OPENING TIP
Another challenging weekend awaits Little Rock when the Texas opponents head to the Jack Stephens Center, beginning with UT Arlington Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Ben Creighton and U.S. Reed will have the call on ESPN+ while Ray Tucker will once again carry the radio call live on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com.
STARTING FIVE
• Little Rock and UT Arlington meet for the 11th time overall Thursday with the Mavericks leading the all-time series 6-4. UT Arlington took the first meeting between the two, downing Little Rock 82-73 on January 19 in Arlington.
• Kris Bankston continues to rank among the nation's dunk leaders, throwing down 57 this season to sit third nationally. He needs five more made field goals to sit atop the program's all-time single season leaders (82.4%).
• Rayjon Tucker notched his 11th game of 20 or more points in the win at South Alabama Saturday. Tucker has finished in double figures in 22 of his 23 games this season, and sits poised to crack the program's top-15 in single-season scoring (472 points).
• Little Rock remains one of the nation's most efficient teams from the floor, ranking 11th nationally in field goal percentage at 49.3%, ranking second in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Thursday's game marks Little Rock's 14th time playing on Valentine's Day since becoming a Division I program with the Trojans going 6-7 (.462) on February 14th.
(ANOTHER) CRITICAL WEEKEND
Little Rock took care of business in Alabama last week, notching wins over Troy and South Alabama to improve to 4-7 in Sun Belt play and is tied for ninth in the league standings. If the conference tournament began today, the Trojans would be the number 10 seed (factoring in tiebreakers), meaning they would hit the road for a play-in game against the number seven seed. Little Rock controls its own destiny as it hosts UT Arlington and Texas State this weekend, the two teams tied for first.
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 240-229 (.512) record in conference play. Little Rock and UT Arlington have been Sun Belt rivals since the Mavericks joined the league in the 2013-14 season.
IRON MAN
Rayjon Tucker continues to be a mainstay on the court for Little Rock as the redshirt junior is averaging 36:24 minutes per game - first in the Sun Belt and 30th nationally. Tucker has played 35 or more minutes in 16 of his 23 games this season, playing 40 or more minutes five times. That time on the court has allowed him to put up some impressive numbers, ranking fifth in the Sun Belt in points per game (20.5), seventh in field goal percentage (49.3%), sixth in three-pointers (2.3) and third in defensive rebounds (6.0). Tucker also knows how to get to the free throw line, ranking 20th nationally in free throws made (130) and 22nd in free throw attempts (170) as his 130 free throws made already ranks tied for ninth in a single season in program history.
TROJANS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
As a team, Little Rock finds itself ranked among the national leaders in a number of categories. The Trojans are 11th nationally in field goal percentage at 49.3%, ranking second in the Sun Belt behind Georgia Southern. Little Rock is one of the nation's top teams in getting to the foul line, ranking 20th nationally with 573 attempts, while ranking 58th in turnovers forced (15.2), 74th in assists per game (14.9) and 78th in scoring (77.1 ppg).
BIG MAN BANKSTON
Kris Bankston continues to put together a solid sophomore year for Little Rock, making his presence felt inside. Bankston has registered 57 dunks on the year, ranking third nationally behind Texas' Jaxon Hayes (63) and Arkansas' Daniel Gafford (61). The sophomore is shooting 82.4% from the floor and would rank first nationally had he met the minimum of 5.0 made field goals per game. With 85 field goals on the year, Bankston needs just five more to qualify for the Trojan single season field goal percentage lead as he would shatter the previous mark of 65.0% set by Ryan Moss in 1997-98.
BIG OUTING FOR 'MANI
Freshman Kamani Johnson enjoys playing South Alabama, setting his last two personal-bests against the Jaguars. Johnson recorded 15 points, going 9-of-13 from the free throw line, setting a new career-high in Mobile Saturday. That performance bested his previous personal-best of 12 points against South Alabama on January 12. Johnson currently ranks second on the team in field goal percentage at 58.1% as well as rebounding at 4.8 rpg.
