Steve Shields knows his Arkansas-Little Rock basketball team would face a tough assignment Sunday against Creighton regardless of the outcome of last season’s meeting between the teams.

Factor in the Trojans’ 71-69 upset of the Bluejays last November, and the task gets a lot more difficult.

“We know we’re going into a hostile environment,’’ Shields said Thursday in a telephone interview. “I’m eager to see how my guys handle that, and I’m anxious to see how we can do against a team of Creighton’s level.’’

Shields’ team stunned the Bluejays last season, rallying from a nine-point deficit in the final 12½ minutes to win on Mike Smith’s putback with 7.1 seconds to play. One aspect of that loss continues to haunt Creighton’s veteran players.

“We got beat by 20 on the boards last year,’’ CU center Kenny Lawson said. “That’s going to be the key to this game. Their guys are big and strong and athletic. We’re going to need to get a body on somebody when a shot goes up and then go get the ball.

“It just can’t be one person. We all need to rebound in Sunday’s game.’’

Arkansas-Little Rock finished last season’s game with a 46-26 rebounding edge, with Smith leading the way with 10. On Sunday, the Bluejays will find there’s less of Smith to get a body on than there was last season.

Shields said the 6-foot-7 senior from Jacksonville, Ark., has lost about 50 pounds. Smith sat out eight games last season when the coaching staff decided he needed to cut some weight.

“He started the year at about 305,’’ Shields said. “We sat him out for eight games in January until he got his weight down to 280. When he came back, he was more effective. He could move better, and I think Mike realized what losing the weight did for him.

“That carried over into the offseason, and he worked very hard with our strength coach and was very disciplined.’’

Smith, Wayne Burton and Matt Mouzy are the three Trojans with extensive starting experience back from last season, when Arkansas-Little Rock posted a 23-8 record and won its division of the Sun Belt Conference. The loss of seniors John Fowler, Shane Edwards, Brandon Patterson and LaMarvon Jackson has left Shields trying to mix six newcomers into the rotation.

“We lost some seniors that were very important to our success, so we knew this was kind of going to be a work in progress,’’ Shields said. “I’m encouraged by the strides we’re making, although it’s not coming at the pace I’d like. But I think that’s fairly common among coaches at this time of year. We’d all like to be a little further along.

“We’re still not a sound defensive team, and we’re turning the ball over too much. That’s a huge concern against a team like Creighton because they can force so many turnovers.’’

The Trojans (1-2) are averaging almost 16 turnovers per game in road losses at Mississippi and Tulsa and a home win over St. Gregory’s. Arkansas-Little Rock is allowing 69.0 points per game while scoring 69.7.

Guard Solomon Bozeman, a transfer from South Florida, is averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game. Another newcomer, Alex Garcia-Mendoza, is second on the team with an 8.7 average, while eight other players are averaging between 3.7 and 7.5 points.

Obviously, the Trojans are coming to Omaha in search of a win. Equally important, Shields said, is to have his team make another step.

“We’ve made strides in each game,’’ he said. “You always want to see progress every time you take the floor. With as many young guys as we have, you never really sure what you’re going to get, but I’ve been encouraged by our ability to take positive strides.’’

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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