Hear from SMU Coach Matt Doherty as Mustangs prepare to play UALR

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UALR doesn't play SMU until Sunday. But here's a look at what SMU Coach Matt Doherty had to say after the Mustangs victory over Georgia Southern in their most recent game.

Photos from the UALR-Northwestern State game

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Northwestern State has posted a nice gallery of photos from last night's game:
http://www.nsudemons.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=50

Dillard gives UALR productive minutes in lopsided loss

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It was pretty much a disaster in just about everything during Tuesday’s 80-65 loss at Northwestern State.

The most productive minutes for UALR came from freshman guard Ben Dillard. UALR outscored Northwestern State 24-16 in Dillard’s minutes on the court. Then again, UALR outscored NSU by 11 during garbage time with Dillard on the court. He was a -3 until that point.

Some other positives on the night included Senior Marlon Louziero and freshman Taggart Lockhart. UALR won Louzeiro’s minutes 26-23 and Lockhart’s minutes 23-20. Contrast that with sophomore Chuck Guy’s minutes, which UALR lost 62-40.

Stats and season plus/minus statistics now updated in the right column of BTH.

UALR Gamenight blog: Trojans crushed by Northwestern State

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80     65

UALR loses 80-65 at Northwestern State on Tuesday to drop to 2-5 on the season. UALR did shoot a whopping 40 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range. But the Trojans got outrebounded 39-31 and allowed the Demons to shoot 45 percent from the field.

Eric Lawton, making his first start of the season, leads UALR with 12 points. But he also had five turnovers. Will Neighbour and Marlon Louzeiro added 10 points apiece, while Chuck Guy had 9 points.

Michael Javes was a non-factor and didn't even get on the court in the second half. He played only 10 minutes, finishing with 0 points and 2 rebounds.

Up next: Trojans host Missouri State on Sunday.

UALR signees off to big starts in high school seasons

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High school basketball is just starting to get going. Here's an update on some of UALR's signees.

Regardless of which one of these accounts is correct, it’s still a nice debut for UALR signee Josh Hagins of Bossier City (La.) Airline.

Bossier City Press: The Airline boys opened their season Tuesday night with a 104-70 victory over the Northwood Falcons at Northwood. Josh Hagins hit seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points. Hayden Hildebrand scored 28.

Shreveport Times: At Northwood, Josh Hagins connected on eight 3-pointers as he torched the Falcons for 33 points in the season-opening win.

The Austin American-Statesman had this to say about UALR signee Andrew Poulter: “New Braunfels Canyon (29-7): Ranked eighth in Class 4A in the TABC preseason poll, Canyon returns 6-foot-11-inch senior Andrew Poulter.”

And this to say about signee Mareik Isom: “Bowie (26-7): Loss of two-time All-Central Texas honoree Connor Robinson will hurt, but Bulldogs still have a dynamic duo in Paul Baxter and Arkansas-Little Rock signee Mareik Isom.”


Isom had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in an 84-80 loss to McNeil last week. Bowie plays against LBJ tonight.

UALR signee John Gillon of Houston Strake Jesuit is averaging 23.5 points through two games.

UALR Gameday: Trojans get rematch with Northwestern St.

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Northwestern State (3-3)
vs. UALR (2-4)
7 p.m. tonight
Natchitoches, La.
Vegas says: So far it doesn't
UALR travels to Natchitoches, La., tonight to take on Northwestern State for the second time this season.

Northwestern State is 3-3 on the season, including a 72-66 loss to UALR last month at the Jack Stephens Center.

UALR and Northwestern State have been a lot alike in the early part of the season:
  • Field goal percentage: UALR 36.5; NSU 38.3
  • Three-point percentage: UALR 26.6; NSU 24.3
  • Free-throw percentage: UALR 73.3; NSU 56.6
Dare we say UALR has been a better shooting team this year? They certainly were in the first meeting of the season. UALR shot a season-high 49.1 percent while holding Northwestern State to 35.7 percent. A large part of that was UALR’s domination in the paint with a 26-14 advantage. That was important because NSU got to the free throw line 31 times to UALR’s 22.

That brings us to tonight’s game where Northwestern State is no doubt looking for some revenge. Take not of NSU senior Louis Ellis’ post on Twitter:

“Time for scout.. #HoopSquad gotta kick Arkansas Little Rock ass tomorrow!! We owe them mfss!!”

Shamir Davis leads Northwestern State at 13 points per game. He had 11 in the first meeting. Gary Roberson had 14 points in that game despite averaging 8.8. Where UALR did a good job in that game was on senior forward William Mosley. He averages 8.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks. He’s getting three offensive rebounds per game. But in that game he was held to just 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Northwestern State doesn’t shoot free throws particularly well, but they make up for quality with quantity. The Demons have been to the free throw line 176 times this season. To compare, UALR has only been 116 times.

So what has to happen to get a W in Louisiana tonight?

