The Records: Arkansas State (6-5, 0-2 Sun Belt). The Red Wolves suffered a 73-69 non-conference road loss to Kent State last Saturday (12/22) evening at KSU's M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. ASU, which is midst a two-game losing skid, is currently 4-1 at home, 2-4 on the road, and 0-0 at neutral sites this campaign. Louisiana-Lafayette (5-8, 1-1 Sun Belt). The Ragin' Cajuns posted a 91-79 non-conference home triumph over Duquesne last Saturday (12/22) at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., to halt a two-game losing streak. ULL is 1-6 on the road, 4-2 at home, and 0-0 in neutral site encounters this season.
The Coaches: Arkansas State – John Brady (Bellhaven, 1976), 5th season, 67-71 (.486); Career - 348-287 (.548) – (6-4 vs. ULL). Brady was named the 2009-10 SBC Coach of the Year and the District VII Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He served six seasons (1991-97) as head coach at Samford and then spent 10-plus seasons (1997-08) in a head coaching capacity at LSU. Brady guided LSU to two SEC Championship titles along with four NCAA Tournament appearances, which included a Final Four appearance in the 2005-06 season. Louisiana-Lafayette – Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981), 3rd season, 35-39 (.473); Career: 15th season, 260-170 (.605) – (2-2 vs. ASU).
Marlin, the 2010
District 23 NABC Coach of the Year, was named to his current post in March
2009. He guided ULL to a SBC West
Division co-championship title in 2010-11.
Marlin spent 12 seasons (1998-10) as head coach at Sam Houston State and
was a three-time (2000, 2003, and 2010) Southland Conference Coach of the Year
Award recipient. He also served five seasons (1990-95) directing the Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College
program, which captured the 1993 NJCAA National Championship crown and earned
him National Junior College Coach of the Year recognition. Marlin was an assistant at Alabama (1995-98),
Marshall (1989-90), Houston Baptist (1983-89), and ULM (1981-83).
About Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin' Cajuns are presently led in scoring by Shawn Long (17.2 ppg.), sophomore guard Elfrid Payton (13.3 ppg.), and
Bryant Mbamalu (12.5 ppg.) lead the Ragin' Cajuns in scoring this season. In rebounding, Long (9.6 rpg.) and Payton
(6.2 rpg.) lead the way. Nationally,
Long ranks 30th in rebounds and 92nd in in points per game while Payton is
listed 22nd in steals (2.54 spg.) and 65th in assists (4.9 apg.) ULL is 126th among the national leaders in
scoring offense (70.2 ppg.) and 281st in scoring defense (72.2 ppg.). The Ragin' Cajuns are 1-6 on the road, 4-2 at
home, and 0-0 at neutral sites
this campaign. Louisiana-Lafayette registered 16-16 record overall with a
third-place 10-6 SBC West Division mark for the 2011-12 campaign. The Ragin' Cajuns were 5-9 on the road, 10-5
at home, and 1-2 at neutral sites.
All-Time Series: Arkansas State trails
41-24 in the all-time series which started in the 1963-64 season with the
Ragin' Cajuns claiming an 82-78 win in the initial meeting. The Red Wolves
are 4-7 in the last 11 matchups, which includes a 3-2 home ledger. ASU is averaging 64.5 points per game (710
total) while ULL has averaged 65.3 points an outing (718 total) in those 11
encounters. In the five home affairs,
A-State has scored an average of 68.8 points a contest (344 total) compared to
Louisiana's 68.0 points an outing (340 total).
The Red Wolves are 3-3 in their last six matchups and all but one (W
74-65 – 1/12/11) have been decided by five points or less. The teams split last season's series as
ASU won 79-74 at home (1/21) before falling 68-65 in overtime on the road
(2/11). Trey Finn (15.0 ppg.), Brandon
Peterson (13.5 ppg.), and Marcus
Hooten (11.0 ppg.) are A-State's top returning scorers from last season's
series. Peterson averaged a team-best
9.0 rpg. (18 total) while Ed Townsel recorded averages of 5.0 apg. (10 total)
and 5.5 rpg. (11 total).
Sun Belt Conference
Play: The
Red Wolves are 171-175 (.494) since joining the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in
the 1991-92 season, which includes a season-best 14-4 (.778) mark in the
1997-98 campaign. A-State is 35-17 at
home, and 14-15 on the road since the 2006-07 season. ASU head coach John Brady has posted a 33-37 record (.471) in Sun Belt Conference
contests since his arrival in the 2008-09 season, which consists of a 24-10
home ledger and a 9-27 away mark.
SBC Home Openers: The Red Wolves
are 5-1 in their last six conference home openers since 2006-07 and had their
five-game winning string snapped with a 53-50 setback to Denver last season
(1/5/12). ASU is averaging 68.2 ppg. (409
total) while the opposition has averaged 59.2 ppg. (355 total) during that
six-game span. A-State's most recent
league home-opening win was a 69-57 triumph over South Alabama in the 2010-11
campaign (12/30/10).
Home Court
Advantage: A-State has compiled a 250-95 record (.725) in regular-season home
outings since 1987-88 and has posted double-digit home victories 14 times in a
season, which includes a 10-5 home ledger in 2011-12. The Red Wolves are presently 4-1 at home this
campaign with the lone setback coming in a 61-54 loss to Murray State (12/19). ASU is averaging 73.0 ppg. (365 total) at home
this season compared to its opponent's 57.6 ppg. (288 total) for a +15.4 ppg.
difference.
