GAME 32 - OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
WESTERN ILLINOIS OR TENNESSEE STATE |
| Date/Time |
Friday, March 8 - 7 p.m. |
| Location |
Evansville, Indiana |
| Arena |
The Ford Center |
Records
|
Little Rock (20-11, 14-4 OVC)
Western Illinois (20-11, 13-5 OVC)
Tennessee State (18-14, 11-3 OVC) |
| Watch |
ESPNU and ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
lrtrojans.com |
| Notes |
Little Rock |
EVANSVILLE, Indiana - The Little Rock Men's Basketball team opens Ohio Valley Conference Championships action on Friday as the Trojans will face either Western Illinois or Tennessee State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Fans can listen live on 106.7 FM The Buz2 with Ray Tucker or watch live on ESPNU or ESPN+.
Little Rock received several OVC honors after the regular season. Head Coach
Darrell Walker received the OVC Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 20-11 overall record, their first 20-win season since 2019-20, and a 14-4 OVC record that secured the team's first-ever OVC Regular Season Championship and No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament. He becomes only the 24th head coach since 2020 to be named Coach of the Year multiple times as he garnered the Sun Belt Coach of the Year honor with Little Rock in 2020. He also has led the program to be one of 38 schools in the nation to win multiple regular season conference championships since 2020.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson received OVC Freshman of the Year after starting 30 of 31 games and averaging 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shooting 50.9 percent for the field. The San Antonio, Texas-native received OVC Freshman of the Week honors nine times becoming the fifth player in OVC history. He recorded three double-doubles this season and recorded career-highs of 16 points at Tennessee State and 15 rebounds at Central Arkansas.
Two Trojans earned All-OVC First Team as
KK Robinson and
Jamir Chaplin garnered the honor. This is the first time since the 2019-20 season that Little Rock has earned First Team recognition. The pair were also recognized as two of the five players named to the All-Newcomer Team.
Robinson leads the team in points averaging 15.8 per game and in assists averaging 4.3 per game. Robinson has also contributed an average of 5.5 rebounds and 29 total steals. The Little Rock, Ark.-native is the only Trojan this season to record a triple-double scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists against SIUE. He also recorded four double-doubles for the season. Robinson knocked down a career-high 26 points against Georgia State and recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against Murray State.
Chaplin averages 14.8 points per game and leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.5 and in steals with a total of 38. He also leads the team in field goal percentage with a 57.9%. The Atlanta, Ga.-native has recorded four double-doubles this season. He knocked down a career-high 29 points at Tennessee State and recorded a career-high 15 rebounds against Tulsa. Chaplin joined the 1,000 career-point club against Southern Indiana.
Makhel Mitchell earned All-OVC Second Team after averaging 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and shooting 52.4 from the field in only 17 games played. The Washington, D.C.-native has recorded three double-doubles this season. He recorded a season-high 21 points at Lindenwood, a career-high 14 rebounds at Lindenwood, and a season-high of five blocks three times.
Western Illinois entered the OVC Championships as the No. 4 seed after finishing the regular season 20-11 overall and 13-5 in conference action. The Leathernecks will play in their first game of the championships tonight against Tennessee State. The winner will face Little Rock. Tennessee State (18-14, 10-8 OVC) defeated Southern Indiana 78-64 in the first round Wednesday.
The Trojans lead the all-time series 3-1 over Western Illinois. Little Rock won the last match-up on February 8, 2024 in Macomb, Ill. 63-60. The first meeting was on February 20, 1979 at Western Illinois, The Leathernecks won 117-88.
Little Rock also leads the all-time series over Tennessee State 4-3. The Trojans won the last meeting on Februay 29, 2024 at home 85-60. The first meeting between the two teams was on December 5, 1992. The Tigers won 62-60 at a neutral site.
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out
LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockMBB on
Facebook,
Instagram and
Twitter.
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