UALR has to get more assists. No doubt the Trojans would have more assists this season if they’d made more shots. After all, there’s no assist for a missed shot. However, UALR needs to get good shots. That means passing up a good shot for a better shot

Northwestern State didn’t play much zone in the first meeting. We’d expect to see some more of it tonight. UALR has to make the open shots that the zone gives up. That doesn’t necessarily mean three-pointers. It’s much more about the midrange jumpers that haven’t been going in.

And rebounds. No way they can allow Mosley to dominate the paint and expect to win. UALR has done a better job of interior defense in recent games. That’s got to continue tonight.

Las Vegas has not set a line for tonight’s game. This marks the third time this season there has been no line for a UALR game. The Trojans have won both of the previous times.

Tonight’s predictions:
  • Real Time RPI (4-2): NSU 73, UALR 67
  • Ken Pomeroy (4-2): NSU 68, UALR 67
  • CBS Sports line (4-2): NSU 71, UALR 68
  • The Sports Network (4-2): Still waiting

Shooting records in play early this season for UALR

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Marlon Louzeiro converts a high-
percentage shot on Saturday night.
UALR is going to have to pick it up at the offensive end or this is going to be a record-breaking season for the Trojans. And it’s not a good record.

No UALR team has ever shot below 40 percent from the field as a team. And no UALR team has ever shot below 27 percent from three-point range. Both are in jeopardy.

It’s still a relatively small sample of six games, but UALR is currently shooting 36.5 percent from the field and 26.6 percent from three-point range.

Since joining NCAA Division I in 1979, UALR has had only five teams even come close to dropping below 40 percent from the field. The 2008-2009 team came the closest at 40.2 percent. The others were the 1994-1995 team (40.3), the 2007-2008 team (40.3), the 2000-2001 team (40.4) and the 1996-1997 team (40.7).

And since the introduction of the three-point shot in the mid-1980s, only three UALR teams have shot worse than 30 percent from behind the arc. The worst was the 1994-1995 team at 27.9 percent. The others were the 2007-2008 team at 29.0 percent and the 2000-2001 team at 29.3 percent.

Then again, it's still really early in the season. If UALR were to average 44 percent over the next four games, the Trojans would get their season field-goal percentage back to 40 percent. UALR has shot 44 percent or better just twice this season (both victories).

Neighbour has 15 pts, 8 reb., 3 blk and 2 stl and is a plus 3

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UALR sophomore Will Neighbour finished Saturday's loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee with 15 points, 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 blocked shots, and 2 steals.

He also finished as a plus 3 during the game. With Neighbour on the court, UALR outscored Wisconsin-Milwaukee 35-32.

BTH stats are now updated in the right column.

Milwaukee goes bombs away, then lays up for victory at UALR

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Eric Lawton's missed layup would
have tied the game at 46-46.
It looked for a while like Wisconsin-Milwaukee might go the entire second half without making a two-point field goal. Then again, they didn’t need any. They made open threes, contested threes and even banked in a three as the Panthers erased a seven-point UALR lead on Saturday.

In all, that was seven three pointers before they hit their first two pointer. And when they hit their first two-pointer with 3:26 left in the game, it helped put the Trojans away. They were only 4 of 9 inside the arc in the second half. But all for were layups. And all four were back-breakers.

  • Kyle Kelm’s layup with 3:26 left extended their lead to 49-46.
  • James Haarsma’s layup with 2:08 left allowed Milwaukee to retake the lead at 51-50. He was also fouled on the play and made the free throw for a 52-50 lead.
  • Haarsma’s layup with 1:13 left made it 54-50.
  • And Haarsma’s layup with 29 seconds left made it 56-50.

Milwaukee was 4 of 9 inside the arc in the second half. And they were 7 of 13 outside of it.

UALR Gamenight: Milwaukee 59, UALR 54

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59       54
Final
UWM 59, UALR 54

UALR Gameday: Trojans host Wisconsin-Milwaukee at JSC

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Milwaukee (4-1) vs. UALR (2-3)
7 p.m. tonight
Jack Stephens Center
Vegas says: UWM by 4.5
The UALR Trojans return home tonight for what sets up as a major test as they host the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers at the JSC.

After opening the season with five games in 10 days and very little practice time, UALR has had five days uninterrupted by games and travel. That could be as valuable as anything going into tonight’s game against Milwaukee, which is 4-1 after losing at Michigan State on Wednesday night.

Happy Thanksgiving from BTH

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. The BTH staff is back from Las Vegas. We hope to resume content tomorrow.

Neighbour has big numbers, bad plus/minus in UALR loss to MSU

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Pretty much everybody’s plus/minus numbers are in a freefall after the pair of weekend losses.

UALR sophomore Will Neighbour seemingly had one of his best games as a Trojan with 11 points and 12 rebounds. But a look at the plus/minus reveals that he was on the hook for the full 22 points of the loss.

With Neighbour in the game, Michigan State outscored the Trojans 60-38. The score was 9-9 with Neighbour on the bench.

