UALR sophomore Gus Leeper didn’t score in Saturday’s 79-70 loss to
Louisiana-Lafayette. But he still had some of his most productive minutes of
the season according to Burn The Horse Analysis.
BTH Morning After: Neighbour back on track in UALR's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette
UALR gets a lot right, but can't overcome slow start in loss to Louisiana-Lafayette
ULL beats UALR 79-70
Louisiana-Lafayette beats UALR 79-70 on Saturday night despite 17 points and 14 rebounds from Will Neighbour. More to come in a bit.
BTH Live Tweetcast: UALR vs. Louisiana-Lafayette live updates
Follow along with the BTH Live Tweetcast via Twitter at @burnthehorse or right here on the Burn The Horse blog. We'll have game updates, information, color, commentary and more.
the game, stop by BTH again for our BTH Vote Player of the Game voting. And we'll have our full game recap and statistics ASAP after the game.
Mobile users. Follow along on Twitter at this link: CLICK HERE
the game, stop by BTH again for our BTH Vote Player of the Game voting. And we'll have our full game recap and statistics ASAP after the game.
Mobile users. Follow along on Twitter at this link: CLICK HERE
BTH Gameday: Inexperienced teams clash as UALR travels to Louisiana-Lafayette
Up next: UALR (8-6, 2-1) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (5-9, 1-2)
UALR players report back to Little Rock today
UALR players are scheduled to report back to Little Rock and have practice scheduled for 4:30 p.m. As of a few minutes ago, they remained hopeful everyone would make it back without any weather issues.They'll practice today and Thursday and bus out for Lafayette, La., Friday morning.
UALR doesn't play on Thursday because UALR and South Alabama moved their game to last Saturday.
Louisiana-Lafayette didn't have that option. The Cajuns were scheduled to bus to Jonesboro today (good luck with that) and will play Arkansas State on Thursday. They will then bus back to Lafayette for Saturday's game with UALR.
UALR doesn't play on Thursday because UALR and South Alabama moved their game to last Saturday.
Louisiana-Lafayette didn't have that option. The Cajuns were scheduled to bus to Jonesboro today (good luck with that) and will play Arkansas State on Thursday. They will then bus back to Lafayette for Saturday's game with UALR.
Happy Holidays to UALR fans from Burn The Horse
It's been another amazing year at Burn The Horse. We've seen our numbers almost double in the past 12 months. And we have only the UALR fans to thank for it.
We wish you Happy Holidays as you celebrate whatever you celebrate.
Go Trojans!!!!!!!!!!
We wish you Happy Holidays as you celebrate whatever you celebrate.
Go Trojans!!!!!!!!!!
BTH Analysis: Osse, Hagins provide plus minutes in UALR loss to South Alabama
BTH Morning After: Complete effort needed for UALR to secure road victory
UALR gets back on point, but can't overcome turnovers in loss to South Alabama
BTH LIve Tweetcast: Follow live as UALR takes on South Alabama at 2:05
BTH Gameday: UALR needs some rebounding "want to" as it takes on South Alabama
UALR needs to improve in toughness, rebounding as Trojans resume Sun Belt play against South Alabama.
When former UALR standout Rashad Jones-Jennings pulled down anincredible 30 rebounds in a game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, I asked him howhe did it.
“I just assumed every shot was a miss and just went and got it,”he told me.
It sounds like he’s oversimplifying it a bit, but he’s not.
You see, Jones-Jennings wasn’t the tallest player, or thestrongest, or the player with the biggest vertical leap. But Jones-Jennings hadas much desire to go get the ball as any player who has been here under CoachSteve Shields. Jones-Jennings had the want to to get it done.
And the current group of UALR Trojans (8-5, 2-0) could use some ofthat as they travel to South Alabama (5-5, 2-0) at 2:05 p.m. today for a SunBelt Conference game.
This group is big. It’s getting stronger. It’s got leapers (andeven a Leeper). But it just isn’t a good rebounding team. It cost the Trojanslast Monday as second-chance points were too much to overcome in a loss to amuch smaller Louisiana Tech team.
UALR’s teams have been known for their toughness over the yearsunder Shields. While opposing teams no doubt still prepare to play UALR like it’sgoing to be a tackle football game, this UALR team is much more finesse (withthe exception of Taggart Lockhart and Leroy Isler). And it’s getting killed onthe boards.
