LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock faces a tough challenge this weekend, heading to Lafayette, Louisiana for a pair of games against the Ragin' Cajuns. Picked the number one and number two teams in the preseason Sun Belt West Division poll, Little Rock and Louisiana are schedule to play Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m at the Cajundome. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker handling the radio call on 106.7 FM The Buz2.
"This will be a huge challenge for our team," said head coach
Darrell Walker. "Louisiana always has a very solid basketball team and the Cajundome is a very, very tough place to play. Coach (Bob) Marlin always has a very tough and well prepared team, and they remember we won there last year. It should be a pair of very good games."
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock is 2-0 in Sun Belt play for the second time in as many seasons and the third time since the 2015-16 campaign.
• Little Rock is scheduled to play its 500th game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference Saturday, posting an all-time league record of 258-240 (.516).
• Little Rock heads into the weekend with a 25-30 all-time record against Louisiana (.455) and is 9-16 all-time in Lafayette (.360). The 55 games against the Ragin' Cajuns makes Louisiana Little Rock's second-longest active rivalry behind Arkansas State (91 games).
• Little Rock won both games against Louisiana last season - a 69-66 win in Lafayette and a 91-69 victory in Little Rock that clinched the Trojans' regular season Sun Belt title.
• Ben Coupet Jr. is both the Lou Henson National Mid-Major and Sun Belt Player of the Week after averaging 26.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 77.3% from the floor, 73.3% from three-point range and 80.0% from the line last week.
• Ruot Monyyong is 17th among active Division I players with 21 career double-doubles entering the weekend. He has five this season and is seven shy of matching Rashad Jones-Jennings' 28 as the Trojans' all-time double-double leader.
• Little Rock ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 52.0% as a team. The Trojans are coming off an impressive weekend where they shot 63.7% in two games against UT Arlington, including 70.0% from the floor Friday.
• Eight different Trojans have combined for 33 double figure games for Little Rock through the first nine games of 2020-21.
• As a team, Little Rock boasts 10 double-doubles on the year (Monyyong - 5, Nowell - 4, Maric - 1). That is second nationally behind Illinois, who has a total of 12 double-doubles.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
2020-21: 7-2 overall; 1-1 Sun Belt
Last Three Games: L vs. Texas State (71-59), W vs. Texas State (83-77, OT), W vs. McNeese (75-65)
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981). 11th season at Louisiana (195-145); 28th season overall (543-311)
Key Players:
• #0 Cedric Russell (Sr., G): 17.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 40.1 FG%
• #13 Mylik Wilson (So., G): 14.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 45.3 FG%
• #10 Theo Akwuba (Jr., F): 10.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 64.2 FG%
• #23 Dou Gueye (Sr., F): 10.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 43.3 FG%
• #1 Devin Butts (So., G): 7.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 38.2 FG%
LOOKING BACK
Little Rock swept the two game series against Louisiana in 2019-20, marking the first time the Trojans had toppled the Ragin' Cajuns twice in the same season since 2015-16. Little Rock knocked off Louisiana 69-66 on December 21, 2019 in Lafayette before notching the 91-69 win at the Jack Stephens Center on February 29, 2020 to clinch the Sun Belt title.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock earned a pair of convincing wins over UT Arlington to start its Sun Belt title defense on a high note. The Trojans outlasted the Mavericks 102-93 on Friday, January 1, then used a 22-4 run in the second half on Saturday, January 2, to earn a 75-62 victory. Little Rock led by 18 at the 9:28 mark of the second half of both games, thwarting late Maverick rallies.
CAREER WEEKEND FOR COUPET ...
Senior guard Ben Coupet Jr. was a key influence in the pair of Trojan victories this weekend, putting together the best weekend of his Trojan career. Coupet scored 53 combined points in the two games, shooting 77.3% from the floor (17-of-22) and 73.3% from three-point range (11-of-15). He also averaged 6.5 assists per game with three steals.
...EARNS NATIONAL HONORS
The performance from Ben Coupet Jr. caught the attention of not just local media, but nationally as well. Coupet was named the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week by College Insider, becoming the first Trojan to garner national weekly honors since Josh Hagins in 2015. Coupet was also tabbed the Sun Belt Player of the Week, becoming the second Trojan to earn the nod this season and the 21st in program history.
MAKING THE CASE FOR MONYYONG
Ruot Monyyong made a case for Player of the Week honors in his own right last week, averaging 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting 85.7% from the floor against UT Arlington. He knocked down 17-of-21 free throws (81.0%), helping spark the Trojans in the second half. He registered his 21st career double-double Saturday with an 18-point, 15-rebound performance, trailing Rashad Jones-Jennings by seven on the Trojan's all-time double-double list.
CAREER DAY FOR ANDRIC
Freshman point guard Marko Andric came up big for the Trojans in Saturday's win over UT Arlington. Making his second career start, Andric scored nine-straight points in the second half to spark the 22-4 Trojan run that proved crucial. He finished with a career-high 13 points, going 4-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
AMONG NATION'S BEST
Little Rock was firing on all cylinders in the sweep of UT Arlington, shooting 63.7% from the floor over the weekend (58-of-91). That mark included the Trojans' 70.0% clip Friday evening, the second-highest single-game shooting percentage in program history. Little Rock ranks 10th nationally in team shooting percentage at 52.0%, leading the Sun Belt Conference.
SHARING IS CARING
Little Rock combined for 40 assists on 58 made field goals over the weekend against UT Arlington, good enough for a 69.0% assist percentage. The Trojans had a season-high 24 in Friday's victory and rank third in the Sun Belt at 16.4 helpers per game. Markquis Nowell ranks second nationally in assists per game (8.9) and is 12th in total assists (62)
THROWING IT DOWN
Little Rock's size has made it one of the Sun Belt's top dunking threats, holding a 35-10 advantage on the opposition this year following last years' 96-43 advantage. Ruot Monyyong has thrown it down 17 times for the Trojans in 2020-21, upping his career total to 74, while Kris Bankston sits at 100 career dunks behind his six this season.
CLOSING IN ON 500
The 2020-21 season marks Little Rock's 30th season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference as the Trojans are scheduled to play their 500th game as a league member Saturday. Little Rock has an all-time conference record of 258-240 (.518) since joining the league prior to the 1991-92 season along with Arkansas State and Louisiana.
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