Similarly, Michigan State was on top 52-32 with sophomore Chuck Guy in the game. Michigan State held a 17-15 advantage with Guy on the bench.

In contrast, UALR trailed only 37-31 in the minutes played by freshman Michael Javes. Michigan State held a 32-16 advantage with Javes on the bench.

Brutal stretch comes to a close for UALR

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UALR Coach Steve Shields doesn't care for excuses. But he's probably got the right to one.

"Seven of the 12 guys here with us, are new guys and this is our fifth game in 10 days. You can't use that as a crutch. We play conference games on Thursdays and Saturdays in the Sun Belt Conference," Shields said. "You have got to be prepared for quick turnarounds and traveling in adverse situations."

UALR Coach Steve Shields' postgame comments

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Here's what UALR Coach Steve Shields had to say after today's loss at Michigan State:
Opening Statement...
I guess looking at Michigan State, this is a team that I have the utmost of respect for, with everything Tom Izzo has accomplished here. We played up here five or six years ago, and even before that, knowing how great they're rebounding is and how disciplined they are. I think coming into tonight, based on their previous statistics for their points in the paint and second chance points and comparing those to the statistics tonight, you would've thought it would have been a closer game from our standpoint. But we can't turn the ball over the way we have our last few games, having 20 turnovers at Eastern Michigan and 19 tonight. Obviously Michigan State is a very physical team; a very well coached team, but those are areas where we have got to get better, valuing the basketball. I think that overall, hopefully this will be a good experience for our guys, playing in a hostile environment.
On the team's rebounding...
If you look at their stats coming in, we had negative rebounds statistics, which was a huge concern. We got to turning the ball over in the second half, and we gave up easy baskets in transition. That's one thing about Izzo's team that sometimes might go unnoticed. He runs a lot of sets, and they execute those well, but they're very good in transition. We had to get good shots, and not take bad shots.
On UALR being in Michigan for four days, possibly making the team tired...
I don't know if I can use that as an excuse. Any time you're on the road you want to pride the team in being able to handle tough situations. We always talk about how the toughest team wins and obviously valuing the basketball is important. We have got a young basketball team. Seven of the 12 guys here with us, are new guys and this is our fifth game in 10 days. You can't use that as a crutch. We play conference games on Thursdays and Saturdays in the Sun Belt Conference. You have got to be prepared for quick turnarounds and traveling in adverse situations.

UALR Gamenight: Trojans vs. Michigan State

Watch tonight's UALR-Michigan State game at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Live game updats from Statsheet right here.


Trojans hoping for better outcome in this Trojan War battle with Spartans

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Hector (Trojans) vs. Achilles (Spartans) didn't turn out the right way in the Trojan War. We're hoping today's UALR (Trojans) vs. Michigan State (Spartans) doesn't turn out as poorly.
Our advice to the Trojans: Burn the Horse.

UALR Gameday: Trojans take on Michigan State

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UALR (2-2) vs. Michigan State (1-2)
6 p.m. Tonight
East Lansing, Michigan
Big Ten Network
Vegas says: Michigan State by 22.5
Before the first game of the season, we cautioned against overreactions early this season, both the positive and negative variety.

We probably got a little to excited after a couple of home victories against nice teams. So maybe we’re a little overboard after such a disappointing loss to Eastern Michigan? Please? Pretty please?

That brings us to tonight’s game as the Trojans take on Michigan State. You can watch for yourself with the Trojans and Spartans playing out their version of the Trojan War at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

So what should we expect from UALR tonight? A victory? That seems far fetched after such a lack-luster performance on Friday in Ysplanti, Mich. We’d settle for a much better effort. The Trojans had made visible improvement in every game this season until Friday’s disaster. There needs to be some improvement tonight. And if a miracle isn’t possible, a moral victory would be nice.

This preview isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good considering their lack of knowledge about the Trojans:

http://lifeinlansing.com/the-state-of-basketball-blog/item/michigan-state-versus-arkansas-little-rock

A few years ago, UALR traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich., to take on Michigan State. UALR pushed the Spartans to the final minute that afternoon. After the game, Tom Izzo called the Trojans “Junkyard Dogs” because of their toughness. He said he could sense it from the time the Trojans took the court for warmups. This year’s team has yet to display any of that “Junkyard” toughness. They’ve played more like Pound Puppies.

OK. That’s harsh and isn't fair. It's a definite overreaction.

 
The bottom line is this. UALR is a very inexperienced team with a ton of potential. They’re going to look great some nights and pathetic on others. So, we all better get used to the inconsistency. Wins and losses are important. But more important is getting this team ready for Sun Belt play. The only way this team is going to the NCAA Tournament is to win three (or four) consecutive games in Hot Springs in March. That was the case before and after Friday’s loss.

We’ve seen flashes of greatness from most of the newcomers this year. Unfortunately, they all looked awful at the same time on Friday.