And UALR faces another four-guard type team today in SouthAlabama, a team that hits the glass hard. Getting a body on a body is going tobe a key today and throughout the Sun Belt season.
BURN BABY BURN
We don’t expect a big crowd at the Mitchell Center today. South Alabamais averaging only 2,231 through its first three home games. And with studentsaway on Christmas break, the Mitchell Center, one of the nicest in the SunBelt, could be a bit empty.
BURNING SENSATION
Today’s game is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. But there’s no way it’sstarting at that time. The Mitchell Center is hosting the UALR-South Alabamawomen’s game beginning at noon. Expect the men’s game to start between 2:15 and2:30.
BTH KEYS TO VICTORY
70 Or Bust: UALR is 8-0 this season when it holds opponents to 69 orfewer points. South Alabama has scored at least 70 in all five of itsvictories. UALR wins if it keeps the Jags in the 60s.
Restrict Rubit: South Alabama’s Augustine Rubit is a beast. He had 23points and 19 rebounds last Sunday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. UALRhas to get a body on Rubit at all times and make someone else beat them.
Turning Point: We expect South Alabama interim Coach Jeff Price to turnup the defensive pressure. UALR has to handle it. UALR is 7-0 this season whencommitting fewer turnovers than its opponents.
VEGAS SAYS
We’ve seen the line at anywhere from South Alabama by 6 points to asmany as South Alabama by 8 points. We know UALR has struggled on the road thisyear, but that seems high.
PREDICTIONS
We admit it. We’re homers. But 79-62? Really OmniRankings? I also have a similar reaction for CBS and TSN in the opposite direction:
OmniRankings (3-1): South Alabama 79, UALR 62
Real Time RPI (10-2): South Alabama 70, UALR 68
The Sports Network (9-2): UALR 68, South Alabama 66
Jeff Sagarin (10-2): South Alabama 76, UALR 69
CBS Sportsline (9-3): UALR 70, South Alabama 69
BTH Average (9-3): South Alabama 72.0, UALR 67.4
What's wrong with UALR's Will Neighbour? It appears nothing
We’ve been asked a number of times what’s wrong with UALR forward Will
Neighbour? We guess that comes from people expecting him to put up 20 and 10 every night.
But when you compare this year’s numbers to last year’s numbers, there
doesn’t appear to be anything wrong. In fact, his numbers are up from last
season.
Former UALR players John Fowler, Matt Mouzy walk in graduation this week
From UALR Coach Steve Shields' Twitter account:
ShieldsUALR
ShieldsUALR
Congrats to former players John Fowler and Matt Mouzy for earning their degrees yesterday! pic.twitter.com/QwpnfI2e
South Alabama interim coach, players shocked by Ronnie Arrow's "retirement"
Up next: UALR (8-5, 2-0) vs. South Alabama (5-5, 2-0)
UALR prepares for unknown when it faces South Alabama on Saturday
South Alabama Coach Ronnie Arrow retires midweek as SBC play starts back up
Watch more coverage of South Alabama Coach Ronnie Arrow's alleged retirement on Wednesday. UALR takes on South Alabama on Saturday.
South Alabama Coach Ronnie Arrow steps down before UALR game
Slight plus/minus adjustment in BTH ratings
A little houskeeping. We were informed that Monday's plus/minus ratings might have been off during the final minutes. And they were. We checked the play by play against the video from the game and there was an error.
The result was that James White was actually +5 instead of +6. And Michael Javes was really -3 instead of -4. Everyone else's numbers remain the same. Sorry for any issues.
UALR hoop squads complete undefeated season vs. Conference USA
With
the UALR women’s 78-51 victory over Tulsa on Tuesday, the UALR men’s and women’s
basketball teams completed an undefeated season vs. foes from Conference USA.
The
UALR men defeated SMU in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Tulsa this season. The
UALR women defeated Tulsa twice, SMU, Rice, Southern Miss and Memphis.
It
should also be noted that the UALR men lost twice to Louisiana Tech, who is a
member of the Western Athletic Conference but is moving to CUSA next year.
New and improved mobile coverage of UALR basketball from Burn The Horse
BTH Analysis: White's minutes kept UALR close with Louisiana Tech
The key
minutes of last night’s game came as Louisiana Tech went on a 7-0 run to take a
72-69 lead. UALR had both point guards John Gillon and Josh Hagins in the game
along with Leroy Isler, James White and Will Neighbour.
