Sun Belt Roundball Roundup 1/5/14-1/11-14
Well folks conference play is finally underway and we here at Wave the Red Towel can’t get enough of the action! We wanted to expand our basketball coverage, like we started to do with football (cough cough Fletcher Keel cough cough) to the entirety of the Sun Belt Conference with a couple of new segments, the first of which you are currently reading, and the other will debut tomorrow. So keep an eye out!
With the Sun Belt receiving limited coverage nationally, and WTRT being the only Sun Belt blog here on the Fansided network, we wanted to introduce these two new segments that will be provided to you on a weekly basis allowing you to get the low down on everything SBC basketball has to offer. This segment will be breaking down key match ups from the prior week while also giving you a heads up on games to watch in the upcoming week. So without further ado, let’s tip this baby off!
The Sun Belt offered us four match ups last week, all of which added some early major movement in the standings. First up on the table is the match-up between South Alabama as they traveled to Arkansas-Little Rock. Winless South Al held a lead of nine at the halftime break, but that lead would begin to dwindle after the first five minutes of the 2nd half of play. The Trojans would battle back and go on a 14-0 run until the eight minute mark. From that moment until the final buzzer the play would feature how majority of conference games are… fast paced with a high intensity. However despite their effort, the Jaguars would fall by five and remain 0 for the Sun Belt so far. ULAR on the other hand rises to a 3-1 record in the SBC and places themselves as one of the top teams in the conference having once been a bottom feeder in the standings. Despite the loss, one of the SBC’s best players, Jaguar forward Augustine Rubit, had 22 pts along with nine rebounds. Trojan stand outs included Will Neighbour (22 pts; 10 reb.) and James White (13 pts; 3 reb.). I take from this game that even though South Al may be winless so far in the SBC, they can still pack a punch and give a team a run for their money. As for UALR, they may have a decent record, but that record could easily be brought down in a hurry.
The next match-up features ULM on the road in Texas playing Sun Belt newcomer Texas-Arlington Mavericks. Once again this game displayed a true conference intensity game like South Al and UALR. As for this game however, it had to be decided with five extra minutes of play in order to determine the victor. The Mavs would hold a slim four point lead after the first twenty minutes elapsed, and ULM was able to not allow that lead to get out of hand, and force a tie game at regulation. OT would see fit that Texas-Arlington would capture the show over Louisiana-Monroe by the same deficit they had at the half. Both team’s had three stand outs each, however my MVP’s would be ULM’s Tylor Ongwae (25 pts; 5 reb; 2 blk) and UTA’s Brandon Edwards (17 pts; 10 reb; 5 blk). Edwards wasn’t the high point man for the Mavericks, but he stood out for my MVP honor due to his battle on the boards, with six of his ten being on the offensive end. Both of these teams put up a lot of shots, but they both also make a lot of shots. Both teams shot above the 40% mark from behind the 3 point arc. Also the Warhawks shot a team percentage of 51.6% from the floor. ULM falls to a record of 1-2, as UTA gains their first win and are 1-3 so far in the SBC. Although both these teams don’t have convincing records to provide a tough matchup, be ready to shoot because they more than likely will create a barn burner of a game.
Next up on the list saw Trojans of Troy visiting Arkansas State, and boy did this one raise some eyebrows. A shooting clinic was the main course in this match-up as three-balls kept falling… falling… and falling. The Trojans hit the Red Wolves hard right out of the starting gate as Troy led by as many as 11 early in the first. Arkansas State, second in the league only to Georgai State, didn’t quite know what to think from this Trojan team. The halftime score was 54 to 44 with Troy holding control… yes folks I said halftime score. The Trojans wouldn’t surrender that lead for the remainder of the game, only allowing the Red Wolves an eight point deficit once, their lowest deficit of the second half. The shooting clinic would conclude with a final score of 98 to 84. The element of surprise is a lethal weapon, and one that caught Arkansas State off guard at home. MVP’s of the game; Red Wolf Kirk Van Slyke (27 pts; 6 reb) and Trojan hot hand Tevin Calhoun (35 pts; 6 reb). Interesting fact, Calhoun only averaged 9.8 PPG prior to his scoring breakout. With the win Troy evens up their conference record (2-2) and hands Arkansas State their first loss (3-1). Troy averages a 32.5% 3PT shooting percentage on the season, and shot an astounding 14 of 27 (52%) from behind the arch in this game. Troy’s average record may be one that could be marked as an easy win for some teams, but talk to the Red Wolves about that statement right about now and I bet they would give you a somewhat different quote.
Last but not least, a game that we know many of you do not want to recap. However, for the sake of this segment and covering the SBC, we must recap it one final time. The Georgia State Panthers came to Diddle, and contrary to what many teams experience when traveling to the Hill this season, the Panthers had a rather nice evening. What was a close game and manageable at the half (GSU lead 34-29), you would have assumed the second half would feature the same type of play. You would have been wrong. The Panthers would jump out to a 15-0 run to start the second half, and wouldn’t surrender a field goal to the Tops until 13:28 remained in the game. So the story continues as such with terrible play by WKU and Georgia State remained relentless until the final buzzer. The Final score would be capped at 77 to 54. Key Players for the game would be Hilltopper T.J. Price (15 pts; 5 reb), the only Hilltopper to score in double figures, and then the GSU starting five… you think I’m joking? I’m not at all. They each put together a solid team performance that gave a good WKU all they could handle and more, including all scoring at least 11 points. Check out my full post game article for then entirety of details (click here). With the win Georgia State grabs ahold the top of the Sun Belt reigns from the Tops as they remain perfect in conference play (3-0). As for the Tops, they were dismantled and torn from their preseason SBC favorite pedestal and received a reality check signed by the Panthers as the Tops fall to 2-1.
So that does it for the week that was, now lets move on to the key matchups that this week has to offer. (All game start times are CT.)
The first of which being second place Arkansas State visiting SBC Kings (for now) Georgia State. The Red Wolves, fresh off their first conference loss, look to rebound and dethrone the Panthers from their unbeaten status. The teams collide Thursday at 6 PM in Atlanta.
Next is the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans visiting John Oldham Court to take on Western Kentucky. Both teams with one loss and both looking to gain a foothold in the top tier of the standings. The question is what Hilltopper team will show up to play? The one that challenged SEC foe Ole Miss? Or the one who was embarrassed in the previous match-up against Georgia State? All the action unfolds Thursday at 7 PM, airing nationally on ESPN 3 and WatchESPN.
Last but not least is two middle of the Sun Belt teams clashing in Alabama as the Warhawks of ULM fly to fight the Trojans of Troy. Both teams are looking to avoid another loss added to their record, and both wanting to prove they are a team that isn’t out of the SBC title race. Will this two teams provided barn burner stats like they did in their previous match ups? Find out as they look to make their statements Thursday at 7:30 PM.
Whew. Thursday is going to be a busy one, but that’s how we in the Bluegrass like it, especially in during basketball season.
We hope you enjoyed our first Sun Belt Roundball Roundup, and if you did, you can start to look for it every Monday at 4:30 CT right here on Wave The Red Towel.
Tomorrow, we will debut another new segment here on WTRT, but can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, so you’ll just have to keep an extra eye on the site to see what it is.
Until then, stay classy, Sun Belt!