Men's Basketball 3/9/2013 3:48:00 PM ArkansasState

Men's Basketball Game Notes-vs. Troy (SBC Tourney)

GAME 30 Sun Belt Conference Tournament	Troy Trojans (12-20) vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves (18-11)
Date	Saturday, March 9, 2013
Time	9 p.m. (CT)
Location/Arena	Hot Springs, Ark. \| Summit Arena (6,000)
TV/Live Video	Sun Belt Television Network and ESPN3 \| Sun Belt Digital Network
Radio/Live Audio	EAB Sports Radio Network (107.9 KFIN-FM - flagship) - Matt Stolz (Play-By-Play) \| astateredwolves.com
Internet	Live Stats \| Twitter: @astateredwolves #AStateMBB
MBB Websites	www.astateredwolves.com \| www.troytrojans.com
2013 Sun Belt Championships	2013 Sun Belt Conference Championships Central

Tip-Off: The Arkansas State University men's basketball team, the 2012-13 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West Division Champions, will open action at the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship Tournament this Saturday (March 9) against the Troy Trojans. A 9 p.m. (CT) start is slated for the single-elimination second-round matchup at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. Arkansas State is the number two seed in the tournament while Troy is seeded 10th.

The Records: Arkansas State (18-11, 12-8 Sun Belt West Division). The Red Wolves concluded the regular season with a 78-71 conference loss at instate rival UALR last Saturday (3/2) at UALR's Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. ASU has won seven of its last 10 outings despite dropping two in a row to date. A-State is 0-0 at neutral sites, 13-2 at home, and 5-9 on the road this season.

Troy (12-20, 6-14 Sun Belt East Division). The Trojans snapped a five-game losing streak with an 81-79 overtime win over seventh seed Florida Atlantic Friday (3/8) in opening round action at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. Troy, which had lost seven of its previous eight contests, is 2-1 at neutral sites, 8-7 at home, and 2-12 on the road to date this season.

The Coaches: Arkansas State – John Brady (Bellhaven, 1976), 5thseason, 79-77 (.506); Career - 360-293 (.551) – (5-3 vs. Troy). 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.

Troy – Don Maestri (Southern Mississippi, 1969), 31stseason, 500-403 (.554) – (6-4 vs. ASU). Maestri is the program's all-time winningest coach since his arrival in 1982 and is a seven-time Coach of the Year Award recipient, which includes being named the 2008-09 Sun Belt Conference's Coach of the Year. He has claimed Coach of the Year accolades from five different conferences to tie for the most among NCAA active coaches. Maestri has recorded eight 20-win seasons and seven conferencechampionship titles during his tenure. In 2009-10, he directed the Trojans to their first-ever Sun Belt Conference regular season title. Prior to Troy, Maestri served as an assistant for two seasons (1980-82) at Alabama and one season (1979-80) at Mississippi State. He spent 10 seasons (1970-79) as head coach at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, La.

About Troy: The Trojans snapped a five-game losing streak as a result of an 81-79 overtime win over Florida Atlantic in Friday's (3/8) opening round of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark. Senior guard Emil Jones' 18 points led the Trojans in the win, who had three starters score double figures. Senior forward Ray Chambers contributed 15 points and junior forward Tevin Calhoun registered 12points. Emil Jones and Ray Chambers led Troy in rebounding with seven boards apiece.

• Troy presently has two individuals, Emil Jones (11.5 ppg.) and junior guard Hunter Williams (10.2 ppg.) averaging double-figure point totals this campaign. Senior forward Ray Chambers (5.8 rpg.) along with Emil Jones (5.6 rpg.) and junior center Josh Warren (3.3 rpg.) lead the Trojans in rebounding. Junior guard Hunter Williams (3.3 apg.) is Troy's assists leader and Emil Jones' 1.7 steals per contest leads the way.

• Troy ranks seventh among the NCAA Division I statistical leaders through games of March 7 in turnovers (10.6 avg.) while the Trojans are 106th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.06)138th in three-point field goals (6.4 avg.), 205th in free-throw percentage (68.4%), 169th in scoring defense (66.3 ppg.), 253rd in field-goal pct. defense (44.6%), 277th in steals (5.6 spg.), 280th in scoring margin (-5.0), 301st in scoring offense (61.4 ppg), and 321st in field-goal percentage (39.6%). Emil Jones ranks 123rd in steals (1.71 spg.) while Hunter Williams is 169th in assist turnover ratio (1.67).

• A season ago, Troy registered a 10-18 record with a fifth-place tying 5-11 SBC East Division mark. The Trojans were 6-7 at home, 4-10 on the road, and 0-1 at neutral sites last season.

All-Time Series: Arkansas State trails Troy by a 6-4 margin in the all-time series which originated in the 2005-06 season (2/1/06) as the Red Wolves claimed a 91-68 home win. ASU is 3-2 at home, 2-2 on the road, and 0-1 at neutral sites.

