Trojans, Razorbacks Tangle in Charity Exhibition

Charity Exhibition at Arkansas
Date	Sunday, October 20, 2019
Time	3 p.m.
Location	Fayetteville, Ark.
Arena	Bud Walton Arena
Records	Little Rock (0-0, 0-0 SBC) Arkansas (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Watch	SEC Network +
Listen	None
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Notes	Little Rock | Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK - The official start of the 2019-20 basketball season is still more than two weeks away, but Little Rock will have the opportunity to get an early head-to-head scrimmage, and make a little bit of history in the process.

For the first time in program history, Little Rock will make the 190-mile trek to northwest Arkansas to take part in a charity exhibition against Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena. Opening tip against the Razorbacks is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, bringing a sense of nostalgia for head coach Darrell Walker.

"It will be exciting to go back up there to where I have a lot of fond memories," said Walker, who played three seasons for the Razorbacks from 1980-83. "Fayetteville will always have a special place in my heart, but this trip is about the Trojans. I know our guys are eager to play against someone other than themselves, and it will be a good test to see how far we've come. We have a lot of young players, a lot of new players, that will get their first taste of big time college basketball, so it will be key for us."

The Trojans and Razorbacks are meeting in a charity exhibition with proceeds from the game going towards charities aimed at assisting victims of the Arkansas River flooding this past spring. Tickets for the game are $10 general admission with free parking around Bud Walton Arena. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online through the Razorback Ticket Office.

GAME STORYLINES

• Little Rock will see its first action against someone other than itself when it makes its first-ever trip to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks in a charity exhibition Sunday, October 20, tipping at 3 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena.

• Little Rock head basketball coach Darrell Walker was a three year letterwinner for the Razorbacks from 1980-83 under coach Eddie Sutton. He ranks 18th all-time on the Arkansas scoring list (1,325) and was a second team All-American in 1983, helping the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16 in both 1981 and 1983.

• After being selected 12th overall by the New York Knicks in 1983, Walker returned to Fayetteville and earned his degree in human resources in 2012. He was enshrined into the Razorbacks' Hall of Honor in 2008.

• The Trojans are set to return a young lineup that saw four true freshmen earn significant playing time while combining for 151 starts in 2018-19. The quartet was responsible for 37.8% of the Trojans' minutes, 35.6% of the points and 35.7% of the rebounds last season.

• Little Rock added nine newcomers in the offseason to bolster the roster. That group consists of five transfers, three freshmen and a former Trojan manager being elevated to the roster. 

• This will be the second time in as many years that Darrell Walker and Eric Musselman will coach against each other. Little Rock faced sixth-ranked Nevada in Reno on November 16, 2018, with the Wolfpack earning the 87-59 victory.

NEWS AND NOTES

REPRESENTING THE ROCK
Sunday's game in Fayetteville will be one for the record books as the first ever meeting between the Trojans and Razorbacks, but will have even more significance as four Trojans from the state of Arkansas will play a game at Bud Walton Arena wearing a Little Rock uniform for the first time: Kris Bankston (Dewitt), Terrell Curtis II (Maumelle), Sam Dunkum (North Little Rock) and Ryan Pippins (Little Rock).

NUMBER CHANGES
Three Trojan returners will be sporting new uniform numbers as the 2019-20 season gets underway.  Nikola Maric is switching to number 25 (from 55), Ryan Pippins will wear 21 (from 0) and Horace Wyatt Jr. will suit up in number 15 (from 25).

HEIGHT ADVANTAGE
Little Rock will look noticeably taller this season as the Trojans boast four players on the roster that are 6-10 or taller: Nikola Maric (6-10), Ruot Monyyong (6-10), Sam Dunkum (6-11) and Admir Besovic (7-0). It marks the first time since the 2012-13 season Little Rock will feature four players who are 6-10 or taller as Besovic becomes the first Trojan to crack the seven foot mark since Alexei Korolev in 2004-05.

TESTED EARLY
The first part of Little Rock's 2019-20 schedule, especially the month of November, will test the Trojans as, including the scrimmage in Fayetteville, six of Little Rock's first seven games will  be on the road, competing in five different states. The Trojans open the year with back-to-back road games at Missouri State and Illinois State, then have three-straight road contests at Central Arkansas, Memphis and North Carolina State, as Little Rock will travel just shy of 4,000 miles in the month of November.

TROJANS AGAINST THE SEC
Little Rock has gone head-to-head against 10 of the 14 SEC programs during its program history, posting an overall record of 2-15 against the conference. The Trojans have notched victories over Mississippi State (70-68 in 1995) and Tennessee (69-59 in 1993), as Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Missouri are the lone members of the conference Little Rock has not faced. 

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