OPENING TIP
Little Rock's four-game road trip comes to a close in the bayou Saturday night, taking on defending Sun Belt Conference champion Louisiana. The Trojans and Ragin' Cajuns will tip at 7 p.m. at the Cajundome with the game streaming live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at RaginCajuns.com with Ray Tucker carrying the call live on The Point 94.1 FM.
STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock closes out its four-game road swing in Lafayette as the Trojans and Ragin' Cajuns meet for the 52nd time overall with Louisiana holding a 28-23 edge in the all-time series.
• The Trojans are coming off a 97-84 loss at ULM Thursday as the defeat came in spite of Little Rock shooting 62.0% from the floor and 54.5% from three-point range.
• Little Rock continues to be extremely efficient from the floor, making 50.5% of its field goals on the season to lead the Sun Belt Conference and rank 13th nationally.
• Rayjon Tucker scored in double figures for the 13th-straight game against ULM, the fourth-longest streak in program history since the start of the 2000-01 season. Tucker is tied for second in the Sun Belt in scoring average (20.5 ppg) while averaging a league-best 36:30 minutes per game.
• Defense has been a sore spot for the Trojans as Little Rock has allowed more than 90 points in each of the last three games, the first for the program since the 1977-78 season.
BACK IN THE BELT
The 2018-19 season marks Little Rock's 28th 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 236-223 (.514) record in conference play, winning the 2016 Sun Belt regular season title to complement Little Rock's five divisional championships. Louisiana is one of Little Rock's longest Sun Belt Conference foes, dating back to when the Trojans and Cajuns both joined the Sun Belt in 1991-92.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Little Rock's road trip continues with the journey south to Louisiana this weekend, marking the sixth different state/region the Trojans will play a road contest this season. Little Rock will travel to Monroe for Thursday's game at ULM, then continue on to Lafayette for Saturday's tilt against the Ragin' Cajuns, bringing the Trojans total travels following this weekend to just shy of 7,500 miles on the year.
MAKING IT COUNT
Through the first 14 games of the season, the Trojans are shooting 50.5% from the floor, ranking first in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally. Little Rock opened up Sun Belt Conference play with one of its best showings from the floor this season, making 62.0% (31-of-50) of its shots at ULM Thursday evening . Four different Trojans are shooting at least 50% on the year, led by Kris Bankston's 85.5% shooting percentage (59-of-69), as five players are averaging at least nine points per game.
IRON MAN
Redshirt junior Rayjon Tucker has been a mainstay on the court for Little Rock in 2018-19, averaging 36:30 of playing time to rank first in the Sun Belt and 24th nationally in minutes played. Tucker has played 35 or more minutes in 10 of his 13 games, including a season-high 40 against Southeastern Oklahoma on November 8. Additionally, Tucker is among the national leaders in a handful of categories, ranking 34th in points per game (20.5), 43rd in free throw attempts (93), 46th in field goals made (69) and 61st in total points (266).
DOUBLE FIGURE TUCKER
Rayjon Tucker has scored in double figures in each of the 13 games he has played in, surpassing the 20-point plateau six times. His 13-straight games of 10+ points is the fourth-longest steak for the Trojans since the 2000-01 season. He'll have some work to do to crack the top three, trailing Will Neighbor's streak of 19 games during the 2013-14 season. The longest streak in that span was 20 games, achieved by both Solomon Bozeman (2010-11) and Stan Blackmon (2000-01).Â
TAKE IT TO THE BANK-STON
Sophomore Kris Bankston continues to establish himself as one of the nation's most efficient scorers, converting 59 of his 69 field goal attempts (85.5%). Bankston would rank as the national leader in the category but falls slightly short of the NCAA minimum of 5.0 made field goals per game, currently sitting at 4.2 made field goals per game. Of his 59 made field goals, 41 have come in the form of dunks.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock had one of its best offensive productions of the season at ULM Thursday night, shooting 62.0% from the floor and 54.5% from three-point range with four players in double figures, led by 19 off the bench from Ryan Pippins. But a double-digit first half Warhawk lead, coupled with a 42-point performance from ULM's Daishon Smith, proved too much as Little Rock fell to ULM 97-84 in both team's Sun Belt Conference opener at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
THROW IT DOWN, BIG MEN
Little Rock is earning a reputation as one of the nation's top dunking teams as the Trojans have recorded 65 dunks through the first 14 games of the 2018-19 season, averaging 4.6 per game. Kris Bankston has become the poster boy for slams for Little Rock with 41 of his 59 field goals coming off dunks. Rayjon Tucker has thrown it down 16 times this season, followed by 5 from Kamani Johnson and three from Horace Wyatt Jr., as the Trojans are out-dunking their opponents 65-31.