Click to enlarge |
It
culminated with Louisiana Tech’s Kenyon McNeaill hitting a three-pointer from
the left corner and the Trojans never held the lead again.
That -7
stretch also cost four of the five a chance to stay on the positive side for
the night in the Burn The Horse Analysis Plus/Minus Ratings.
White had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line in the final seconds but missed. But the reality is that White's minutes kept UALR in the game. UALR outscored Louisiana Tech 33-27
when he was on the court. That makes him a team best +6 for the night.
The
rest of the top five were:
- Stetson Billings +1 (9-8)
- Ben Dillard Ev (20-20)
- John Gillon -1 (61-62)
- Josh Hagins -2 (38-40)
When
Hagins and Gillon were on the court together at the same time, UALR was a -1
(26-27).
Hagins
widened his gap over Neighbour in plus/minus per minutes played for the season.
He’s at +.20 while Neighbour is at +.15. Hagins also leads at +4.2 per games
played. But Neighbour’s +52 overall remains the team best.
Everyone
on the roster is now on the plus side for the season.
Update: The play-by-play was wrong. We determined this after checking the video replay of the game. It turns out White was not on the court when we thought he was. Sorry for that. Actually, the ratings weren't off by much. White was actually a +5 instead of +6 and Javes was actually -3 instead of -4. When I used to sit courtside with my laptop, I used to keep real-time substitutions for my numbers. But that's not possible anymore. So I have to rely on the play-by-play, which can sometimes get confusing.
Update: The play-by-play was wrong. We determined this after checking the video replay of the game. It turns out White was not on the court when we thought he was. Sorry for that. Actually, the ratings weren't off by much. White was actually a +5 instead of +6 and Javes was actually -3 instead of -4. When I used to sit courtside with my laptop, I used to keep real-time substitutions for my numbers. But that's not possible anymore. So I have to rely on the play-by-play, which can sometimes get confusing.
Watch the highlights from last night's UALR-Louisiana Tech game
BURN THE HORSE
Here's the highlights from last night's game. You'll have to get over the bitching from the Shreveport sports anchor about what KATV sent him. But you get a good look at James White's attempt to miss the final free throw and how it bounced in the direction of Josh Hagins for a final attempt.BTH Morning After: Appleby was slated to walk-on at UALR before signing with La Tech
BURN THE HORSE
Everytime
UALR plays Louisiana Tech we get the same question: Why didn’t UALR recruit
Tech’s Raheem Appleby?
BTH MORNING AFTER |
Appleby
had a game-high 17 points as Louisiana Tech beat UALR 75-73 on Monday at the
Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
So why
didn’t UALR recruit him? The short answer is that they did. In fact, UALR was
the only school recruiting him for a while. It came down to scholarship
numbers.
Appleby,
who played nearby at Jacksonville High School, was a mid-summer academic
qualifier. By the time he was qualified, UALR had already signed Ben Dillard, Taggart Lockhart, Michael Javes, Reggie Fondren
and Eric Lawton. And the Trojans were maxed out at the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships.
With no
scholarships to give, Appleby still committed to walk-on at UALR. But when
Louisiana Tech lost a signee late that summer, they took a flier on Appleby. He
visited, they offered him a scholarship and he signed. And no one should blame
him for that.
The
real unfortunate part was that Lawton, who was a highly recruited high
school player before going to junior college, and Fondren never really worked out. Both transferred after one year at UALR.
Appleby’s
a nice player and probably would have earned a scholarship this year if he had
stuck with UALR. But UALR followed with a pretty nice signing class of its own.
So it appears to worked out for both sides.
BURN NOTICE
Sun Belt Saturday night we get. It's kind of a tradition in our league. But considering the experience of Monday's officiating crew of Randall McCall, Rick Randall and Hal Lusk, we'd expect a better effort than they gave on Monday.
STAT OF THE GAME
20-3:
Louisiana Tech’s advantage in second-chance points.
KEYS REVISITED
Freedom
rings: Louisiana Tech was 26 of 36 at the free throw line. UALR was 18 of 25.
Nowhere near good enough. Grade: D-.
Relegate
Raheem: Louisiana Tech’s Raheem Appleby had 16 first-half points. Then he had
only 1 in the second half. I suppose you’d give a F for the first half and an A
for the second. Average it out. Grade: C.
Pressure
cooker: Again, UALR had just 4 turnovers in the first half and 13 in the second
half. That’s an A for the first half and an F for the second. Grade: C.
