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UALR, Louisiana Tech both enigmas Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL There’s a bit of mystery surrounding UALR’s home opener tonight. The Trojans (2-0 ) will host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-0 ) in a meeting of unbeaten teams at 7 p. m. at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. The mystery surrounds how good UALR’s team is after road victories in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Malibu, Calif., and just who’s who for Louisiana Tech. For UALR, it is a situation that resembles last year’s home game with Texas-Arlington. The Trojans were 2-0 after winning on a road trip to California and playing a home game against a team that was undefeated and supposed to be much improved. UALR lost that game 68-58 at the Jack Stephens Center.
It was a game in which UALR wasn’t sharp, and turnovers down the stretch halted a comeback. It is one of only two November home losses for UALR since joining NCAA Division I in 1979. UALR is 31-2 in those games. “We’ve got to be very good to win,” UALR Coach Steve Shields said. “We’ve got to be sound defensively. We’ve got to be good rebounding the ball at both ends. We’ve got to be very crisp with the basketball and our transition defense has to be good.” Earlier this week, the Trojans were fighting complacency after victories over Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and Pepperdine on the road. Assistant coach Joe Kleine stopped Tuesday’s practice to warn against any overconfidence the team might be feeling. After all, neither Pepperdine nor Cal Poly has a victory this season against an NCAA Division I opponent. “I thought Tuesday was not a very good practice for us, and as the week went on, we got better,” Shields said. “We just want to make sure that guys realize that it didn’t just happen by chance. We need to make sure that we bring a mind-set that every time out we’re going to get better.” It’s difficult to figure out Louisiana Tech this early in the season. The Bulldogs went 6-24 last season, but feature an almost entirely new roster. It includes LSU transfer Magnum Rolle, Oklahoma State transfer Kenneth Cooper and junior college transfers Jamel Guyton and David Jackson in the expected starting lineup. The Bulldogs will be playing their third road game of the season, already beating Louisiana-Lafayette and Grambling State. “This is going to be another test for our guys,” Louisiana Tech Coach Kerry Rupp said. “We’re looking forward to a good contest. The guys are excited, and we as a staff are excited about this weekend. It will be nice when we get back home again, but for now, we’re going to keep moving forward.” The biggest weakness so far for Louisiana Tech appears to be the lack of a true point guard. But there’s mystery there as well. Last week, the Bulldogs signed Canadian point guard Yonas Berhe. Because Louisiana Tech works on a quarter system, Berhe is apparently eligible immediately. He didn’t play Tuesday at Grambling State, but has been added to the active roster and is expected to be available tonight. Yesterday's Most Popular 1. HOG CALLS : Battle's dismissal shakes up depth at linebacker 2. COLBY BERNA : Berna had no doubt he would be a Hog 3. Ex-Hog Hinske becomes Yankee 4. National Football Foundation honors Berna, Petrino 5. Sublime sisters keep on rolling Today's Most E-mailed |
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