LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Little Rock's stay in Louisville continues Monday when the Trojans take on Atlantic 10 foe Duquesne at the KFC Yum! Center. The Trojans and Dukes tip at 3 p.m. CT with the game streaming on ESPN3 and Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker handling the radio call on 106.7 FM The Ride, beginning at 2:45 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock continues its stay at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, facing Duquesne Monday at 6 p.m. CT in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.Â
• Monday's game will mark the third-straight opponent Little Rock will face that will be playing their 2020-21 season-opener.
• Nikola Maric has been Little Rocks' most efficient player in the early going, averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting 83.3% from the floor (15-of-18) and 80.0% from the free throw line (8-of-10).
• As a team, Little Rock is shooting 80.0% from the free throw line, ranking 28th nationally. The Trojans are shooting 83.3% from the charity stripe in the second half (32-of-36) as five Trojans are shooting 75.0% or better on the season.
• The Trojans' defensive effort has frustrated its first two opponents as Little Rock is ranked 14th nationally with 22 total steals, averaging 11.0 per game. Markquis Nowell is second nationally in the early going with nine swipes through his first two games.
• While frustrated against UNC Greensboro and finishing with just four points and three rebounds, Ruot Monyyong started off the season with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double against Prairie View A&M, his 17th since the start of 2019-20.
• Little Rock engineered one of the best turnarounds in the country in 2019-20, posting a +11 margin in wins. After winning 10 games in 2018-19, the Trojans won 21 in 2019-20, tied for the second-greatest improvement in the nation.
• Ruot Monyyong continues to be a force inside for Little Rock as he has registered four dunks through two games in 2020-21. He now has 61 career dunks, building off the 57 he threw down during the 2019-20 season.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE DUKES
2019-20: 21-9 overall, 11-7 Atlantic 10 (T-5th)
First Three Games: vs. Little Rock (Nov. 30), vs. UNC Greensboro (Dec. 2), vs. Winthrop (Dec. 4) - all at KFC Yum! Center
Head Coach: Keith Dambrot (Akron, 1982). Fourth season at DU (56-38); 23rd season overall (469-247)
Key Players (2019-20 Statistics):
• #5 Marcus Weathers (Sr., F): 14.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 55.7 FG%
• #10 Sincere Carry (Jr., G): 12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 41.1 FG%
• #21 Michael Hughes (Sr., C): 10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 57.3 FG%
• #0 Tavian Dunn-Martin (Sr., G): 10.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 84.5 FT%
• #3 Maceo Austin (So., G): 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 39.8 FG%
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock held an 11-point lead in the first half on UNC Greensboro, but a 34-8 run by the Spartans turned that 11-point Trojan lead into a 15-point deficit early in the second half. Little Rock chipped away at the lead, pulling to within three a handful of times, but were unable to get over the hump in the 77-70 loss to UNC Greensboro Friday in Louisville.Â
FAST START FOR MARIC
Nikola Maric has been a force inside for Little Rock through the first two games of 2020-21. He is averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, coming off a 21-point performance against UNC Greensboro Friday, following his 17-point, nine-rebound effort against Prairie View A&M. He has shot an efficient 15-of-18 from the floor (83.3%), including a perfect 9-for-9 against the Spartans, and is 8-for-10 (80.0%) in free throw attempts.
GOOD LOOKS FOR LUKIC
Marko Lukic has been a welcomed boost off the bench for Little Rock, averaging 15.0 points in the first two games of the year. He registered a season-high 19 points against UNC Greensboro Friday, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line. He also registered a career-high four assists in 33 minutes of play.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Markquis Nowell sits well within striking range of joining an elite Trojan club, needing 214 points to become the 21st member of the Little Rock 1,000-point club. With his 10 points against UNC Greensboro Friday, he upped his career point total to 786, seeking to become the first member of the Trojan 1,000-point club since Will Neighbour in 2014.
RECORD WATCH
Markquis Nowell looks to move up the Little Rock all-time charts in a number of categories this season. After the first two games of 2020-21, he ranks 12th all-time in career three pointers (127), 13th in career steals (107) and 14th in career assists (252). The Harlem, New York native also holds the distinction of being the program's all-time leader in career free throw percentage, making 86.0% of his attempts at the charity stripe.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Ruot Monyyong picked up right where he left off last season, registering 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans in the 71-66 win over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. It was the 17th double-double of Monyyong's career as he ranked 17th nationally in 2019-20 with 16 double-double games.
NOT TODAY
Little Rock's presence inside should be a factor for the Trojans throughout the season as they return two of the top shot blockers in program history. Kris Bankston (67 career blocks) and Ruot Monyyong (65) rank 12th and 13th, respectively, on the program's career block list. Monyyong's 62 blocks in 2019-20 was the third-most in a season in program history and the most for a Trojan since becoming a Division I program in 1978-79.
CLUTCH AT THE LINE
A hallmark of head coach Darrell Walker's game plan is success at the free throw line, and the added emphasis has paid off in the early going. As a team, Little Rock is shooting 80% from the free throw line (40-of-5), but has been even stronger in the second half, knocking down a blistering 88.9% (32-of-36).
TROJANS vs. THE ATLANTIC 10
While Little Rock's game will be its first against Duquesne in program history, it will be the Trojans' 14th against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The last meeting for the Trojans came in 2016 when it defeated St. Bonaventure 68-65 in the Lone Star Showcase in Cedar Park, Texas.
LITTLE ROCK AGAINST THE KEYSTONE STATE
Little Rock has a very limited history against teams from the state of Pennsylvania, playing just two games in program history. The Trojans lost to LaSalle 92-73 in the 1987 NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden before a 78-64 loss to Robert Morris at the Jack Stephens Center in 2017. The Trojans have never played a game within the state limits of Pennsylvania.
EUROPEAN CONNECTIONÂ
A hallmark of Darrell Walker's teams in Little Rock has been its European pipeline, a connection that grew again during the offseason. The Trojan roster consists of six players from European countries, including three from Serbia (Marko Andric, Marko Lukic and Jovan Stulic), two from Bosnia-Herzegovina (Admir Besovic and Nikola Maric) and one from France (Yacine Toumi).
LENGTH, LENGTH, LENGTH
Another characteristic of Darrell Walker's teams is length, something that comes with abundance with the 2020-21 Trojan squad. Little Rock's roster boasts an average height of 6' 5 1/2" as 11 of the 15-man roster sits 6' 5" or taller. The tall, physical presence is especially felt inside where the quintet of Nikola Maric (6' 10"), Kris Bankston (6' 8"), Yacine Toumi (6' 9"), Ruot Monyyong (6' 10") and Admir Besovic (7' 0") boast an average height of 6' 9 1/2."
EARLY SEASON TARGET
Little Rock heads into the 2020-21 season with a target on its back, tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt's west division. The Trojans received nine of 12 possible first place votes among the league's head coaches - a far cry from the predicted 11th place finish heading into the 2019-20 season.
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