THE GOOD
4
turnovers by UALR in the first half.
THE BAD
13
turnovers by UALR in the second half.
THE UGLY
19
offensive rebounds by Louisiana Tech. With as little size as they had, that
shouldn’t be possible.
VEGAS, BABY
If you
got in at Louisiana Tech by 2 it was a push. You might have been a winner or
loser if you got that half point on either side of that number.
PREDICTIONS
USA
Today’s Jeff Sagarin was the only correct predictor.
UP NEXT
UALR
returns to Sun Belt Conference play as they take on South Alabama on Saturday
afternoon in Mobile, Ala. Both teams are 2-0 in conference play.
UALR unable to get key stops as game slips away on Monday
BURN THE HORSE
Ultimately,
the game came down to a missed free throw and a missed buzzer beater. But the
reality is that UALR let it slip away about two minutes earlier.
75 73 |
The
result was a stinging 75-73 loss to Louisiana Tech on Monday night at the Jack
Stephens Center in Little Rock. It was the first home defeat for the Trojans
this season.
“I
thought we saw some fight in our guys. We continued to play very hard and it’s
still a learning experience,” said UALR Coach Steve Shields, whose team was
down 9 points in the first half. “We’ve got to get better in those situations. But
the difference in the game is that we give up 19 offensive rebounds and have 13
turnovers in the second half.”
The
play-by-play shows UALR was down 2 points in the closing seconds when John Gillon
slipped the ball to James White as he cut to the basket. White was fouled and
his shot bounced in and out with 0.4 seconds left. Officials put White at the
free throw line with 1.2 seconds left and UALR trailing 75-73.
“John
made a great pass, the extra pass,” White said.
White
missed the first free throw and UALR called a timeout in hopes of setting up a
tip play. The problem was that UALR’s best “tipper” is White and he was the one
shooting the free throw. Still when White intentionally missed the second, Will
Neighbour tipped it out to the wing where it was retrieved by Josh Hagins. But
his rushed final shot hit the front of the rim as the UALR rally fell short.
It
should have never come to that.
UALR
took a 69-65 lead after a jump shot by Hagins with 3:42 left.
UALR
nearly got a defensive stop when Neighbour blocked Kenyon McNeaill’s shot with
3:27 left. But then the Trojans fell asleep as Brandon Gibson went right up the
middle of the lane for a layup and a 69-67 score with 3:24 left.
“We
talked in the huddle about getting three stops in a row. But we didn’t get any
stops, they scored seven straight points,” UALR sophomore Taggart Lockhart
said. “They got momentum right there.”
UALR
handled the Louisiana Tech pressure but Hagins launched a three-pointer with 16
seconds remaining on the shot clock. It missed and McNeail grabbed the rebound
as a foul was called on UALR’s Leroy Isler. McNeaill made both free throws to
tie the game 69-69 with 3:03 left.
With a
chance to re-take the lead, Isler missed on a three-point attempt and Louisiana
Tech’s Michale Kyser grabed the rebound. Good ball movement by Louisiana Tech
led to a three-pointer from McNeaill, who is from Conway, with 2:17 left. It
gave Tech a 72-69 lead.
And
UALR never really recovered. The Trojans got as close as one point a couple of
times, the last at 74-73 with 1:07 left when Gillon made two free throws. UALR
then had a chance for the lead when defensive pressure forced Louisiana Tech’s
Kenneth Smith to lose the ball out of bounds with 52 seconds left.
But
Taggart Lockhart missed a jump shot at the other end with 22 seconds left. Tech
grabbed the rebound and UALR let five seconds run off before fouling Raheem
Appleby. He hit 1 of 2 free throws for a 75-73 score with 17 seconds left.
UALR
again wasted way too much time with the ball. Instead of getting a couple of
opportunities, they only really got one. Gillon finally got the ball to White
who was fouled by Kyser as he cut to the basket. But White missed the first,
setting of the final second scrum.
BTH Live Tweetcast: Live game updates as UALR hosts Louisiana Tech
BURN THE HORSE
UALR (8-4) hosts Louisiana Tech (8-3) at 7 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.BTH LIVE TWEETCAST |
If you're at home, we'll try to keep you updated right here at Burn The Horse with our exclusive Live Tweetcast. We'll have live Tweets from the Stephens Center beginning at 6:50. And throughout the night, we'll have game updates, information, color, commentary and more.