SCORING CLIP
Little Rock's offense has been noticeably more productive in 2018-19 as the Trojans are averaging 77.1 points per game, up over 13 points from last season's 63.7 ppg average. The 77.1 points per game currently ranks as the fifth-highest season scoring average since Little Rock made the move to Division I and would be the highest since the Trojans averaged 86.9 points per game in 1989-90.
DOUBLE FIGURE CLUB
Little Rock's offense has been efficient this season as the Trojans are averaging 77.0 points and shooting 49.3% from the floor. That effort has been paced by Rayjon Tucker, who is averaging 20.5 points per game and has scored in double figures in 22 of his 23 games this season, going over 20 points 11 times. Markquis Nowell has scored in double figures 15 times this season, including seven-straight games, with Nikola Maric doing it 14 times as Little Rock's roster has combined for 86 games scoring 10 points or more in 2018-19.
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 92 dunks through the first 24 games of the 2018-19 season, averaging just under four per game. Kris Bankston has become the poster boy for slams for Little Rock with 57 of his 85 field goals coming off dunks (67.1%), upping his career dunk total to 75. Little Rock has more than doubled-up its opponents thus far in 2018-19, out-dunking the competition 92-44.Â
2018-19 TROJAN DUNKS Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• 57 - Kris Bankston (High of 6 at Tennessee State, 11/13/18)
• 21 - Rayjon Tucker (High of 4 vs. Two Teams)
• 9 - Kamani Johnson (High of 2 vs. South Alabama, 1/12/19)
• 4 - Horace Wyatt Jr. (High of 2 vs. Central Arkansas, 12/8/18)
• 1 - Deondre Burns (High of 1 vs. South Alabama, 1/12/19)
OFF THE SCHNEID
Little Rock had one of its best weekends in quite some time in Alabama, notching wins at Troy and South Alabama to register its first Sun Belt road sweep since taking down Georgia State and Georgia Southern February 18-20, 2016. Little Rock will need to keep up its production on the road to qualify for the postseason as the Trojans are in a stretch where they play five of seven away from the Jack Stephens Center.
LAST TIME OUT
Once again, Little Rock found itself trailing at the half, facing a nine-point deficit at South Alabama. But thanks to 18 second half points from Rayjon Tucker, the Trojans rallied once again, upending the Jaguars 73-68 at the Mitchell Center Saturday afternoon. Tucker just missed a double-double, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds, leading Little Rock to its first Sun Belt Conference road sweep since defeating Georgia State and Georgia Southern February 18-20, 2016.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
2018-19: 12-12 overall, 8-3 Sun Belt (T-1st), 5-8 on the road
Last Three Games: W vs. Appalachian State (78-68); W vs. Coastal Carolina (74-54); W at Texas State (84-77, 2OT)
Series: UT Arlington leads, 6-4 (.400) | Streak: UT Arlington won 1 |Â First: Nov. 18, 2007 (L, 68-58) | Last: Jan. 19, 2019 (L, 82-73)Â
Head Coach: Chris Ogden (Texas, 2003). First season at UT Arlington (12-12); First season overall
Key Players:
• #5 Edric Dennis (R-Jr., G): 15.1 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 34.8 FG%, 78.1 FT%
• #0 Brian Warren (Jr., G): 14.5 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 39.0 FG%, 79.8 FT%
• #4 David Azore (R-Fr., G): 8.4 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 31.2 FG%, 83.5 FT%
• #10 Rashad Davis (Jr., G): 8.2 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 50.0 FG%, 75.9 FT%
• #20 Andres Ibarguen (Jr., F): 7.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg., 60.2 FG%
LAST TIME vs. THE MAVERICKS
Little Rock found itself in an early hole and never recovered, falling at UT Arlington 82-73 Saturday, January 19 at College Park Center. The Trojans never led against the Mavericks, trailing by 11 at halftime and were only able to pull to within seven in the second half. Markquis Nowell led the way with 21 as the Trojans committed just 11 turnovers, but Little Rock sent UT Arlington to the free throw line 39 times to help seal the Maverick victory.
#LittleRocksTeam
