HOUSTON – Little Rock continues its season-opening road swing in the Lone Star State on Saturday when the Trojans play at Rice. Game time is set for 1 p.m. with ESPN3 carrying the action from Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.
This marks the second of two games in Texas to open the year after a battle at No. 6/7 Texas A&M on Tuesday. Rice, while surprisingly not ranked after returning most of their 28-win team from last season, is receiving votes in both major polls.
Series History
Little Rock leads the overall series, 7-3, and has a slight 3-2 advantage in games played in Houston but the Owls have won the last two meetings in the series.
Five Things to Know
- Battle of Preseason Favorites
When Little Rock and Rice square off on Saturday afternoon, it will be a battle of two teams picked to win their respective conferences. Garnering 11 of 14 first place votes, Rice ran away with the preseason projections in Conference USA while Little Rock received six of the Sun Belt's first place votes.
- Both Were Champs a Year Ago
Both Little Rock and Rice were their league's respective regular season and tournament champions a year ago. Rice went to the NCAA Tournament Opening Round in College Station while Little Rock was sent to Corvallis, Oregon.
- Beat the Streak
Little Rock enters Saturday's game with a big opportunity. If the Trojans can upset the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse, it will snap the fifth-longest home winning streak in the country. Rice has won 16 consecutive games at home including their 71-47 victory over Nicholls State on Tuesday evening.
- Little Rock vs. Experience - Part II
Saturday's game will mark the second game of the year for the Trojans and the second straight game Little Rock will face a very experienced squad. Rice enters the year with nine returning letterwinners including four starters. That's similar to Texas A&M, who is the only Sweet 16 team from a year ago to return four starters. That's countered with an inexperienced Little Rock team that returns only two starters.
- Defensive Highlights
Little Rock and Rice both emphasize and value defense. Year-in and year-out Little Rock sets the standard for defensive play in the Sun Belt Conference and was one of the top teams in the league, holding Sun Belt opponents to just 53.1 ppg last season. Overall, the Trojans finisehd the year ranked 24th nationally after averaging just 56.8 ppg by opponents. Rice plays a stalwart defense as well, ranking sixth nationally in scoring defense (52.8) and ninth in field goal percentage defense (35%). The Owls allowed an average of 47.2 points in C-USA games last year.
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