You can also attempt to follow along at home with Ray Tucker and Pat Bradley on Heartbeat 106.7. The UALR Athletics Web site also has live in-game statistics.
After the game, stop by BTH again for our BTH Vote Player of the Game voting. And we'll have our full game recap and statistics ASAP after the game.
BTH UALR Gameday: Shields' teams have been solid in revenge games
BURN THE HORSE
Since UALR Coach Steve Shields took
over 10 seasons ago his teams have been very good in same-season blowout
rematch games.BTH UALR GAMEDAY |
UALR has gone 10-1 in games against
opponents who beat them by 10 or more points in an earlier meeting the same
season. The Trojans (8-4) will get another chance tonight as they host
Louisiana Tech (8-3) at 7 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Louisiana Tech beat UALR 70-52 in
November in Ruston, La.
It started in the 2003-2004 season
in which UALR won the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division. The Trojans lost
85-50 at Middle Tennessee, and then beat Middle Tennessee 69-62 in the same
week.
Typically, the first game has been
on the road and the second game at home. The exceptions came in 2010-2011 when
UALR lost 86-50 to Oral Roberts in Tulsa and then beat ORU 52-49 in Las Vegas. And
last year, UALR lost 68-49 at home to Louisiana-Lafayette and then beat the Ragin’
Cajuns 72-70 in Lafayette, La.
The only loss in the second game
during the Steve Shields era came in the 2008-2009 season. UALR lost 79-47 at
Western Kentucky in the first meeting. UALR also lost the rematch 78-69 at home
in the game in which Steven Moore walked off the bench in the first half.
Here’s the complete list:
- YEAR OPPONENT 1ST 2ND
- 2003-2004 Western Kentucky L, 86-71 W, 68-60
- 2004-2005 Middle Tennessee L, 85-50 W, 69-62
- 2004-2005 Arkansas State L, 78-64 W, 73-67
- 2005-2006 Appalachian State L, 75-65 W, 78-63
- 2006-2007 Troy L, 82-70 W, 79-71
- 2007-2008 Arkansas State L, 77-62 W, 82-52
- 2007-2008 Denver L, 54-40 W, 66-55
- 2008-2009 Western Kentucky L, 79-47 L, 78-69
- 2010-2011 Oral Roberts L, 86-60 W, 52-49
- 2010-2011 South Alabama L, 92-79 W, 82-68
- 2011-2012 Louisiana-Lafayette L, 68-49 W, 72-70
- 2012-2013 Louisiana Tech L, 70-52 TBA
BURN BABY BURN
If you put stock in the RPI (Ratings
Percentage Index), tonight’s game should be pretty intriguing. Louisiana Tech
comes in rated No. 107 and UALR No. 108 in the RPI, a system utilized by
postseason tournament selection committees to compare teams. Louisiana Tech is
at 0.5377 and UALR at 0.5374. UALR has played the tougher schedule to date.
UALR’s schedule is ranked 142 while Louisiana Tech’s is 283.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Freedom rings: Louisiana Tech gets
to the free throw line a ton more than its opponents. UALR wants to get there
as well. UALR needs to force the issue and get some easy buckets at the charity
stripe tonight.
Relegate Raheem: Whether it comes
down to designated stopper Leroy Isler or somebody else, UALR has to limit the
points for Louisiana Tech’s Raheem Appleby. In La Tech’s loss to McNeese State,
Appleby was held to 4 points. UALR held him to seven in the first meeting and
needs to stay on him again tonight.
Pressure cooker: UALR was definitely
more composed in handling Tulsa’s press on Saturday. That’s going to have to
continue when Louisiana Tech turns up the heat in the backcourt tonight. UALR
had 18 turnovers in the first meeting and needs to stay closer to 12 tonight,
VEGAS, BABY
Louisiana Tech comes in as a 2 point
favorite tonight. UALR has been an underdog at home only once this season,
beating Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
PREDICTIONS
Four of the five predictors go with UALR by a narrow margin. USA Today's Jeff Sagarin the only one who picks Louisiana Tech. On average, UALR is picked to win by 1.2 points:
OMNIRANKINGS (3-0): UALR 68, La Tech 67
OMNIRANKINGS (3-0): UALR 68, La Tech 67
REAL TIME RPI (10-1): UALR 74, La
Tech 71
THE SPORTS NETWORK (9-1): UALR 69, La Tech 65
JEFF SAGARIN (9-2): La Tech 76, UALR
73
CBS SPORTSLINE (9-2): UALR 66, La Tech 65
BTH AVERAGE (9-2): UALR 70.0, La
Tech 68.8
BTH Scout: UALR has to handle pressure, execute in half court to have success vs. La Tech
BURN THE HORSE
Louisiana Tech is really difficult
to figure out. They’ve looked tremendous at times this season, including locking
up UALR defensively to beat the Trojans in Ruston, La. But as of late, they’ve
lost a couple of curious road games to Southland Conference teams.
