Sun Belt Tournament First Round:
Little Rock vs. Appalachian State |
| Date |
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
| Time |
2:00 p.m. |
| Location |
New Orleans, La. |
| Arena |
Lakefront Arena |
| Records |
Little Rock (7-24, 4-14 SBC)
Appalachian State (14-17, 9-9 SBC) |
| Watch |
WatchESPN |
| Radio |
The Point 94.1 FM |
| Stats |
TrojanStats.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Appalachian State |
OPENING TIP
Little Rock enters the postseason, heading down to New Orleans for the 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament. The number 12 seed, Little Rock opens with fifth-seeded Appalachian State on Wednesday, March 7, facing the Mountaineers for the first time this season. All games of the 2018 Sun Belt Tournament can be seen on
ESPN3 through the WatchESPN app . Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call of the Trojans and Mountaineers from Lakefront Arena on The Point 94.1 FM and online at
KKPT.com, getting underway at approximately 1:45 p.m.
TROJAN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1991-92, Little Rock has made an appearance in its postseason tournament each season, posting an overall record of 22-24 (.478) and 3-3 (.500) at Lakefront Arena. The Trojans have two Sun Belt Tournament titles on their resume, winning the event in both 2011 and 2016. Little Rock has faced five of the current league schools in the tournament with the most frequent being South Alabama, facing the Jaguars eight times. Little Rock's full Sun Belt Tournament history can be found on page four.
THE LONG ROAD TO NOLA
Little Rock's 2017-18 schedule has taken it across the country, racking up over 13,000 miles once the Trojans arrive in the Big Easy. Little Rock has played games in 13 different states this season, comprised of Tennessee (Memphis), Arizona (Grand Canyon), California (San Diego), Arkansas (Central Arkansas), Illinois (Bradley), Texas (Sam Houston State), Mississippi (Mississippi State), Georgia (Georgia State and Georgia Southern), North Carolina (Appalachian State), South Carolina (Coastal Carolina), Alabama (South Alabama and Troy) and Louisiana (ULM and Louisiana).
PREVIEWING THE MOUNTAINEERS
2017-18: 14-17 overall, 9-9 Sun Belt Conference (T-5th), 1-2 at neutral sites
Last Three Games: W vs. Coastal Carolina (76-67); W at Little Rock (69-67); L at Arkansas State (82-79, OT)
Head Coach: Jim Fox (SUNY Geneseo, 1995). Fourth season at Appalachian State (44-77, .364)
APPALACHIAN STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Appalachian State earned the number five seed in the Sun Belt Tournament after coming on strong in the second half of league play, winning five of its last seven. The Mountaineers rank fourth in the Sun Belt averaging 76.1 points per game, ranking third in rebounding (39.2 rpg) and fourth in three-pointers made (8.9 per game), shooting 33.9 percent beyond the arc. Appalachian State's opponents are averaging 74.2 ppg (11th in the Sun Belt) and are shooting 43.6 percent from the floor (10th) and 36.3 percent from three-point range (11th). Ronshad Shabazz leads the Mountaineers averaging 18.9 points per game (third in the league) with Justin Forest adding 13.2 points and Isaac Johnson sitting fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg).
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Appalachian State meet for the 11th time Wednesday with the Trojans holding a 6-3 edge in the all-time series. Little Rock won six of the first eight meetings between the two, but the Mountaineers swept the season series in 2017-18, recording their first-ever win in Little Rock with the 69-67 victory on February 24. Full series history can be found on the side bar of page three.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock overcame a 10-point second half deficit at league-leading Louisiana to force overtime, then outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 19-8 in the extra stanza to earn a stunning 72-61 win to close out the regular season.
Ryan Pippins (19 pts.),
Oliver Black (17 pts., 12 reb.) and Kris Banskton (14 pts., 3 blk.) all had career games against the league champions while holding the Ragin' Cajuns to just 6-for-31 shooting from beyond the arc.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
Little Rock found itself trailing by 10 at the midway point in the regular season finale against Louisiana, then outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 38-17 over the final 15 minutes to secure the comeback victory. It was the second time this season Little Rock had rallied from a double-digit deficit to get the win, overcoming a 16-point hole to defeat Central Arkansas 71-65 on November 29. The comeback marked the 16th time Little Rock had rallied from a 10-plus point deficit to earn a victory since a school-record 22-point comeback against Florida Atlantic on January 25, 2013.
