TROJANS WELCOME RIVAL RED WOLVES TO THE JACK SATURDAY

[Seminole Indian]

OPENING TIP
The first installment of Little Rock's biggest rivalry resumes Saturday when the Trojans welcome Arkansas State to the Jack Stephens Center in the Red Wolves' yearly trek to the capital city. Opening tip in the 86th rivalry game gets underway at approximately 5:15 p.m. following the completion of the women's game. Ray Tucker and Kevin Crass will have the call between the Trojans and the Red Wolves on The Point 94.1 FM and online at KKPT.com, beginning at 4:40 p.m.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2005, Little Rock has called the Jack Stephens Center home, and the venue has helped the Trojans become one of the Sun Belt's toughest home teams. Little Rock has posted a 125-64 record (.661) at the Jack since the doors opened in 2005, including a 69-43 mark (.616) against Sun Belt Conference foes. The Trojans are 5-5 on their home court this season and have posted a winning home record every year at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.

ANOTHER YEAR IN THE BELT
The 2017-18 season marks Little Rock's 27th year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, joining the league in the 1991-92 season. During that stretch, the Trojans have posted a 234-212 (.525) record in conference play, winning the 2016 Sun Belt title with five divisional championships. Little Rock and Arkansas State began meeting as Sun Belt Conference opponents in the 1992-93 season when the Red Wolves joined the league as the interstate foes play for the 57th time as league opponents Saturday.

PREVIEWING THE RED WOLVES
2017-18: 6-13 overall, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference (T-10th), 1-9 on the road
Last Three Games: L vs. UT Arlington (97-71); L vs. Texas State (73-67); L at Georgia State (79-75)
Head Coach: Mike Balado (St. Thomas, 1998). First season at Arkansas State (6-13, .316)

ARKANSAS STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Arkansas State enters Saturday's game on a five-game losing skid, sitting a 1-5 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Red Wolves are one of the better shooting teams in the league, ranking fourth at 44.5 percent for the season, and are sixth overall in points per game at 73.7. However, Arkansas State ranks last in the conference in scoring defense at 77.9 points per game, allowing nearly nine more points per game than the Trojans, and are also in the bottom spot in field goal percentage defense at 48.9 percent. Individually, the Red Wolves have a pair of players averaging in double figures, led by Deven Simms' 16.8 points per game (shooting 50.2%) and 5.9 rebounds per game with Ty Cockfield averaging 13.3 points.

SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Arkansas State renew the longest standing rivalry in program history, meeting for the 86th time Saturday. Beginning in the 1927-28 season, the Red Wolves hold a 52-33 edge in the all-time series and have won three of the last four, including sweeping the season series in 2016-17. The Trojans are 21-12 all-time against their in-state rivals in Little Rock, including an 8-5 record against the Red Wolves at the Jack Stephens Center.

LAST TIME OUT
A furious rally in the final 27 seconds saw Little Rock overcome a five-point deficit, tying the game against Texas State at 70-70 with six seconds to play. But for the second time in a week, the Trojans dropped a heart breaker at the buzzer as the Bobcats buried a shot as time expired, escaping with the 72-70 win. The loss came despite career-highs for Cameron Corcoran (16) and Kris Bankston (14) and the Trojans shooting a season-high 57.6 percent from the floor.

CAREER HIGHS FOR THE NEW GUYS
A pair of Trojan freshmen were key components in Little Rock's showdown with Texas State Saturday afternoon as Cameron Corcoran and Kris Bankston both registered career-highs in points. Corcoran posted 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, as he continues to lead the Trojans in three-point percentage at 43.9%. Bankston continued his impressive performance in Sun Belt Conference play, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, complemented by nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. In conference games, Bankston is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game to lead the Trojans and averaging 6.8 points per game, shooting 70.0% from the floor.

BASKETBALL JONES
Sophomore Andre Jones has continued to emerge as Little Rock's top offensive scoring threat. The Little Rock native registered a game-high 19 points against Texas State, his 11th game in double figures this season, as his 12.2 ppg average is tops among the Trojans. Jones has led the team in individual scoring on seven occasions while also ranking second on the team in both rebounds (4.4) and assists (2.3).

CONTROLLING THE PAINT
One area that has become Little Rock's strength through the non-conference portion of 2017-18 has been its play in the paint. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 572-452 in points in the paint through 19 games this season, averaging 30.1 points in the key per game, accounting for nearly 48% of their offensive production. Little Rock has held the advantage in 13 of its 18 games this season, including a 20+ point differential against Ouachita Baptist (48-20), Norfolk State (38-10) and Ozarks (46-10).

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
The four true freshmen on Little Rock's 2017-18 roster haven't had much time to settle into things as all four have been relied upon early and often. The quartet of Cameron Corcoran, Jaizec Lottie, Damir Hadzic and Kris Bankston have combined to play 1,243 minutes already this season, accounting for 32.3% of the Trojans' 3,850 minutes. The freshmen foursome enter the game Saturday averaging 20.4 points per game, nearly 32% of Little Rock's offensive production, as Lottie, Hadzic and Bankston have combined for 32 starts this season.

THE CENTURY CLUB
At the midway point of the 2017-18 season, balanced scoring continues to be a theme for Little Rock. Seven different players have registered 100 or more points this season, led by Andre Jones' 219. Anthony Black ranks second on the team at 133 points, followed by Oliver Black (126), Jaizec Lottie (119), Cameron Corcoran (112), Ben Marcus (106) and Damir Hadzic (100). Eight different Trojans have led the team in scoring through 18 games this season, led by Jones on seven occasions, as eight Trojans are averaging over six points per game.

THE FIRST SEVEN
The first seven minutes have been quite the litmus test for Little Rock in 2017-18, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. In the five games the Trojans have won, Little Rock has not trailed in three of them and has led for an average of 33:42. In the Trojans losses this season, the average time Little Rock has led has been just 6:38, facing deficits of 10 points or more on 12 occasions. The largest deficit Little Rock has overcome this year has been a 16-point hole against Central Arkansas, rallying to defeat the Bears 71-65 on November 29.

NARROWING THE GAP
While the Trojans' 2-4 record in Sun Belt Conference play isn't where they hoped it would be after six games, Little Rock has raised some eyebrows early in the conference slate. Little Rock's four losses have come to the top four teams currently in the Sun Belt standings, including heartbreaking buzzer-beater losses to both Georgia Southern and Texas State, who have a combined four losses in league play. On the flip side, the Trojans registered convincing wins over ULM and preseason favorite UT Arlington, holding double digit advantages late in the second half on both teams.

REPRESENTING THE NATURAL STATE
Saturday's game will be a showcase of basketball talent for the Natural State as a combined nine players will hail from the state of Arkansas (six for Little Rock, three for Arkansas State). Additionally, the central portion of the state will be well represented as six combined players' hometowns are within a 25-mile radius of the Jack Stephens Center.

SWEET CAROLIN-A
Little Rock closes out the month of January with a pair of games in the Carolinas, beginning with the trip to Boone, North Carolina to face Appalachian State. Opening tip against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 25.

http://lrtrojans.com/news/2018/1/19/mens-basketball-trojans-welcome-rival-red-wolves-to-the-jack-saturday.aspx

[Dropkick]

Go Trojans!

[pigture perfect]

I'm heading over to catch the double header. I think it will be a fun time.