LA TECH AT UALR7 P.M. MONDAYJACK STEPHENS CENTER |
What was the common denominator in
both games? Louisiana Tech couldn’t get a defensive stop.
UALR hopes that trend continues as
the Trojans (8-4) host Louisiana Tech (8-3) at 7 p.m. Monday at the Jack
Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Louisiana Tech’s pressure defense,
and backcourt pressure, has been solid throughout most of the first month of
the season. But in an 89-83 loss at Northwestern State, Louisiana Tech allowed 55
percent from the field. And in an 80-72 loss to McNeese State, Louisiana Tech allowed
53 percent.
For the most part, the other
offensive and defensive numbers for Louisiana Tech are pretty solid.
And they were more than solid in the
first meeting of the season between UALR and La Tech.
In the first half, UALR made just 7
of 31 (22.6 percent) field-goal attempts. Add to the fact that UALR got
outrebounded and the result was a blowout loss.
UALR has to handle the press and
execute in the half-court if it is to stay unbeaten at home this season.
Up next: UALR (8-4) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-3)
BURN THE HORSE
WHEN 7 p.m. Monday
ALL-TIME SERIES La Tech
leads 26-13
LAST MEETING La Tech 70, UALR 52 (Nov. 14)
VEGAS SAYS TBA
TICKETS Available at the
Stephens Center box office or by calling (501) 565-UALR. Prices: End zone ($7
adults/$5 children); Level 200 ($12); Level 100 ($18); Leather ($24); Club
($38).
RADIO Heartbeat 106.7 in
Little Rock (Ray Tucker, Pat Bradley)
TV None
TWEETCAST www.burnthehorse.blogspot.com
WEBCAST www.ualrtrojans.com or UALR Athletics
Mobile Phone App
POSSIBLE STARTERS
LOUISIANA TECH
NO PLAYER HT YR P PPG RPG
2 Brandon Gibson 6-5 SR G 7.6 3.6
3 Raheem Appleby 6-3 SO G 17.8 3.0
4 Kenneth Smith 6-3 SO G 7.8 4.9
15 Cordarius Johnson 6-5 JR G 12.5 3.5
1 Michale Kyser 6-9 SO F 5.5 6.7
PPG 73.6; FG% 41.9 3P% 31.0; FT% 67.2; RPG 38.2; TOPG 12.7
COACH Michael White (26-19 at La Tech)
UALR
NO PLAYER HT YR P PPG RPG
2 John Gillon 6-0 FR G 11.3 2.8
24 Ben Dillard 6-2 SO G 6.3 1.5
23 Taggart Lockhart 6-4 SO G 6.4 3.3
53 Will Neighbour 6-10 JR F 11.4 6.2
44 Michael Javes 6-10 SO F 5.2 3.9
PPG 67.8; FG% 42.9; 3P% 35.6; FT% 65.4; RPG 35.8; TOPG 15.6
COACH Steve Shields (155-132 at UALR)
AND ONES Louisiana Tech is 2-3 in road games this
season, winning at Tennessee-Chattanooga and Georgia State. … Appleby
(Jacksonville) and Kenyon McNeail (Conway) are Arkansans on the Louisiana Tech
roster. … Louisiana Tech assistant coach Isaac Brown was formerly with John
Brady at Arkansas State.
BTH Analysis: UALR outscores Tulsa by 15 with Gillon on the court
BURN THE HORSE
One of the things that fans should like most about this UALR team is
its ability to have teammates pick up the slack when other teammates struggle.
BTH ANALYSIS |
That was the case again on Saturday in UALR’s 72-65 victory over Tulsa.
While some of the typical leaders in the Burn The Horse Plus/Minus Analysis
didn’t have great games, others stepped in.
Freshman point guard John Gillon didn’t just lead UALR with 17 points
and 7 rebounds. UALR also outscored Tulsa 56-41 with Gillon on the court. His
+15 rating was Saturday’s best.