MAKE WAY FOR MARIC
Freshman Nikola Maric has been a solid presence inside for the Trojans this season. Maric flirted with a triple-double at ULM Thursday night, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and a team-high eight assists, marking his 10th game in double figures (and sixth-straight). Maric is the only Trojan to start all 14 games this season and is second on the team in both scoring (163 pts.) and field goal percentage (.596), fourth in free throw percentage (65.2%) and tying for fourth in rebounds per game (4.3 rpg).
NOWELL PLAYING BIG
The smallest player on the roster, freshman Markquis Nowell has played big for the Trojans this season. After opening the season with a season-high 34 points against Southeastern Oklahoma State, Nowell was hampered by an ankle injury which forced him to miss three games. In his last three games for Little Rock, Nowell is averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 assists per game, ranking second on the team in assists (48) while leading the Trojans with 20 steals on the year.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
While the Trojans have improved in a handful of categories, there are still a few areas head coach Darrell Walker continues to focus us. As a team, Little Rock is shooting 62.2% from the free throw line, ranking 340th nationally. Turnovers have plagued the young Trojans as well as Little Rock is averaging 16.4 per game, committing 42 in the last two games. After clamping down defensively, Little Rock has also struggled to stop its last three opponents, giving up 99 points at Memphis (Dec. 19), 102 points at Georgetown (Dec. 22) and 97 points at ULM (Jan. 3), allowing more than 90 points in three-straight games for the first time since the 1977-78 season.
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
For each of the last two games, head coach Darrell Walker has included four true freshmen in the Little Rock starting lineup, consisting of Markquis Nowell, Kamani Johnson, Horace Wyatt Jr. and Nikola Maric. The Trojan freshman class have played a key role in 2018-19 for Little Rock as the group has combined to play 1,053 of Little Rock's 2,850 minutes (37.0%) while scoring 393 of the Trojans' 1,106 points (35.5%). The freshmen have also added 179 rebounds (35.5%) while combining to register 34 starts on the year (48.6%).
SCOUTING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
2018-19: 9-5 overall, 0-1 Sun Belt, 4-2 at home
Last Three Games: L vs. Arkansas State (94-83); W at Southeastern Louisiana (73-72); W at McNeese (80-67)
Series: Louisiana leads, 28-23 (.451) | Streak: Little Rock won 1 |Â First: 1977-78 (L, 124-85) | Last: Mar. 3, 2018 (W (OT), 72-61)Â
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981). Ninth season at Louisiana (164-116). 26th season overall (512-282)
Key Players:
• #23 JaKeenan Gant (Sr., F): 16.5 ppg., 7.5 rpg., 3.2 bpg., 50.9 FG%
• #1 Malik Marquetti (Sr., G): 15.1 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 46.4 FG%
• #35 Marcus Stroman (Sr., G): 13.2 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 6.6 apg., 45.0 FG%
• #55 Justin Miller (Jr., F): 10.8 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 44.2 FG%
• #11 Jerekius Davis (Jr., F): 9.0 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 48.5 FG%
LAST TIME vs. THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
In the final game of the 2017-18 regular season, Little Rock notched arguably one of the top upsets of the college basketball season, rallying from a 10-point second half deficit to force overtime against the regular season Sun Belt Champions. The Trojans then outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 19-8 in the extra stanza, handing Louisiana the stunning 72-61 loss in the regular season finale. Ryan Pippins set a then-career-high with 19 points as the Trojans snapped a four-game losing skid to the Ragin' Cajuns.
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