Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UALR LOOKING to move to 10-0 with victory today.
Much of the list reads like a collection of teams included in a mock NCAA Tournament bracket.
There’s Iowa State, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Purdue, South Carolina, SMU and Xavier.
Then there’s UALR, which under first-year Coach Chris Beard has gotten off to its best start ever and is one victory from tying the school’s longest winning streak and joining an eight-team group of the last remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I.
The Trojans ( 9- 0) host Northern Arizona (2-7) at 1 p.m. today at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Through the first nine games, UALR is holding its opponents to 53.3 points per game, the lowest output in Division I. The Trojans also lead the nation in free-throw percentage ( 82.7) and are fourth nationally with a plus7.1 turnover margin.
But more than any statistics, Beard said one of the most pleasing developments is his team’s ability to be consistent .
“That’s part of the process,” Beard said. “We talk to the guys all the time about handling adversity, and that includes how to handle success, too. I think your true character comes out when times are tough, but also when times are good, too. You can’t get soft, you can’t get complacent, you can’t lose your edge.”
The Trojans haven’t so far. To prove as much, Beard can look to last week’s 77-54 victory over Central Arkansas in Conway.
Victories at San Diego State and Tulsa have gotten UALR its most notoriety this season, but Beard called the first half against UCA the Trojans’ cleanest stretch of the season.
Against a UCA team shot 48.9 percent from the field in UALR’s 79-73 victory in Little Rock on Dec. 1, the Trojans held the Bears to 22.2 percent shooting and 15 points in the first half.
While his team has forged an identity on defense, Beard said the tone was set on offense in the second UCA victory.
“When you take good shots, when you hit a good percentage and rebound, it leads to good defense,” Beard said. “We’ve proven that we can be one of the better defensive teams in college basketball at this point if we can get it into a half-court setting.”
Beard said he hopes that continues today against the Lumberjacks, who have yet to beat a Division I team this season. But Beard said he still has some concerns with Northern Arizona’s offensive style, which is similar to UCA’s, and point guard Kris Yanku, who led Division I with free throws made last season. This year, Yanku is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game.
“He just has a really good ability to draw a foul and get into an open court,” Beard said. “If we try to run up and down with these guys, that’s not to our advantage.”
UALR has handled every obstacle thrown its way so far, not that Beard brings it up a whole lot in practice or meetings.
“We never talk about our record,” he said. “We do talk about the opportunity we have and to embrace it. But, no, we haven’t talked much about our record, nor will we ever.”