Tonight’s predictions:


  • Real Time RPI (3-1): Michigan St. 84, UALR 59
  • Jeff Sagarin (2-2): Michigan St. 92, UALR 67
  • CBS Sportsline (2-2): Michigan St. 82, UALR 54
  • The Sports Network (2-2): Michigan St. 68, UALR 55


Here's the game preview from The Sports Network:
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/scores/live/preview.aspx?id=56647

UALR Gamenight Blog: Trojans flop in loss to Eastern Michigan

51      62
UALR loses 62-51 to Eastern Michigan on Friday.

Some game notes:
  • UALR shoots 32 percent from the field. At one point they were over 50 percent.
  • Got outrebounded 36-34 after holding the rebound edge much of th night.
  • UALR had 21 turnovers, 13 in the first half. Many were unforced (or at least lightly forced).
  • Jackson and Williams lead with 11 points apiece. But Williams' points came way too late.
  • Neighbour, Williams, Jackson all with four turnovers.
  • Guy goes the final 32 minutes without a point.
  • UALR struggled to execute against IUPUI's zone late on Tuesday. And really struggled vs. the zone today. It's doubtful Michigan State will play too much zone on Sunday, but UALR can expect to see a lot of it from here on out.

UALR Gameday: Trojans travel to Eastern Michigan

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UALR (2-1) vs. Eastern Michigan (1-1)
6 p.m. tonight
Ysplanti, Michigan
Vegas says: EMU by 1.5
The UALR Trojans are back on the road tonight as they continue play in the Michigan State tournament with a game at Ysplanti, Mich., against Eastern Michigan.

Prayers go out to Oklahoma State

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We heard about the plane crash yesterday in Perry County, Arkansas. But it really hit home this morning when we learned who was on board.

Oklahoma State Coach Kurt Budke and an assistant coach were killed in the plane crash. Budke brought his OSU Cowgirls to Little Rock couple of years ago to face UALR. Read the early story from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7250025/oklahoma-state-cowboys-coach-kurt-budke-assistant-miranda-serna-illed-plane-crash

Best of luck to Coach Robinson in his return home

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BTH wants to welcome back former UALR player, graduate manager and assistant coach Doniyal Robinson to central Arkansas tonight. We wish him good luck as his Houston Cougars take on UA-Fayetteville at Verizon Arena.

Robinson played at UALR and was the graduate manager/director of basketball operations under Coach Porter Moser. He went with Moser to Illinois State before returning to UALR as an assistant coach. He then moved on to Iowa State and now Houston

Gault's scoring shows potential for UALR women's basketball

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The UALR women were beaten 83-53 by No. 6 Texas A&M last night at the Jack Stephens Center. That was pretty much expected considering the experience of the defending national champions and the inexperience of this year's Trojan squad.

One bright spot has emerged early this season for UALR. Freshman Taylor Gault had 23 points last night. This came after 20 points in the second game of the season. Matched with her 0 points in the season opener, Gault is now averaging 14.3 points per game. She's shooting 54.3 percent from three-point range.

One area Gault has to improve on is turnovers. She's got a team high 15 in three games. But she's shown great potential for a true freshman early in her career.

WKU loses to Tulsa by same score as UALR did

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We found it interesting that Tulsa defeated Western Kentucky 65-49 today. It was interesting because Tulsa defeated UALR by that same score a week ago.

Tulsa and WKU met in the first round of a tournament in Charleston, S.C. UALR and Tulsa met at Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

UALR women host No. 6 Texas A&M

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The UALR women play host to the highest ranked opponent to ever visit the Jack Stephens Center tonight. The Trojans take on No. 6 Texas A&M at 7 p.m. in Little Rock.

Texas A&M, the defending national champs coached by Gary Blair, are currently ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Pres and coaches' polls. They received one first-place vote in the AP poll.

UALR is 1-1 on the season with a victory over Tulsa and a loss to SMU.

Michael Javes a team best +11 in UALR's win over IUPUI

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The five UALR starters combined to go +12 in Tuesday’s 75-70 victory. But the most amazing part was that +11 of that +12 went to one player. Freshman Michael Javes was a team best +11 for the Trojans in the plus/minus category.

Take it a step further. Freshman Taggart Lockhart was a +9 in limited minutes. And Freshman Ben Dillard was a +5. The three freshmen who played were a combined +26. The others in the top five on Tuesday were Eric Lawton (+3) and D’Andre Williams (+2).

Tuesday's game was about as little substituting as Coach Steve Shields has ever done. He didn't make a sub for the first 7:43 to start the game. And he only made that one because Williams picked up a second foul. And he didn't make a sub for the first 10:36 of the second half.

We also got a good look at the future on a couple of occasions. At one point, UALR had Williams, Lockhart, Dillard, Will Neighbour and Javes in the game. That's a senior, a sophmore and three freshmen.

BTH +/- and stats are now updated.

