Week 15 Men's Basketball Preview: Arkansas State Red Wolves

Arkansas State men’s basketball finally broke out of a funk last week, winning games over Coastal Carolina and Bowling Green. Heading into the week, the Red Wolves had dropped five of their previous six contests. Now, they will look to extend their win streak with matchups against ULM and South Alabama.

Arkansas State vs. ULM

ULM will travel to Jonesboro on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The Warhawks have dropped three games in a row to Arkansas State. The Red Wolves have been the victors in 22 of the 26 games they’ve played host in. According to the KenPom rankings, fans should expect more of the same on Wednesday.

Arkansas State is the second-highest ranked team in the Sun Belt according to KenPom, with a ranking of 148 overall. ULM is ranked last in the Sun Belt and 352 overall. Only 13 Division-I programs rank below the Warhawks.

Both teams feature fast-paced offensive attacks. The Red Wolves have the 18th ranked pace of play in the nation, while ULM clocks in at 27th. This has led to varying offensive success for both squads. Arkansas State’s offense scores the second most points per game in the conference, while ULM’s scores the fourth-fewest.

The emergence of Aly Toukarna played a crucial role in the Red Wolves’ success last week. He scored six points against the Chanticleers and 11 against the Falcons. Those were the two highest marks since he scored eight against Jacksonville State on Nov. 24. If he is able to keep chipping in offensively, it could help open the floor for the rest of Arkansas State’s shooters.

While the Warhawks sport a record of 4-21, they are not to be taken lightly. They picked up their first Sun Belt win over Old Dominion last week, and Krystian Lewis has scored 20 or more points in each of his last four games.

In the weekend win over Bowling Green, Arkansas State finally showed signs of life defensively. In order to prevent an upset, they’ll need to parlay that defensive success into stopping Lewis. The sophomore guard might be a scoring threat, but he has a tendency to force shots. In ULM’s loss to Appalachian State on Jan. 23, he mad just two of his 19 attempted shots. Forcing him into bad shots could fast-track a win for the Red Wolves.

Tipoff: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN+

Radio: 107.9 KFIN (Arkansas State), iHeart radio (ULM)

Arkansas State vs. South Alabama

When Arkansas State hosts South Alabama, the Red Wolves will have a prime opportunity to climb in the Sun Belt standings. Currently ranked seventh in the conference, a win over the third-ranked Jaguars would provide a stepping stone to a late-season surge.

KenPom once again gives Arkansas State the upper hand. South Alabama ranks 209 in the metric, and play a slow, methodical game that is the inverse of the Red Wolves’. The Jaguars rank 320 in pace.

South Alabama will try to stop the high-flying Arkansas State offense with their stout defense. They allow just 67.7 points per contest, ranking second-best in the Sun Belt behind Appalachian State. The Red Wolves allow almost ten more points per game at 77.2.

Arkansas State will look to slow down Chaze Harris. The guard erupted for 38 points when the two teams met earlier this season. Every point mattered, as the Jaguars took home a 91-87 win in an overtime thriller. Christian Harmon made just one of his attempted eight threes in the loss. If the Red Wolves are to split the season series, he will almost certainly need to be better on the offensive end.

Tipoff: Saturday, Feb. 14, 3:00 EST/2:00 CT

TV: ESPN+

Radio: 107.9 KFIN (Arkansas State), Jags Radio Network (South Alabama)