Preview: Arkansas Little-Rock at Western Kentucky
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Projected Starters:Arkansas Little-Rock
G - Ben Dillard, 6-2, 185, Jr. (6.4 pts, 1 assts)
G - DeVonte Smith, 5-11, 165, Jr. (4.1 pts, 3 assts)
G - Leroy Isler, 6-5, 204, Sr. (6.9 pts, 2.7 rebs)
F - James White, 6-8, 216, RSo. (10.6 pts, 5.8 rebs)
F - Will Neighbour, 6-10, 225, Sr. (16.9 pts, 7.9 rebs)
Western Kentucky
G - Trency Jackson, 6-2, 190, rJr. (11.1 pts, 1.6 assts)
G - Caden Dickerson, 6-5, 205, rSr. (4.6 pts, 2.5 rebs)
G - T.J. Price, 6-4, 215, Jr. (16.7 pts, 4.2 rebs)
F - Aaron Adeoye, 6-7, 237, Jr. (4.6 pts, 5 rebs)
F - George Fant, 6-6, 245, Jr. (13.7 pts, 7.1 rebs)
The matchup: A week removed from perhaps their worst performance of the season, the Hilltoppers will look to rebound against an Arkansas Little-Rock team that currently boasts a 3-1 conference record with impressive road wins over Texas State and UT-Arlington.
Inside, George Fant and Aaron Adeoye will once again have their hands full with the Trojans' duo of Will Neighbor and James White. It's time for a complete 180-degree defensive turn after Georgia State's starting forwards owned the Hilltoppers combining for 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Neighbour and White are very capable of filling up the stat sheet in a similar fashion.
This time, the perimeter advantage favors WKU not only in size but skill as well. The Hilltoppers need Price, CHD, and Jackson to return to form and attack the basket and be creatively aggressive and not settle for long range jumpers that simply aren't falling.
Like Western Kentucky, the Trojans are also coming off a disappointing 13-point home loss to Troy in their last outing. So, it will be interesting to see who comes out with the most motivation on Thursday night inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
Keys to the game: It's easy - Western Kentucky needs to shoot better, defend the post, and attack, attack, attack on offense.
Prediction: Western Kentucky 75, Arkansas Little-Rock 65.