UALR Gamenight Blog: UALR defeats IUPUI 75-70

70         75
Notes:
  • UALR Coach Steve Shields with his 134th victory with the Trojans. That's one more than Mike Newell for UALR's all-time lead.
  • Chuck Guy leads the Trojans with 21 points. He made 6 of 13 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws. That's a career high.
  • Courtney Jackson had 12 points, making 6 of 9 field goals.
  • Will Neighbour had 9 points, making 4 of 6 field goals. They've got to find a way to get him some more shots.
  • Michael Javes with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks. And he stayed out of foul trouble. His best effort of the season.
  • And D'Andre Williams with 5 points, 4 rebounds and a team-high 7 rebounds.
  • Trojans outrebound IUPUI by 7 points.
Good all-around effort for the Trojans. Definite improvement game-to-game-to-game so far.

UALR Gameday: Trojans host IUPUI

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IUPUI (1-0) vs. UALR (1-1)
7 p.m. tonight
Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
Vegas says: No line
UALR made some definite improvement from Game 1 to Game 2. It will likely take some more improvement to get a victory in Game 3. The Trojans host IUPUI at 7 p.m. tonight at the Jack Stephens Center.

UALR is coming off a home victory over Northwestern State on Sunday afternoon. IUPUI has only played once, winning its season opener in a blowout against NCAA Division III Anderson on Friday.

Gault nets 20 but UALR women lose to SMU

Freshman guard Taylor Gault had 20 points, but the UALR women couldn't hold on to a halftime lead in a 69-60 loss to SMU at the Jack Stephens Center. Marian Kursh added 17 for UALR (1-1).

Watch UALR signee John Gillon



UALR signee John Gillon and Houston Strake Jesuit started their season in a showcase game against Houston Jones. Strake Jesuit is ranked No. 6 in the state by Texas Hoops while Jones is ranked No. 11. Strake Jesuit is also ranked 66th in the nation in another poll.

Gillon plays the point and has a highly-recruited teammate Duke signee Rasheeed Sulaimon.

The video is a highlight from the first half. First, Sulaimon scores with a nice move. Then Gillon gets a steal and scores as Strake Jesuit takes a big lead early.

Gillon finished with 24 points. Sulaimon had 36.

Was this a foul? UALR's Williams decked on no call by officials

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UALR had a shot clock violation on Sunday when D'Andre Williams' shot was blocked near the time the buzzer went off. The block itself was pretty clean. However, it sure looked like a foul as Williams was knocked to the floor.

We've definitely seen that call go against UALR defenders a number of times over the years.

What do you think?

New banners, locations add to UALR Stephens Center

The 2011 NCAA and Sun Belt banners were on display on Sunday at the Jack Stephens Center. There was also a little rearranging.

All the men's banners are now on one end of the arena. The women's banners (basketball and volleyball) are at the other end.

It also meant Derek Fisher's retired jersey got a new location in the opposite corner of where it's always been.

Neighbour finishes +11 in UALR victory

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Will Neighbour had one of those games on Sunday where the things you do on the court don't necessarily show up in the box score. He finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds. But he also used two slick passes to break the Northwestern State press and start fast breaks for easy baskets. He won't get an assist for either of those.

Where it does show up is in the plus/minus. Neighbour was a team best +11 in the 72-66 victory on Sunday. The rest of the top five on Sunday were D'Andre Williams (+7), Chuck Guy (+6), Tramar Sutherland (+6) and Eric Lawton (+4).

We've thought all along that this year's team will give Coach Steve Shields a lot of flexibility with his lineup combinations. He took it to the extreme on Sunday.

At one point in the first half, he used a big lineup of Williams, Chuck Guy, Neighbour, Courtney Jackson and Michael Javes. He then subbed and had a small lineup of Williams, Guy, Tramar Sutherland, Taggart Lockhart and Neighbour.

Plus/minus ratings and stats are now updated in BTH's right column.

UALR beats Northwestern St. 72-66

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UALR held off Northwestern State 72-66 to win its home opener before 1,951 at the Jack Stephens Center.

D'Andre Williams led the Trojans with 13 points and 4 assists. Chuck Guy added 10 points as the Trojans received a much more balanced scoring effort. Eric Lawton had 9, Ben Dillard 8, and Will Neighbour, Tramar Sutherland and Courtney Jackson 7.

UALR shot 49 percent while holding Northwestern State to 36 percent. UALR also held a 36-34 rebounding advantage.