The Comforts of
Home: Raeford Worsham is averaging a team
third-most 11.6 points per game (58 total) in five home appearances this
season. In six road encounters this
campaign, Worsham has posted a squad
seventh-best 6.5 points an outing average (39 total). Interestingly, Worsham is shooting 52.5% (21-40) and
averaging 22.0 minutes per game at home compared to connecting on
66.7% (18-27) on the road and playing 18.8 minutes a contest.
Did You Know?: Brandon Peterson's 12 steals to date
this campaign ties for his second-best single-season output, matching his 12
thefts as a freshman in 2009-10.
Peterson's career season high is 23 set in 34 contests a season ago. He has compiled a combined 10 steals in his
last three games, which includes a career game-best five against Austin Peay
(12/16).
From Long
Distance: Ed Townsel's four three-point
field goals on seven attempts at Kent State (12/22) were two shy of tying a personal season single-game
high. Townsel knocked down six triples
against Lamar (11/25) on nine tries from beyond the arc.
Nationally
Speaking: ASU presently ranks 18th among the national leaders in steals per game
(9.8 avg.), 21st in turnover margin (4.4 avg.), 129th in scoring offense (70.1
ppg.), and 181st in scoring defense (66.5 ppg.) through Dec. 22 contests. The Red Wolves are 154th in scoring margin
(3.5), 245th in field-goal percentage (41.6%), 262nd in field-goal percentage
defense (44.7%), 112th in three-point field goal per game (6.7 avg.), 169th in
three-point field goal percentage (33.5%), and 286th in free-throw percentage
(64.0%). Individually, Brandon Peterson is 19th in double-doubles
(five), 17th in rebounds (10.3 rpg.), and 127th in blocked shots (1.5
bpg.). Ed Townsel ranks 29th in three-point field goals per game (2.9),
51st in three-point field-goal percentage (41.0%), 79th in steals (2.0 spg.),
and 184th in points (15.5 ppg.).
The Glass
Cleaners: A-State's top three rebounders this season, Brandon Peterson (113 total), junior forward Kendrick Washington (46 total), and freshman forward Raeford Worsham (45 total) have accounted
for 58.1% (204-351) of the Red Wolves' production on the boards this
season. The trio have also generated
68.2% (88-129) of ASU's total offensive rebounds with Peterson recording a
squad-best 46 caroms while Washington and Worsham have grabbed 28 and 14
boards, respectively.
Down-Townsel: Ed Townsel has drained a squad-most 32
three-point field goals this season while hitting on a 41.0% (32-78) from
beyond the arc. Townsel has canned at
least three or more treys in a game on eight occasions this season, including
four triples at Kent State (12/22). He
presently ranks 29th nationally in three-point field goals made (2.91 avg.) and
51st in three-point field goal pct. (41.0%).
Townsel has accounted for 43.2% (32-74) of ASU's three-pointers this
campaign.
Red
Wolf Howl: Sophomore guard Rakeem Dickerson is one steal shy of
equalling his career season-high 16 steals set last season in 32 games. The backcourt player has presently totaled 15
in 11 outings this campaign ... A-State's top three points leaders this month
in Ed Townsel (13.6 ppg.), Brandon Peterson (12.2 ppg.), and Raeford Worsham (11.6 ppg.) have
combined for 56.7% (187-330) of the team's scoring ... ASU is shooting
40.5% (92-227) from the floor and 66.7% (62-93) at the free throw line in its
last four contests ... Kendrick
Washington (10.5 ppg.) and Brandon
Peterson (10.0 ppg.) lead the Red Wolves in
scoring in SBC play this season and have generated 32.5% (41-126) of the
squad's points output. Washington (7.5
rpg.) and Peterson (9.5 rpg.) also are ASU's top rebounders in league action
and have accounted for 54.8% (34-62) of the team's production ... Ed Townsel is one three-pointer away
from tallying the 100th triple of his career.
Townsel has 99 career treys in 77 games and is averaging 1.29 threes per
contest.
2012-13 Reference Guide Now Online: The 2012-13 A-State men's basketball reference guide is now available to view online in a PDF format and contains information for all devoted Red Wolves fans. The 110-page publication features such information as 2012-13 student-athlete rosters, season preview, student-athlete biographies, coaching staff bios, 2011-12 season statistics, and all-time series records along with career, season, and game statistical records. The annual publication is a production of the ASU Sports Information Office under the direction of director Jerry Scott along with assistant directorsChris Graddy and Joe Gorby. To view the 2012-13 ASU men's basketball publication online, please visit the respective link - 2012-13 Arkansas State Men's Basketball Reference Guide.
A Season Ago: A-State concluded the 2011-12 campaign at 14-20 overall and posted a fifth-place 6-10 mark in the Sun Belt Conference's (SBC) West Division. The Red Wolves were 10-5 at home, 2-14 on the road, and 2-1 at neutral sites a season ago.
Up Next: ASU will make its final 2012 appearance this Saturday (Dec. 29) as the Red Wolves visit the South Alabama Jaguars in Sun Belt Conference (SBC) competition. A 7 p.m. (CT) start time is slated for the matchup at USA's Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.
