game and hand the Trojans the 68-62 loss at the Jack Stephens Center.
LAST OUTING AGAINST THE BEARS
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 on Wednesday, November 28 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.Â
THROW IT DOWN, BIG MAN
Little Rock is earning a reputation as a team that can throw it down with the best of them as the Trojans have recorded 37 dunks through nine games of the 2018-19 season, averaging 4.1 per game.
Kris Bankston has become the poster boy for slams for Little Rock with 24 of his 38 field goals coming off dunks.
Rayjon Tucker has thrown it down 10 times this season with
Kamani Johnson adding three as the Trojans are out-dunking their opponents 37-22 on the year.
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 eight games of the season, the Trojans are shooting 49.1% from the floor, ranking third in the Sun Belt and 32nd nationally. That charge has been led by
Kris Bankston's 84.4% field goal percentage, which would rank first nationally had he met the minimum of 5.0 made field goals per game (Bankston is averaging 4.2).
...BUT STRUGGLES FROM THE STRIPE
An area of continued struggles for Little Rock has been free throw shooting as the Trojans rank 349th out of 353 Division I teams, connecting on just 57.3% 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. The Trojans struggled again from the line against Bradley, making just 10 of their 22 attempts, dropping three spots in the rankings afterwards.
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
With such a young roster, head coach
Darrell Walker knew he would need to rely on some youngsters to step up early and often. Little Rock's five freshmen, including
Markquis Nowell,
Terrell Curtis II,
Kamani Johnson,
Horace Wyatt Jr. and
Nikola Maric, have logged 577 of the Trojans' 1,825 minutes (31.6%) and have combined to score 211 of Little Rock's 690 points (30.6%). The freshmen five are also accumulated 110 rebounds (32.2%) with a combined 20 starts (44.4%).
LEAN ON LOTTIE
Its not often a player in the ninth 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 active leader in minutes played, tallying 1,068 as a Trojan and averaging just shy of 27 minutes a game for his career. Lottie is also the Trojans' active leader in games started (39) and is tied for second in games played (40), averaging 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 2018-19.
ELITE COMPANY
Trojan fans have been witnesses to a pair of impressive individual offensive performances this year, beginning with
Markquis Nowell's 34-point game in the season opener against Southeastern Oklahoma State, followed by
Rayjon Tucker's 33-point output against Sam Houston State Saturday. Nowell and Tucker now hold the numbers one and two scoring records by a Trojan at the Jack Stephens Center and are two of just four Trojans to register 33 points or more in a game since 2000, joining Brandon Freeman (38 at Florida International in 2005 and 37 vs. Southern Arkansas in 2004) and Laverne Smith (36 vs. Louisiana Tech in 2000).
SCOUTING THE BEARS
2018-19: 6-3 overall, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference, 0-2 on the road
Last Three Games: L at Louisville (86-41), W vs. Little Rock (78-65), L at St. Louis (73-61)
Series: Central Arkansas leads, 25-11 |
Streak: UCA won 2 |Â
First: 1930-31 (L, 44-20) |
Last: Nov. 28, 2018 (L, 65-78)
Head Coach: Russ Pennell (Central Arkansas, 1984). Fifth season at UCA (38-94); 11th season overall (131-152)
Key Players:
- #14 Eddy Kayouloud (Fr., G/F) - 13.6 ppg., 3.7 rpg.
- #55 DeAndre Jones (So., G) - 13.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 4.4 apg.
- #25 Thatch Unruh (Sr., G) - 9.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg, 1.6 rpg.
- #15 Hayden Koval (So., C) - 9.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg.
- #4 Khaleem Bennett (Fr., G) - 8.5 ppg., 3.3 rpg.
THE RIVALRY SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 37th meeting all-time between Little Rock and Central Arkansas, a series dating back to the Trojans' first season in 1930-31. The Bears dominated the early part of the rivalry, winning the first 17 meetings and 23 of the first 24 games between 1930-31 and 1973-74 with the Trojans' lone win in that span coming in 1966-67. Little Rock then won 11-straight between 1981 and 2017 before the Bears ended the streak with the 69-54 win in Conway last season, its first victory over the Trojans since the 1973-74 season. UCA has now won two-straight for the first time since 1969-70 and 1973-74.
TROJANS AGAINST THE SOUTHLAND
Little Rock has an extensive history against the neighboring Southland Conference, posting an 83-85 (.494) all-time record against current members of the league. The Trojans have a winning record against seven of the 11 league foes it has faced and is coming off a 79-52 victory over Sam Houston State on Saturday, December 1, improving to 4-3 all-time against the Bearkats. Central Arkansas is tied with New Orleans for the most games against Little Rock at 36 with the Bears holding a 25-11 all-time edge in the series.
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