Northwestern State was picked to win one of the Southland's divisions this year. The Demons pressed throughout and forced the Trojans into 15 turnovers

UALR Gamenight Blog: Trojans vs. Northwestern State

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Final-UALR wins 72-66

UALR Gameday: Trojans home opener vs. Northwestern State

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Northwestern State (1-0) vs. UALR (0-1)
2 p.m., today
Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
Vegas line: No line set
UALR's home opener is here with the Northwestern State Demons visiting the Jack this afternoon. We don't know much about NSU yet as they opened with a non-Division I opponent. What we do know is that UALR's forwards are going to have to get tougher and fight opponents to at least a stalemate on the boards.
Here's the story from the Shreveport Time's preview of Friday's game against LeTourneau:
Tonight's predictions:
  • Ken Pomeroy (1-0): UALR 74, Northwestern State 68 
  • Real Time RPI (1-0): UALR 78, Northwestern State 64 
  • Jeff Sagarin (1-0): UALR 71, Northwestern State 65
  • The Sports Network (1-0): Not in yet
  • CBS Sportsline (1-0): UALR 76, Northwestern State 70

Jackson turns in UALR best numbers in season opener

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Senior forward Courtney Jackson was the only UALR player on the plus/minus plus side in Friday's season-opening loss at Tulsa. Jackson finished +2 in the game as the Trojans lost 65-49.

That also meant Jackson was tops in +/- per minute at 0.07. Rounding out the top five were: D'Andre Williams, Will Neighbour, Tramar Sutherland and Chuck Guy. Stats are updated in BTH's right column.

UALR vs. Tulsa recap

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UALR drops the season opener at Tulsa last night. Interestingly, the Vegas line swelled to 15.5 points just before gametime. And Tulsa ended up winning by 16 points.

UALR women open with victory

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UALR women hang on for a 52-48 victory over Tulsa. Marian Kursh with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

UALR Gamenight: Live blog for Trojans vs. Tulsa

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49    Final    65
Trojans drop the opener at Tulsa. The bottom line was that the just couldn't make any shots. UALR shoots 27 percent from the field and 21 percent from three-point range. UALR did make a nice run in the second half to cut the lead to 5, but couldn't sustain it. Will Neighbour and Chuck Guy lead UALR with 13 points apiece. But Neighbour was 4 of 10 and Guy 4 of 15. Even worse, UALR got on five combined points from Ben Dillard, Eric Lawton, Marlon Louzeiro, Tramar Sutherland and Taggart Lockhart. Tulsa also outrebounds UALR 56-27.

Baskets by Javes and Guy cut the lead to 44-39 before Tulsa extends the lead back to 10. Tulsa 49-39. Neighbour's 11 leads UALR. Guy has 10. Trojans shooting just 30 percent.

11:56 - A three-pointer by Courtney Jackson gets the lead back under 10 points. 44-35 Tulsa.

15:55-Bad start to the second half for the Trojans. Two fouls and two quick Tulsa baskets pushes the lead to 10. Javes also picked up his third foul. Harrelson then nails a to push the lead to 13. Sutherland free throw breaks up an 11-0 Tulsa run. 37-25 Tulsa.

Will Neighbour's six points leads UALR at the half. He missed his first five shots and made his final two. Trojans played 10 guys in the first half. Marlo the only player in foul trouble with 3. Javes does have 2. Richard, Clarkson and Harrelson with 2 for Tulsa. It would be nice to have one of those guards pick up an early third in the second half.

Halftime-Tulsa leads at halftime 28-22. First half struggles were predictable. Trojans got outrebounded (29-15) and outmuscled on the inside. But the young Trojans took care of the basketball with just two turnovers. That helped keep them in the game despite shooting 9 of 30 (30 percent).

Neighbour hits a 3 and is at the line trying to convert a three-point play as we reach the final media timeut of the first half. Trojans haven't shot well and are getting badly out rebouded, but they're competing on defense and taking care of the ball on offense.. That's kept them in it on a few occasions when it appeared Tulsa might open up a big lead. This game reminds a lot of last year's opener at SMU. It's 22-19 Tulsa.

Trojans re-took the lead but allowed back to back to back dunks as Tulsa went up. UALR still cold shooting and Neighbour yet to connect on a field goal. Tulsa up 19-14.

11:27-Trojans ice cold from the field and Tulsa goes on a run to take an 11-8 lead. UALR has already gone nine deep on its bench in the first nine minutes of this game.

15:29-Pace has to be to UALR's liking with a 5-3 score going to the first media timeout. Jackson and Williams with UALR's early baskets.

19:59-Opening tip. UALR's smaller lineup needs to use quickness to exploit the height Tulsa is starting.

Gametime is about 15 minutes away. UALR starters are D'Andre Williams, Chuck Guy, Tramar Sutherland, Courtney Jackson and Michael Javes. It's the second year in a row a freshman has started at the post. Gus Leeper got a start in last year's opener at SMU.

Watch Tulsa Coach Doug Wojcik talk about his Tulsa Golden Hurricane team

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Watch Tulsa Coach Doug Wojcik talk about his Tulsa Golden Hurricane team:
http://www.tulsahurricane.com/allaccess/?media=281218

UALR Gameday: Trojans open season on the road against Tulsa

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UALR (0-0) vs. Tulsa (0-0)
7 p.m. tonight
Reynolds Center, Tulsa, OK
Vegas line: Tulsa by 12.5

UALR makes its season debut tonight as it takes on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on the road.

