Arkansas State Weekly Basketball Preview (Week 13)
After a 1-1 week on the road, Arkansas State men’s basketball will return to Jonesboro for games against Old Dominion and Marshall. The Red Wolves were inches from a 2-0 week, but Jalen Hampton’s miracle three-point heave couldn’t find the hoop as time expired in an 82-81 loss at Georgia State. The loss came days after a convincing 85-68 victory over Georgia Southern.
Old Dominion at Arkansas State
The Red Wolves will return to action against Old Dominion on Wednesday, with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. central time. Arkansas State’s 7-1 home record is among the best in the Sun Belt, while ODU’s 2-11 road record is among the worst. The Red Wolves enter the game sitting in seventh place in the conference with a 5-4 record (13-8 overall), but they could finish the week as high as second place. The Monarchs are third from the bottom with a 3-6 conference record and a mark of 6-15 overall.
Arkansas State moved up five spots in the KenPom rankings to 151 after last week’s results. The Red Wolves are still one of the fastest offenses in the nation, raking 14th in adjusted tempo. Old Dominion ranks 238th, suggesting the Monarchs might be slightly better than their record suggests.
The game will feature a battle between the 11th (ODU) and 12th (Arkansas State) ranked defenses in the Sun Belt. Both teams allow their opponents to score in bunches, but the Red Wolves have been better at doing the same damage on the offensive end of the floor. Five Arkansas State players average between 10 and 12 points, and the bench is able to provide a legitimate scoring bunch. The committee scoring approach was made the offense difficult to stop, as any player is capable of taking over the game if given the opportunity.
The Monarchs will look to counterpunch with a quartet of double-digit scorers, led by KC Shaw. The senior guard is averaging 16.5 points per game to lead the team. Shaw and his teammates will have the opportunity to better their scoring numbers against the lackluster Arkansas State defense.
Tipoff: Wednesday, Jan 27; 7 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 107.9 KFIN (Ark. State); ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 (ODU)
Marshall at Arkansas State
Arkansas State’s true test will come on Saturday afternoon when the Marshall Thundering Herd come to town. Marshall sits in fourth place in the Sun Belt with a 5-3 conference record and an overall record of 13-7. Their KenPom rating of 167 is the third-highest in the conference, trailing only Troy (111) and the Red Wolves. The team won both games it played in last week, knocking off James Madison before blowing out Louisiana-Monroe.
Marshall is led by a trio of veteran scorers in Jalen Speer (15 points), Wyatt Fricks (14.4) and Noah Otshudi (14.1). Speer and Otshudi have also flashed talent as distributors, ranking first and eighth in the conference in assists, respectively. They are supported by Matt Van Komen, who reigns in 7.5 rebounds per game. That mark if good for sixth-best in the Sun Belt. He also leads the conference in blocks with 2.5 a game.
For Arkansas State to run with the Herd, they will need to be on their best game defensively. Speer attempts over seven three-pointers per game, but makes fewer than three. If the Red Wolves can force him into bad shots early, he might be thrown off his game. This could lead to more mistakes and fewer baskets for a Marshall offense that runs through him.
That might be a pipe dream for a Red Wolves defense that ranks towards the bottom of the conference. With both teams below the league median defensively, fans should expect a shootout.
Tipoff: Saturday, Jan. 31; 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 107.9 KFIN (Ark. State); The Varsity Network (Marshall)
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