• The teams split the 2012-13 regular-season series with Troy prevailing 74-67 in overtime at home (1/24) and ASU registering a 58-50 home triumph in the Red Wolves' home finale (2/23).

• The Red Wolves are 3-4 in the last seven matchups and are averaging 70.4 points per contest (493 pts.) to the opposition's 69.1 points a game (484 pts.). Six of those outings have been decided by nine points or less with ASU sporting a 2-2 ledger.

• A-State has averaged 74.6 points a game (746 pts.) while the opposition has posted a 74.6 points per outing average (746 pts.) in the series. The Red Wolves are 2-5 in contests determined by nine points or less and are 2-1 in the three games in which the margin was decided by at least 23 points.

• Brandon Peterson (15.0 ppg.) and Cameron Golden (13.5 ppg.) are ASU's top points producers versus Troy this season while Peterson (10.5 rpg.) and Trey Finn (5.5 rpg.) are the rebound leaders.

• Trey Finn (11.4 ppg.), and Brandon Peterson (11.2 ppg.) are ASU's top active career scorers vs. Troy in at least two games played while Peterson (8.4 rpg.) and Finn (5.8 rpg.) are the Red Wolves' top rebounders.

SBC West Division Champs: Arkansas State claimed its second Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West Division title in the last three seasons with a 58-50 regular-season home finale conference win over Troy (2/23). The 2010-11 Red Wolves won the West Division in ASU head coach John Brady's third season with an 11-5 league ledger (.643 win pct.).

SBC Tourney Play: Arkansas State has posted a 4-6 record in its last 10 Sun Belt Conference Tournament appearances, which includes a 2-1 mark at the 2012 SBC Tourney at Hot Springs, Ark. The Red Wolves posted a 70-55 opening-round win over Florida Atlantic (3/3) and then upset tourney top-seed Middle Tennessee 64-61 in the quarterfinals (3/4). ASU dropped a 76-72 semifinal-round decision to North Texas (3/5) in the single-elimination conference tournament. Senior guard Marcus Hooten (18.7 ppg.),Trey Finn (16.3 ppg.), and Brandon Peterson (10.7 ppg.) combined for 66.5% (137-206) of A-State's scoring output in the Red Wolves' three 2012 conference tourney contests.

Fine Season: The Red Wolves' 18 victories this season to date (18-10 record) represents the program's most since 1998-99 when ASU compiled an 18-12 overall mark. The 18 wins are also the most during head coach John Brady's tenure at A-State, surpassing the 17 victories set twice – 17-14 in 2009-10 and 17-15 in 2010-11. The Red Wolves have compiled double-digit victories in each of their last five seasons to date and 15 times since the 1987-88 season.

Peterson and Finn Claim All-SBC Honors: Seniors Brandon Peterson and Trey Finnboth claimed 2013 All-Sun Belt Conference postseason honors as announced Wednesday (March 6) in voting by the league's 11 head coaches and media members. Peterson was among five individual to earn second-team plaudits while Finn garnered third team recognition. Peterson is presently averaging a team-high 9.4 rebounds (272 rebs.) and 10.2 points per contest (297 pts.) as a starter in all 29 games. He has recorded a squad-most 10 double-doubles to go with 18 double-figure and 14 double-digit rebound contests this campaign. Finn is averaging 10.5 points a game (293 pts.) and 4.8 rebounds per contest (135 rebs.) while producing double-figure point totals on 15 occasions this season.

What A Hoot: Marcus Hooten's 25 points in the regular-season finale at UALR last Saturday (3/2) was a personal season high, surpassing his 18 points set in his previous appearance at North Texas (2/28). Hooten, who has totaled nine double-figure scoring games this season, is averaging 21.5 points per contest (43 pts.) in his last two outings while shooting 60.7% (17-28) from the floor.

Postseason Performers: Marcus Hooten is averaging a team-high 18.7 points per game (56 pts.) in three career SBC Tournament appearances. Trey Finn has compiled a 13.4 points a contest average (67 pts.) in five career outings while Brandon Peterson has averaged 9.2 points a game (55 pts.) in six such contests. In rebounding, Peterson has accumulated 7.3 rebounds per game (44 rebs.) while Finn has a 6.0 average (30 rebs.) and Hooten with a 3.7 boards a contest average (11 rebs.).

For Pete's Sake: Brandon Peterson is two rebounds away from moving into an 11th-place tie on the Sun Belt Conference's all-time rebounding leaders list. Peterson, who has accumulated 857 career boards in 125 games, would tie Old Dominion's Chris Gatling (1988-91; 859 career rebs.) total. Peterson is also two blocked shots shy of tying for 18th place among SBC's career leaders Western Kentucky's Elgrace Wilborn (2002-05; 161 career blocks) with 159 shot rejections.