The rest of the top five included:
- Gus Leeper +9 (14-5)
- James White +8 (37-29)
- Taggart Lockhart +4 (55-51)
- Leroy Isler +2 (35-33)
Josh Hagins still leads the season standings at +.23 per minute played.
Hagins and Will Neighbour are tied at +4.7 per game played. And Neighbour’s +56
is best overall.
BTH Morning After: Shields can joke because UALR held on for win
BURN THE HORSE
BTH MORNING AFTER |
UALR Coach Steve Shields walked into the media room at the Jack
Stephens Center on Saturday and opened with this: “I love freshmen.”
In the aftermath of UALR’s 72-65 victory over Tulsa, Shields could make
a joke about his young team, the youngest in NCAA Division I basketball. But
after they nearly blew a 17-point lead before pulling it out in the end,
Shields knows it’s going to take more when Sun Belt Conference play resumes.
“I thought our guys did a good job late of finishing it off when some
free throws and defensive rebounds. But overall, we had too many turnovers,”
Shields said, citing the 18 by the Trojans on Saturday. “We had six turnovers
at the half and 12 in the second half. But we’re learning. It’s a very young
team but we’re getting better.”
Freshmen Josh Hagins, John Gillon and James White are in the regular
minutes rotation. And with Gillon and Hagins handling the point guard duties,
there’s going to be some ups and downs.
“That’s freshmen,” Shields said.
And that means Shields will have to live with some mistakes while
hoping they get less and less each time out.
“Some of those turnovers were not very good decisions,” he said. “Simple
plays on the offensive end.”
Improvement never happens as fast as a coach would want it. But Shields
does see his young players starting to mature.
“I think we’ve taken steps over the past two months when you think
about 8 of our 10 guys who have played the most minutes are freshmen and
sophomores,” he said. “It’s an ongoing process every time we come to the floor.”
BURN UNIT
UALR Coach Steve Shields looked like a genius when he shuffled the
starting lineup and UALR got off to a good start. And he was, sort of.
Apparently an unidentified player was late to Saturday morning’s shoot-around.
And his punishment was to not get the start. Shields wouldn’t identify who the
culprit was. But sophomores Ben Dillard and Taggart Lockhart replaced junior
Leroy Isler and freshman James White in Saturday’s lineup.
“We had to adjust one because … I don’t know what happened. Hopefully
we learn from it and move on,” Shields said.
WELCOME BACK
Welcome back Gus Leeper to the UALR lineup. The redshirt sophomore made
1 of 2 field-goal attempts in seven minutes. He made his first shot, seconds
after entering the game, and had a pretty spectacular looking hook shot go in
and out a bit later. Leeper had not played since the season opener.
STAT OF THE GAME
24-16. UALR outscored Tulsa 24-16 at the free throw line.
KEYS REVISITED
Turning point: UALR had 18 turnovers. Not good. But after turning it
over 32 times against Cincinnati, there was some improvement. Namely, the
improvement came in handling the press utilized by Tulsa. Grade: C.
Set the alarm: UALR got off to a great start and built a first-half
lead. The Trojans never trailed on Saturday. Grade: A.
Run and gun: No doubt Tulsa worked on transition defense during their
week off. UALR was only able to get five fast-break points and wasn’t able to
beat the Golden Hurricane by running very often. Grade: D.
THE GOOD
UALR freshman point guard John Gillon had 1 points, 7 rebounds, 4
assists and a steal. He also had four turnovers but going 4 of 7 from the field
and 3 of 3 from the three-point line makes up for it.
THE BAD
UALR had only 6 offensive reobunds and got out rebounded 40-37 for the
game. Tulsa held an 11-7 advantage in second-chance points.
THE UGLY
You probably thought I was going free throws. Or officiating. But the National Anthem was brutal. Great voice. But she went Carl Lewis on the lyrics.
VEGAS, BABY
UALR entered the game as a 2-point favorite and covered the line. The
Trojans are 4-0 this season straight up as a Vegas favorite.
PREDICTIONS
Everyone picked UALR, making everyone a winner. RealTime RPI still
leads the overall standings, although OmniRankings remains undefeated.
UP NEXT
UALR hosts Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Jack Stephens
Center. Louisiana Tech pounded UALR last month in Ruston. The Bulldogs started
the season 7-1 but have lost two of their past three. The losses came on the
road to Southland Conference schools Northwestern State and McNeese State.
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