LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock head men's basketball coach
Darrell Walker today released the Trojans' 2019 non-conference schedule, a slate that includes a challenging mix from a number of leagues from across the country.
2019-20 Little Rock Men's Basketball Schedule
"We'll be tested in the non-conference, no doubt," Walker said. "This schedule I believe will be good for us as it gives us a variety of different programs and conferences to compete against. We'll need to be up for the challenge and hopefully learn those lessons as we prepare for what should be a competitive Sun Belt Conference."
Little Rock will play 11 non-conference games, including five at the Jack Stephens Center. Those contests will come against 10 different conferences, including three teams that made postseason tournament appearances in 2018-19 and four squads that won 20 or more games:
MISSOURI STATE – Tuesday, November 5 – Springfield, Mo.
2018-19: 16-16 overall, 10-8 Missouri Valley Conference (T-3rd)
All-Time Series: Missouri State leads, 7-0
Last Game: Dec. 4, 2014 at Springfield, Mo. (L, 73-68)
Game Notes: Little Rock and Missouri State meet for the eighth time overall and the fifth time in Springfield, tipping off the 2019-20 season at JQH Arena. The Trojans are seeking their first-ever win against the Bears, which finished tied for third in the Missouri Valley last year.
ILLINOIS STATE – Sunday, November 10 – Normal, Ill.
2018-19: 17-16 overall, 9-9 Missouri Valley (T-5th)
All-Time Series: Series tied, 1-1
Last Game: Dec. 20, 2011 at Normal, Ill. (L, 72-65)
Game Notes: The Trojans begin the season with its second-straight meeting against a Missouri Valley team, battling Illinois State for the third time in program history. The two teams have split a pair of games previously, with the Trojans winning 63-54 at the Jack Stephens Center in 2010.
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST – Thursday, November 14 – Jack Stephens Center
2018-19: 14-16 overall, 7-12 Mid-American Intercollegiate (T-10th)
All-Time Series: Southwest Baptist leads, 3-2
Last Game: Dec. 9, 1986 in Little Rock (W, 96-67)
Game Notes: Little Rock opens its 2019-20 home schedule against Southwest Baptist, a Division II member from the Mid-American Intercollegiate Conference. The game against the Bearcats marks the seventh-straight season the Trojans open their home schedule against a Division II opponent, facing Southwest Baptist for the first time since the 1986 season.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS – Sunday, November 17 – Conway, Ark.
2018-19: 14-19 overall, 8-10 Southland (T-7th)
All-Time Series: Central Arkansas leads, 26-12
Last Game: Dec. 8, 2018 in Little Rock (L, 85-82)
Game Notes: Little Rock and Central Arkansas will play just once as part of the Governor's I-40 Showdown this season with the game being played at the Farris Center in Conway. UCA has won three-straight in the series for the first time since 1968-70, including last year's 85-82 buzzer-beating win at the Jack Stephens Center.
MEMPHIS – Wednesday, November 20 – Memphis, Tenn.
2018-19: 22-14 overall, 11-7 American Athletic (5th), NIT second round
All-Time Series: Memphis leads, 7-0
Last Game: Dec. 19, 2018 at Memphis, Tenn. (L, 99-89)
Game Notes: For the third-straight season, Little Rock will head up Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River to the FedEx Forum to battle highly-touted Memphis as part of the Barclays Center Classic. The Trojans are still seeking their first win against the Tigers but have given Memphis all they could handle in each of the last two meetings, holding leads in the final minutes.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE – Saturday, November 23 – Raleigh, N.C.
2018-19: 22-14 overall, 9-9 Atlantic Coast (T-8th), NIT quarterfinals
All-Time Series: N.C. State leads, 1-0
Last Game: March 16, 1986 in Minneapolis, Minn. (L, 80-66, 2OT)
Game Notes: In the continuation of the Barclays Center Classic, Little Rock will make its first-ever trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face N.C. State. It will be the second all-time meeting between the two, the first of which came in the Round of 32 of the 1986 NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, a game the Trojans took the Wolfpack to double overtime before falling 80-66 under coach Mike Newell.
ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE (N.Y.) – Tuesday, November 26 – Jack Stephens Center
2018-19: 17-16 overall, 9-9 Northeast (T-5th)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Game Notes: Little Rock will once again serve as a host venue for an extension of a multi-team event, welcoming St. Francis College of Brooklyn to the Jack Stephens Center. It is the first all-time meeting between the Trojans and Terriers and its second-ever meeting against a team from the Northeast Conference after hosting Robert Morris at the Jack in 2017.
ALCORN STATE – Wednesday, November 27 – Jack Stephens Center
2018-19: 10-21 overall, 6-12 Southwestern Athletic (T-7th)
All-Time Series: Little Rock leads, 8-3
Last Game: Dec. 2, 2003 in Little Rock (W, 84-49)
Game Notes: The final game as part of the Barclays Center Classic pits Little Rock against Alcorn State on Thanksgiving Eve. The Trojans are 8-3 all-time against the Braves, winning five-straight against Alcorn in Little Rock from 1996-2003, with the last meeting an 84-49 victory at then-Alltel Arena.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE – Saturday, November 30 – Jack Stephens Center
2018-19: 24-10 overall, 13-5 Southern (T-3rd), CollegeInsider.com first round
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Game Notes: Little Rock closes out the month of November with arguably its premiere non-conference home showdown, squaring off against East Tennessee State at the Jack Stephens Center. The Buccaneers have won 20 or more games in each of the past four seasons, including last year's 24-10 mark, finishing tied for third in the Southern Conference and advancing to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
NORTH TEXAS – Saturday, December 7 – Denton, Texas
2018-19: 21-12 overall, 8-10 Conference USA (T-9th)
All-Time Series: Little Rock leads, 18-9
Last Game: Jan. 26, 2013 at Denton, Texas (W, 62-57)
Game Notes: The former Sun Belt rivalry renews in Texas as Little Rock will travel to Denton to face North Texas for the first time since the Mean Green left the conference following the 2012-13 season. The Trojans hold an 18-9 all-time series edge and have won four of the last five against the Mean Green, but North Texas is coming off back-to-back 20 win seasons, going 21-12 last year.
TENNESSEE STATE – Tuesday, December 10 – Jack Stephens Center
2018-19: 9-21 overall, 6-12 Ohio Valley (T-7th)
All-Time Series: Series tied, 1-1
Last Game: Nov. 11, 2018 at Nashville, Tenn. (W, 83-67)
Game Notes: Tennessee State makes its first-ever trip to Little Rock to close out the non-conference slate and complete the home-and-home deal between the two teams. The Trojans dominated the Tigers in Nashville in 2018, notching an 83-67 victory to secure the 1,000th win in program history.
Home tip times for the upcoming season will be at 6:30 p.m. for weeknight games and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Season tickets for the 2019-20 Little Rock basketball season are on sale by contacting the Trojan ticket office at (501) 565-8257.
#LittleRocksTeam
