THE MATCHUP
Teams: ULM (6-7, 0-0 SBC)
Little Rock (9-4, 0-0 SBC)
Location: Jack Stephens Center
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team opens Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday afternoon against the defending SBC tournament champion Little Rock at 3:00 p.m. in Little Rock.
Saturday afternoon's game will be available on the Warhawk Radio Network and on Trojans All-Access. The Warhawks enter the tilt with a 6-7 mark, coming off of a dominant win on Wednesday night against Grambling winning by the margin of 81-45, while Little Rock is 9-4, coming off of a 10-day break where last time they stepped on the floor they fell to Florida.
NOTABLES
Last Time Out: ULM used a season-best 56.0 percent shooting night to race past in-state foe Grambling on Wednesday night 81-45 inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum in the Warhawks' final non-conference tune-up.
Preseason Poll: The Warhawks were picked to finished eighth in the SBC Preseason Poll. This comes after they made it to the 2016 SBC Championship game last year, ultimately falling to Little Rock in the Championship. The Championship apperance was the first for the Warhawks in the Sun Belt Conference.
SBC Openers: This will be the 11th Sun Belt Conference opener that the Warhawks have played in since joining the conference back in the 2006-07 season. The Warhawks are currently 3-7 in conference openers but have won two of their previous three conference openers - including last year's victory against the Ragin Cajuns (81-70) on December 3, 2015.
Protecting Home Court: The Warhawks continued their strong play at home winning their 18th home game in a row on Wednesday against Grambling. The home winning streak of 18 straight ranks tied for fifth in the country and is tied for the second-longest between schools outside of the Power Five. The Warhawks are now 32-4 over their last two and half seasons inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Head-to-Head: The Warhawks and Trojans meet for the 30th time on Saturday afternoon in Little Rock, with the Trojans have a slim 16-13 head-to-head record. The last time ULM and Little Rock met was in last year's Sun Belt Conference championship game where the Trojans won 70-50 on March 13, 2016. Prior to last year's SBC final the Warhawks had won five of their last six games in the series, including four in a row at one point in that stretch.
Scouting the Trojans: Little Rock features a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Marcus Johnson Jr. and his 13.9 point average. He has also hit 24 three-pointers this season. Jalen Jackson averages 11.2 points per game while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per and is making 82 percent of his free throws.
Sharing the Basketball: The Warhawks have 187 assists on 340 made baskets so far this season. Nick Coppola leads the way with 70 assists, while Travis Munnings has 30 assists so far this season and Jordon Harris has 24 assists on the season. As a team, the Warhawks have assisted on 55.0 percent of their made baskets this season.
UP NEXT
-Following Saturday afternoon's contest, the Warhawks will continue Sun Belt Conference play in 2017 as they hit the floor next in Jonesboro, Arkansas against Arkansas State on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. from Jonesboro.
