CHARLESTON, Ill. – The battle for Ohio Valley Conference supremacy tips off Saturday afternoon in Charleston when Little Rock and Eastern Illinois, the only two remaining undefeated teams in league play, square off at Lantz Arena in the first of two meetings this season.
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Little Rock (8-8, 5-0) is holding OVC opponents to just 45.6 points per game this year while Eastern Illinois (13-3, 5-0) is averaging 75.6 ppg in its five conference wins so far.
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Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPN+ with Rob Calhoun (play-by-play) and Lane Blickem (analyst) on the broadcast while Trey Schaap will call the action on the Little Rock Sports Network (920 AM The Sports Network).
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Series History
- This is the first time the two teams will meet on the hardwood.
- The Trojans are 2-2 all-time against teams from the Land of Lincoln.
- This is just the second time in program history that Little Rock will play a game in the state of Illinois.
- Panthers head coach Matt Bollant is in his sixth year, and this isn't his first experience facing Joe Foley's Trojans. Bollant was head coach of Green Bay when the two teams met on March 20, 2011, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. Bollant's Phoenix, the No. 5 seed, won 59-55 and went as far as the Sweet 16.
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Five Things to Know
- And Then There were Two
Little Rock and Eastern Illinois have been set on a collision course for Saturday where two undefeated teams will enter Lantz Arena but only one will leave. Thanks to the Trojans rallying for a 47-44 win at Southern Indiana on Jan. 12 and with Eastern Illinois' 88-79 win over SIUE that same day, Little Rock and EIU are the only two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference that remain undefeated in league play.
- The Age-Old Question Could Get Answered Saturday
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We could find out Saturday in Charleston. Eastern Illinois and the OVC's top-rated offense plays host to a Little Rock squad that brings a level of suffocation that the OVC has never seen before. EIU enters the game ranked first in the league in scoring offense (72.1 ppg) while Little Rock's defense is limiting opponents to 55.4 ppg overall and a mind-boggling 45.6 ppg in conference play. Take a quick look at the statistical comparison between the two teams:
- Creating Offense
They say the best offense is defense and when it comes to Little Rock's Team, that's certainly true. So far this season the Trojans are averaging 16.0 points off turnovers per game. And considering six of Little Rock's eight wins this season have come by 16 or fewer points, that's a game-changing dynamic. The 16.0 points off turnovers per game Little Rock is averaging this season ranks 12th in school history.
- They've Never OVCeen It
Since the 2009-10 season, the OVC has never seen a defense so strong that it held opponents to less than 56.5 ppg. Even if you expand the opposing scoring mark to less than 60.0 ppg, this year's Little Rock team is just one of 12 in the OVC since the 2009-10 campaign to achieve that feat. While only 11 other OVC teams have done that, this season marks the 12th time in the past 13 years the Trojans have held opponents to less than 60.0 ppg.
- Close Calls
Little Rock has been very fortunate in close calls so far this season. The Trojans have compiled a 2-0 mark in games decided by three points or less and a 4-1 mark in one-possession games (four points or less).
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