| GAME 6 - INDIANA |
| Date/Time |
Wednesday, Nov. 23 - 5:30 p.m. CT |
| Location |
Bloomington, Ind. |
| Arena |
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall |
| Records |
Little Rock (2-3, 0-0 OVC)
Indiana (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) |
| Watch |
Big Ten Network |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Indiana |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock begins a challenging four-game road trip with a big challenge, traveling to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the 11th-ranked Hoosiers Wednesday night. Opening tip against Indiana is set for 5:30 p.m. CT as the game will air live on the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo on the call. Trojan Hall of Famer Ray Tucker will have the radio broadcast on 106.7 FM Buz2, beginning at 5:15 p.m. CT.
GAME STORYLINES
• The game against the Hoosiers continues the three-game stretch that comprises the Indiana Hoosier Classic, a four-team MTE that includes Little Rock, host Indiana, Jackson State and Miami (Ohio).
• Little Rock and Indiana meet for the first time since 1994 as the Trojans are 0-2 all-time against the Hoosiers. The Trojans fell 105-77 in Bloomington in 1988 before a 77-53 loss in Indianapolis in 1994.
• Head coach
Darrell Walker will meet up with long-time friend Mike Woodson Wednesday as Walker was an assistant on Woodson's staff on the New York Knicks from 2012-14.
• Head coach
Darrell Walker will go head-to-head against former NBA players-turned-coaches in four games of a six-game span, facing Jackson State's Mo Williams, Indiana's Mike Woodson, Memphis' Penny Hardaway and Philander Smith's Todd Day.
•
Myron Gardner and
Chris Walker both picked up OVC honors, the first in program history. Gardner was named the league's Player of the Week after averaging a double-double in three games, scoring 14.7 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.8% from three point range.
• Walker was named the OVC Freshman of the Week after scoring 10.3 points in three games off the bench, hitting 47.1% of his three pointers and averaging 3.3 assists per game.
• Little Rock's game at 11th-ranked Indiana Wednesday will be the Trojans' 15th game against a ranked opponent since 2000 and the fourth for head coach
Darrell Walker.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
2022-23: 4-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten. Ranked #11 in both this week's AP and Coaches polls
Last Three Games: W vs. Miami (Ohio) (86-56), W vs. Xavier (81-79), W vs. Bethune-Cookman (101-49)
Head Coach: Mike Woodson (Indiana, 1980). Second season at Indiana and collegiately (25-14)
Key Players:
• #23 Trayce Jackson-Davis (Sr., F): 20.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 75.6 FG%
• #5 Malik Reneau (Fr., F): 11.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 66.7 FG%
• #0 Xavier Johnson (Sr., G): 10.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 53.2 FG%
• #12 Miller Kopp (Sr., F): 9.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 52.9 3FG%
• #1 Jalen Hood-Schifino (Fr., G): 7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 33.3 FG%
ITS BEEN A WHILE
Little Rock and Indiana meet for just the third time in program history and the first since 1994. The Hoosiers have won both of the previous meetings, defeating the Trojans 105-77 in Bloomington on Dec. 14, 1988, before handing Little Rock a 77-53 defeat in Indianapolis on December 29, 1994.
LAST TIME OUT
Little Rock found itself trailing by 18 points with 8:29 remaining in the first half, down 34-16 to Jackson State. But the Trojans scored 78 points over the final 28:29, then held off a late Jackson State rally to notch the 94-91 victory Sunday at the Jack Stephens Center. Five Trojans scored in double figures, led by 23 from
Myron Gardner with nine rebounds while
D.J. Smith added 18 points and
DeAntoni Gordon contributed 17.
CLOSING IN ON 100
Head coach
Darrell Walker is in year number five in Little Rock with an overall record of 53-68 at the helm of the Trojans. He registered his 99th win as a collegiate head coach against Jackson State Sunday, sitting at 99-86 overall. Walker boasts a pair of impressive accomplishments as he is the only coach in the nation that has served as a head coach at the NBA, WNBA, Division II and Division I ranks and is one of just five active head coaches that won an NBA title as a player.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Little Rock earned a pair of program-firsts, notching a pair of OVC weekly honors Monday.
Myron Gardner was tabbed the OVC Player of the Week, finishing the three-game stretch with 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 53.8% from three point range, while
Chris Walker was named the Freshman of the Week, averaging 10.3 points with 3.3 assists and shooting 41.7% from three point range during the week.
DOUBLE DOUBLE THREAT
Myron Gardner continues to be a double-double threat for Little Rock as he finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, shooting 7-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three in the win over Jackson State. The OVC Player of the Week, Gardner is averaging a double-double on the year with 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds while leading the team in three point percentage (47.4%), assists (18) and steals (12), shooting 42.9% from the floor.
HONORS FOR WALKER
Redshirt freshman
Chris Walker was tabbed the OVC's Freshman of the Week after averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 assists over the course of the past week. Walker had 12 points in the win over Jackson State and 11 against Central Arkansas last Monday as he ranks third on the team in three point percentage (40.7%), leading the team with 11 made threes on the year.
CONSISTENCY INSIDE
Forward
DeAntoni Gordon continues to be a steady force for Little Rock, leading the team averaging 13.4 points while shooting 51.9% from the floor. Gordon tied his career high with 17 points in the win over Jackson State, going 7-of -12 from the floor with six rebounds, as he has now scored in double figures in all five games this season and nine of his 13 games in a Trojan uniform.
STEADY IMPROVEMENT
Little Rock has seen steady improvement off the bench from both
Ethan Speaker and
Jordan Jefferson this season. Speaker has improved his minutes and points in each of his three games scored, scoring a season-high 11 points in each of the last two games after missing all last season with a knee injury. Jefferson played a season-high 30 minutes with nine points and three rebounds against Jackson State and has been a key contributor in the last three games, averaging 9.3 points on 41.7% shooting in 24.7 minutes.
TROJANS AGAINST THE BIG TEN
Little Rock boasts an overall record of 3-12 against current members of the Big Ten and has won two of its last three, winning at Minnesota in 2006 before the memorable 85-85 double overtime victory over Purdue in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
TROJANS IN INDIANA
Little Rock is 1-5 all-time in games played in the state of Indiana since becoming a Division I program in 1978. The Trojans are 0-2 at Indiana and are 0-1 at Evansville (1984), Purdue (1987) and Valparaiso (1978), earning a neutral site win over Pepperdine in Indianapolis in 1994. Little Rock will get more familiar with the state of Indiana with the addition of Southern Indiana as well as the OVC Tournament being held in Evansville.
TOUGH ROAD STRETCH
Little Rock heads back on the road as part of a challenging span of playing six of seven away from the Jack Stephens Center. That trip include three NCAA tournament teams (Indiana, San Francisco and Memphis), with games in five different states (Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio and California). Adding the trip to Illinois to start the season, Little Rock will travel approximately 7,500 miles in the first month of the season.
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