Gallman, T. Knight both have injuries
The Sun Belt Conference lead is up for grabs to young and old alike.
Both will be on hand at Murphy Center tonight in a clash of divisional leaders as MTSU tips off against Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 o?clock.
The Blue Raiders (14-4, 6-1) lead the Sun Belt?s East Division as one of the nation?s most experienced squads.
UALR (11-8, 5-3) sits atop the West Division as college basketball?s least experienced roster.
?I think this is important for both teams,? MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. ?All conference games count the same and the next one is always bigger than the one before. But they are in first and we are in first, so it?s definitely important for both of us.?
MTSU?s top 11 players are juniors and seniors, and its veteran rotation has yielded seven wins in the past eight games.
The Blue Raiders return to Murphy Center for only their second home game this month, but they are not at full strength.
Sophomore forward Jacquez Rozier is now out for the the remainder of the season with a re-aggravated broken hand. Senior guard James Gallman will be a game-time decision as he recovers from a concussion suffered last week. Junior point guard Tweety Knight will be limited by a foot injury suffered in practice on Monday.
But at least MTSU is at Murphy Center, where it has won 21 consecutive regular-season home games.
UALR, despite leading the West Division with a very young squad, has an 0-6 record on the road. It won Sun Belt home games against Western Kentucky, North Texas, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy, and it has league road losses to South Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy.
Nine of the Trojans? top 11 players are freshmen and sophomores, giving the roster the least career playing minutes of any squad in the nation.
But Davis, a long-time friend of UALR coach Steve Shields, said he is not surprised that the Trojans are contending for the Sun Belt title.
?I know about the young players they had, and I already knew about the players (Sheilds) signed before the season. He?s got good players,? Davis said. ?And I always know what to expect with Little Rock. In my 11 years here, Little Rock has probably been the most physical team we?ve played year in and year out.
?Just how hard they play and how competitive they are, there?s no difference in them. They have that kind of team every year.?
Will Neighbour, a 6-foot-10 junior forward, leads UALR with 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Neighbour had a career-high 22 points with three 3-pointers in UALR?s 68-60 loss at MTSU last season.
The Sun Belt Conference lead is up for grabs to young and old alike.
Both will be on hand at Murphy Center tonight in a clash of divisional leaders as MTSU tips off against Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 o?clock.
The Blue Raiders (14-4, 6-1) lead the Sun Belt?s East Division as one of the nation?s most experienced squads.
UALR (11-8, 5-3) sits atop the West Division as college basketball?s least experienced roster.
?I think this is important for both teams,? MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. ?All conference games count the same and the next one is always bigger than the one before. But they are in first and we are in first, so it?s definitely important for both of us.?
MTSU?s top 11 players are juniors and seniors, and its veteran rotation has yielded seven wins in the past eight games.
The Blue Raiders return to Murphy Center for only their second home game this month, but they are not at full strength.
Sophomore forward Jacquez Rozier is now out for the the remainder of the season with a re-aggravated broken hand. Senior guard James Gallman will be a game-time decision as he recovers from a concussion suffered last week. Junior point guard Tweety Knight will be limited by a foot injury suffered in practice on Monday.
But at least MTSU is at Murphy Center, where it has won 21 consecutive regular-season home games.
UALR, despite leading the West Division with a very young squad, has an 0-6 record on the road. It won Sun Belt home games against Western Kentucky, North Texas, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy, and it has league road losses to South Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy.
Nine of the Trojans? top 11 players are freshmen and sophomores, giving the roster the least career playing minutes of any squad in the nation.
But Davis, a long-time friend of UALR coach Steve Shields, said he is not surprised that the Trojans are contending for the Sun Belt title.
?I know about the young players they had, and I already knew about the players (Sheilds) signed before the season. He?s got good players,? Davis said. ?And I always know what to expect with Little Rock. In my 11 years here, Little Rock has probably been the most physical team we?ve played year in and year out.
?Just how hard they play and how competitive they are, there?s no difference in them. They have that kind of team every year.?
Will Neighbour, a 6-foot-10 junior forward, leads UALR with 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Neighbour had a career-high 22 points with three 3-pointers in UALR?s 68-60 loss at MTSU last season.