We probably know less about this year's UALR team than any in recent memory. With a season-ending injury to forward Gus Leeper, UALR only has five known commodities: Sophomore Chuck Guy and seniors D'Andre Williams, Marlon Louzeiro, Courtney Jackson and Tramar Sutherland.
But there's plenty of anticipation about what the many newcomers will do. Of course, there will be an overreaction one way or another after the first game. We'll either be talking about how great they are or what busts they'll be. Neither is fair after one game. But it is the first opportunity for the public to see these guys on the court together. It should be interesting.
Read about the Golden Hurricane in today's Tulsa World
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/TU/article.aspx?subjectid=94&articleid=20111111_94_B8_CUTLIN235169

Tonight's predictions:

  • Ken Pomeroy (0-0): Tulsa 74, UALR 59
  • Real Time RPI (0-0): Tulsa 78, UALR 68
  • Jeff Sagarin (0-0): Tulsa by 14
  • The Sports Network (0-0): Tulsa 70, UALR 55
  • CBS Sportsline (0-0): Tulsa 75, UALR 65
Read The Sports Network's analysis:
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/scores/live/preview.aspx?id=58332

UALR sophomore guard Chuck Guy talks about the '11-'12 season

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UALR sophomore guard Chuck Guy talks about the upcoming season and what it's like to go from newcomer last year to veteran this year:

BTH-TV talks to UALR sophomore Will Neighbour about the '11-'12 season

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UALR sophomore Will Neighbour talks to Burn The Horse TV about his long journey to Little Rock, his role with this year's team and whether the Trojans can surprise in the Sun Belt Conference.

Houston Strake Jesuit features two Division I signees

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We really love seeing these signing photos. But this might be our favorite so far: The Houston Strake Jesuit teammates. It's UALR signee John Gillon and Duke signee Rasheed Sulaimon.
Here's a short story from their school:
http://www.strakejesuit.org/s/103/index.aspx?sid=103&gid=1&pgid=372&cid=5546&ecid=5546&ciid=21155&crid=0

Houston Strake Jesuit guard John Gillon signs with UALR

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Houston Strake Jesuit point guard John Gillon made it official by signing with UALR on Wednesday afternoon. He's pictured here at the signing with his Mom and Dad and his brothers Jarius and Jordan.

UALR women sign 1, have 1 on the way, lose at least 1

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It was a strange day in UALR women’s basketball recruiting.

UALR announced the signing of Duncanville (Texas) point guard Morgan Bolton. And St. Louis’ Shanity James was supposed to sign at an event at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Also signing at that event was Sherise Williams. But Williams, who committed to UALR in the fall, apparently isn’t signing with the Trojans. She’s now listed as a Mississippi State signee. We did a quick Internet search and couldn’t find any reference to Williams making a switch to Starkville.

And we still have no idea about Ouachita Parish’s Charity Robinson, who hasn’t been heard from (at least via Internet search) since her commitment to UALR in the fall.

Airline's Josh Hagins makes UALR signing official

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Bossier City (La.) Airline guard Josh Hagins made it official today.
http://twitter.com/?photo_id=1#!/BrandonDunnNBC6/status/134367089984151554/photo/1

UALR goes 5 for 5 for 5 for 5 in fall recruiting period

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Big day for UALR men's basketball and the near perfect fall recruiting period.

We've been covering UALR for a number of years and have never seen anything like it. Consider this:
  • UALR scheduled visits with five recuits for this period.
  • All five recruits committed after their visits.
  • All five signed their national letters of intent on the first day of the fall signing period.
  • And all five are high school players.
We'd say that makes UALR 5 for 5 for 5 for 5.

Again, congratulations to UALR Coach Steve Shields and the staff. And welcome to Mareik Isom, John Gillon, Josh Hagins, Stetson Billings and Andrew Poulter.

BTH will have more on these recruits later. But here's a fantastic roundup written by UALR's Joe Angolia. Enjoy.
http://www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=205330546

All five UALR signings are in

We don't have the ability to update the tracker right now, but all five UALR commitments are now signees.
We've seen this process take the entire signing period in the past so this has to be some sort of record.
We'll have much more later. Congrats to Coach Steve Shields and his staff. And welcome to UALR to the new signees.

UALR signs John Gillon; waiting on Josh Hagins' signing momentarily

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The national letter of intent for Houston Strake Jesuit guard John Gillon has arrived. The last remaining one for the UALR men is Bossier City (La.) Airline guard Josh Hagins. His signing ceremony is due to begin any minute.

Three appear to be already in for UALR men

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It appears three National Letters of Intent have arrived at UALR this morning. Two more are expected today.

Already signing today are Austin (Texas) Bowie guard Mareik Isom, Strong (Ark.) guard Stetson Billings and New Braunfels (Texas) Canyon forward Andrew Poulter.