Peterson Recognized: Brandon Peterson has been honored as a fourth-team selection on the 2012-13 College Sports Madness' All-Sun Belt Team as announced Wednesday (3/6). Peterson, who was tabbed as the College Sports Madness' SBC Player of the Week earlier this season (2/18), attained 2011-12 third-team kudos by the online information service.

Down-Townsel: Ed Townsel has tallied both a team-best and a personal career season-high 62 three-pointers in 29 games this 2012-13 season. Townsel is presently averaging 2.1 triples made per contest while draining on a squad second-best 33.3% (62-186) from beyond the three-point arc. He has netted at least three triples in a game on 12 occasions this season to date. Townsel, who scored a career game-high six triples vs. Lamar (11/25), has generated 33.2% (62-187) of A-State's three-point field goals. Townsel is just four more treys away from moving into a 10th-place tie with Keith Gray (1990-91; 66 total) among ASU's all-time single-season leaders.

March Matchups: ASU is 10-14 (.417) in March contests dating back to the 1999-00 season, which includes a 78-71 regular-season finale setback at UALR last Saturday (3/2). The Red Wolves are 2-0 at home, 0-4 on the road, and 8-10 at neutral sites. The 2006-07 and 2011-12 A-State teams both registered a program-best 2-1 record for the month during that span.

Board Climbing: Brandon Peterson needs five more rebounds to tie for sixth-place honors on ASU's all-time leaders list with Steve Brooks (1969-74; 862 career rebs.). Peterson, who has grabbed 857 career rebounds to date, is the eighth player in Red Wolves' history to amass at least 800 career boards while compiling a squad-most and career season-best 272 rebounds in 29 appearances this campaign. Peterson is five rebounds shy of tying Steve Brooks (1973-74; 277 rebs.) for 11th place among the program's all-time single-season leaders. His previous season high was 267 caroms set in 34 2011-12 outings.

Red Wolf Howlings: Trey Finn has scored 293 points in 28 games this season, which is seven shy of tallying his 300th point this season ... Brandon Peterson is the seventh ASU player ever to register 1,000 points (1,070 pts.) and 800 rebounds (857 rebs.) in a career ... Trey Finn needs one more assist to reach the 50-single-season mark for the third time in his four seasons. He's eight helpers away from matching his career season-most 58 assists set in 30 2009-10 outings ... Brandon Peterson's 10 rebounds at UALR(3/2) represented his 14th double-digit performance this season ... Freshman guard Cameron Golden dished out a personal game-best five assists at UALR (3/2) to shatter his four helpers set at Central Arkansas (11/21) and against Austin Peay (12/16) ... Freshman forward Kelvin Downs is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game (14 rebs.) in ASU's last three games after averaging 1.0 boards per contest (three rebs.) in the squad's prior three appearances ... Ed Townsel is 17 points away from scoring his 400th point thisseason and presently has chalked up a team-high 383 points in 29 games.

The Last Nine: The Red Wolves are 6-3 in their last nine games and have outscored their opponent by a +6.7 points per game margin (69.8 ppg. to 63.1 ppg.). ASU also holds a 36.1 to 33.8 advantage in rebounding. Six of those contests have been decided by 10 points or greater. Trey Finn is averaging a squad-high 13.6 points a game (122 pts.) during that span while Brandon Peterson's 8.9 rebounds an outing (80 rebs.) leads the way.

Bench Output: Arkansas State's bench is averaging 21.0 points per game (609 pts.) this season and has outscored the opposition by +2.7 points per contest. Ed Townsel (11.5 ppg.) and freshman guard-forward Raeford Worsham (6.0 ppg.) are the Red Wolves' leading scorers off the bench. In rebounding, Worsham (58 rebs.) and Kelvin Downs (42 rebs.) are A-State's top rebounders.

Red Wolf Howlings II: Trey Finn is four points shy of tying Marvin Jarrett's (1976-80) 1,150 career points for 16th place on ASU's career scoring charts ... Brandon Petersonneeds three points to tie Dewarick Spencer (2003-05; 1,073 career pts.) for 21st place among the Red Wolves' all-time points leaders ... The Red Wolves has compiled double-figure assists in 20 games this season, which includes seven of their last eight contest ...Brandon Peterson, who has 297 points in 29 outings this campaign, is 17 points shy of equaling his career single-season best of 314 points set in 34 games a season ago ...Trey Finn's nine blocked shots this season ties his career season high set previously in 31 2010-11 season contests.

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 directors Chris 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.

2013 SBC Basketball Tourney Tickets On Sale: Tickets for the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament this weekend (March 8-11) at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark., are currently on sale. Tickets are on sale for $93 per booklet. Each booklet includes a ticket to each session for both the men's and women's games covering all four days. If you are interested in reserving your seats to the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, please call the ASU Box Office at (870) 972-2781, or you may order your tickets online at www.tickets.astate.edu. Hotel packages can be reserved by calling (501) 624-5521.

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