BALANCING THE ROCK
If nothing else, Little Rock's offensive production defines the word "balanced" in 2017-18. Seven different Trojans are averaging between 7.7 and 6.0.points per game, led by
Ryan Pippins at 7.7 points per game, with
Camron Reedus (7.3) and
Anthony Black (7.0) both averaging at least seven points. The freshmen duo of
Cameron Corcoran and
Jaizec Lottie are averaging 6.9 and 6.8 points per game, respectively, with
Oliver Black (6.6) and
Ben Marcus (6.2) rounding out the list. 10 different Trojans have been the team's leading scorer this season.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
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 2,058 minutes already this season, accounting for 32.7% of the Trojans' 6,300 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the game Saturday averaging 20.5 points per game, which is 32.2% of Little Rock's offensive production. The freshmen have combined for 57 starts this season as Lottie (212) and Corcoran (206) lead the team in points.
BLACK HOLDING COURT IN THE PAINT
One area that has become Little Rock's strength in 2017-18 has been its play under the basket. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 899-748 in points in the paint through 31 games this season, averaging 29.0 points in the key per game and accounting for 45.6% of their offensive production. Junior
Oliver Black has been the Trojans' biggest presence inside, averaging 6.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, coming off his first career double-double following his 17-point, 12-rebound performance in the win at Louisiana.
PIPPINS, CORCORAN BEYOND THE ARC
Sophomore
Ryan Pippins and freshman
Cameron Corcoran own the distinction of being Little Rock's top three-point shooters this season as both are knocking on the door of cracking the Trojan record book. Pippins has made 44.2 percent of his three pointers (23-of-52), needing two more treys to qualify to be listed among the top single-season performers where he would currently sit tied for ninth in program history. Corcoran is right behind at 43.3 percent, making 45-of-104 (both team highs), as his performance currently ranks tied for 11th overall.
SHOOTING 70
Like in golf, the score of 70 has become a benchmark for Little Rock this season, just on a different spectrum. The Trojans are 7-2 this season in games where they reach 70 points, including a 6-1 mark in games where Little Rock reaches 71 points. Â On the flip side, Little Rock is 0-22 in games in which the Trojans score 69 points or fewer.
STRUGGLES FROM THE STRIPE
A constant struggle for Little Rock this season has been its success from the free throw line as the Trojans are hitting 61.3 percent of their team free throws, ranking 348th out of 351 Division I teams. Those struggles have been glaring in Sun Belt Conference play as in the Trojans' 14 conference losses, the margin of defeat was smaller than the free throw disparity on nine occasions. But in Little Rock's last two victories, their performance at the line has led to the victory, hitting 16-of-18 in the second half at Arkansas State while making 7-of-9 in overtime at Louisiana.
SCATTERED STARTS
Nearly every player on the Little Rock roster has had an opportunity to start a game in 2017-18 with 13 Trojans registering at least one start this season. Little Rock has posted 13 different starting lineup combinations this season, as freshman
Jaizec Lottie has been the constant in the lineup, starting 30 of the Trojans' 31 games this season. Junior
Oliver Black is the other current Trojan with over 20 starts in 2017-18, sitting at 28 Â on the year.
DAGGER AT THE BUZZER
At Louisiana on Saturday, Little Rock led 23-20 in the waning seconds of the first half before a Ragin' Cajun three with three seconds remaining evened the score at 23-23 heading to the half. It marked the 11th time this season an opponent has made a shot within the final three seconds of a half against the Trojans this season, including nine at the first half horn. Conversely, Little Rock is 2-8 in games in which there was a one-possession differential in the final minute of regulation this season, including two overtime losses and two losses on a shot as time expired in regulation.
FOR DAMIR
Little Rock will be a man short this week in New Orleans as freshman
Damir Hadzic will be absent from the Trojan lineup. Hadzic returned to his native Bosnia last week after the passing of his father following a stroke, which left him in a coma for nearly three weeks. Hadzic played in 26 games for the Trojans with 11 starts, averaging 4.1 points and scoring a career-high 16 points in the season-opener against Ouachita Baptist.
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