Bossier City (La.) Airline guard Josh Hagins has a signing ceremony scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today. We haven't heard a definite time for the signing of Houston (Texas) Strake Jesuit guard John Gillon.

Check back today for signing day updates

The fall signing period is finally here and Burn The Horse is tracking the UALR commitments that are signing National Letters of Intent.
As we've seen in the past, the don't always get done the first day. However, cross your fingers, there don't appear to be any issues that will delay things this year.

Watch UALR commit John Gillon and Strake Jesuit on Monday

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We're anticipating Houston Strake Jesuit's John Gillon's signing with UALR tomorrow on the first day of the fall signing period. On Monday, November 14, you can watch Gillon's season debut.

VYPE is broadcasting four games that day. Strake Jesuit plays at 4 p.m. against Jones.

The games can been seen at VYPEHOUSTON.com

UALR's Will Neighbour named one of 10 to watch this year

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Our friends at Hoopfix have named UALR sophomore Will Neighbour one of 10 British players to watch in the NCAA this year.

http://www.hoopsfix.com/2011/11/10-british-basketball-players-to-watch-in-college-basketball-2011-12/

UALR women get fourth commit for fall, 3 star PG Morgan Bolton

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The UALR women have added a fourth commitment to the fall signing class. Dallas point guard Morgan Bolton, rated a 3 star recruit by ESPN, has decided to sign with UALR:
http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/news/_/id/71095/morgan-bolton
The fall signing period begins on Wednesday.

BTH Need to Read: Tulsa tunes up with victory; UALR with scrimmage

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While UALR tuned up for Friday's season opener at Tulsa with a closed scrimmage at Shreveport against Stephen F. Austin, Tulsa got ready with an exhibition coaster agaist Catawba.

UALR's Bozeman drafted by NBADL, reunited with UNT foe

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UALR guard Solomon Bozeman was selected by the Austin Toros in the NBA Developmental League on Thursday. If he makes the squad, it appears he'll be reunited with former North Texas guard Tristan Thompson.

Of course, Bozeman's three-pointer against North Texas in the final seconds of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament sent UALR to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Photos from UALR practice and Meet the Trojans

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Here's a few shots from Tuesday's practice and Meet the Trojans event.

Created with flickr slideshow.

BTH reaches 40,000 mark; thanks to the UALR community

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Thanks to the UALR community for great first year. This week we reached 40,000 hits on Burn The Horse. It has exceeded our expectations by a long way for a site with no staff or budget. Thanks to everyone and keep coming back.

UALR picked first? At least on this site they were

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While most close to the UALR basketball program believe this season's Trojans will finish better than where most have predicted, no one else has gone this far:
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/11/01/college-basketball-preview-sun-belt-conference/

UALR men pick up fifth commitment of Fall: New Braunfels Canyon big man Andrew Poulter

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We’re still waiting for this to make the recruiting rounds, but it appears UALR has locked up its fifth commitment of the fall signing period.

New Braunfels (Texas) Canyon forward Andrew Poulter has committed to sign with UALR next week at the start of the early signing period. Poulter, a 6-10, 260-pound forward, is currently ranked the 53rd best prospect in the State of Texas. He was receiving interest from schools like Western Kentucky, Indiana State and UC-Riverside, among others.


BTH-TV catches up with UALR point guard D'Andre Williams

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Senior point guard D'Andre Williams was back at practice this week. That was a surprise because it's still about a week ahead of his scheduled return. Williams had surgery the week before official practice began.
Burn The Horse TV caught up with Williams after practice on Tuesday.

Meet the Trojans turns out well on Tuesday

Much more tomorrow, including some recruiting news we're continuing to confirm. But we wanted to thank the UALR folks involved in tonight's Meet The Trojans event at the Jack Stephens Center. There was a great crowd for what was a really nice event.
Will Neighbour and Karisma Tyson were the three point champions and Chuck Guy won the slam dunk event.

D'Andre Williams back at UALR practice

Senior point guard D'Andre Williams returned to practice this week ahead of schedule.
Williams had surgery the week prior to the beginning of official practice.

Meet the Trojans held tonight at Jack Stephens Center

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UALR will host the annual Meet the Trojans event beginning at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

The event will feature team introductions, the Trojan Dance Team, a dunk contest and a three-point shooting contest. There will be free roster cards and free beverages (Diamond Bear beer and Pepsi products). And the concession stands will be open for food purchases.

  

Vint out, Bradley in for UALR radio broadcasts

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We've been waiting for official word and now we have it. Bobby Vint is out and Pat Bradley is in as the UALR men's basketball radio color commentator.

Vint has been the Trojan's color commentator for several years but has been unable to do very many road games in recent seasons. By adding Bradey, who co-hosts the midday show on KABZ-FM 103.7, UALR should get additional exposure from its flagship, Fayetteville-obsessed, radio station, and a full-time partner for play-by-play broadcaster Ray Tucker.

Read UALR's release here:
http://www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=205325390