Arkansas State men vs. Texas-Arlington
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro RECORDS Arkansas State 6-12, 1-4 Sun Belt Conference; Texas-Arlington 11-7, 2-3
RADIO KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
ASU
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Ty Cockfield, 5-11, Jr. 13.6 2.8 G Rashad Lindsey, 5-11, Sr. 8.3 2.6 G Deven Simms, 6-4, Sr. 16.9 5.9 G Grantham Gillard, 6-4, Jr. 9.3 3.4 F Salif Boudie, 6-8, Soph. 3.8 4.2 COACH Mike Balado (6-12 in first season at Arkansas State and overall)
TEXAS-ARLINGTON
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Erick Neal, 5-10, Sr. 13.9 4.1 G Nathan Hawkins, 6-5, Sr. 6.3 2.1 G Davion Turner, 6-9, Jr. 5.6 3.6 F Kevin Hervey, 6-9, Sr. 21.2 8.7 C Johnny Hamilton, 7-0, Sr. 12.0 7.8 COACH Scott Cross (215-155 in 12th season at UT Arlington and overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
ASU UTA 73.8 Points for 78.0 76.8 Points against 72.1 -0.3 Rebound margin +3.6 -0.9 Turnover margin +0.7 45.9 FG pct. 45.9 33.9 3-pt. pct. 34.3 72.0 FT pct. 66.7 CHALK TALK Arkansas State has lost four consecutive Sun Belt Conference games. Texas- Arlington lost 77-65 at UALR on Thursday. … ASU shot 47 percent in a 73-67 loss to Texas State on Thursday, but the Red Wolves were 6 of 23 (26 percent) from three-point distance. … Texas-Arlington senior forward Kevin Hervey was named the Sun Belt preseason Player of the Year, and his 1,467 career points are third all-time in program history. He is 10 points shy of becoming second on the list.
— Brooks Kubena
UALR men
vs. Texas State
WHEN 5 p.m.
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
RECORDS UALR 5-13, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference; Texas State 11-7, 4-1
RADIO KKPT-FM, 94.1, in Little Rock
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UALR
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Ryan Pippins, 6-0, Soph. 8.1 2.3 G Andre Jones, 6-4, Soph. 11.8 4.4 G Jaizec Lottie, 6-1, Fr. 6.5 2.3 F Oliver Black, 6-9, Jr. 6.6 7.7 F Kris Bankston, 6-8, Fr. 2.7 3.4 COACH Wes Flanigan (20-30 in two seasons at UALR and overall)
TEXAS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Tre Nottingham, 6-2, Jr. 4.9 1.7 G Tyler Blount, 5-11, Sr. 7.6 1.9 G Nijal Pearson, 6-5, Soph. 14.3 6.1 F Alex Peacock, 6-7, Jr. 7.8 5.2 F Immanuel King, 6-8, Sr. 10.1 6.1 COACH Danny Kaspar (70-77 in fifth season at Texas State, and 535-270 overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UALR TSU 64.2 Points for 69.1 68.8 Points against 62.5 -0.9 Rebound margin +6.2 -0.1 Turnover margin +0.6 42.8 FG pct. 45.7 30.5 3-pt. pct. 32.4 62.0 FT pct. 65.6 CHALK TALK UALR beat Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite Texas-Arlington 77-65 on Thursday, when freshman guard Jaizec Lottie scored a career-high 16 points and junior guard Andre Jones scored 24 points with 8 rebounds. … Texas State is tied with Georgia Southern for second in the conference standings behind Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bobcats defeated Arkansas State 73-67 on Thursday. … Texas State junior guard Tre Nottingham scored 17 points against ASU to go with 5 assists and 2 steals in his first career start.
— Brooks Kubena
UCA men
at Nicholls State
WHEN 3 p.m. Central
WHERE Stopher Gymnasium, Thibodaux, La. RECORDS Central Arkansas 9-9, 3-2 Southland Conference; Nicholls State 10-8, 4-1
RADIO KUCA-FM, 91.3, in Conway
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Jordan Howard, 5-11, Sr. 24.8 3.4 G Mathieu Kamba, 6-5, Sr. 12.3 6.2 G Thatch Unruh, 6-5, Jr. 9.7 4.1 G DeAndre Jones, 6-5, Jr. 6.7 3.0 C Hayden Koval, 7-0, Fr. 9.2 5.3 COACH Russ Pennell (26-80 in four seasons at Central Arkansas, 135-147 overall in eight seasons)
NICHOLLS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Kevin Johnson, 5-10, Fr. 6.3 3.3 G Tevon Saddler, 6-6, Sr. 15.9 6.3 G Jahvaughn Powell, 6-0, Sr. 9.4 2.9 F Kimani Jackson, 6-7, Sr. 8.9 5.4 F Ryghe Lyons, 6-10, Fr. 5.9 3.6 COACH Richie Riley (24-25 in two seasons at Nicholls State and overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UCA NSU 83.1 Points for 86.0 79.5 Points against 78.8 -4.0 Rebound margin +0.8 +2.4 Turnover margin +3.1 44.7 FG pct. 47.4 37.8 3-pt. pct. 36.2 71.3 FT pct. 71.3 CHALK TALK Central Arkansas has won two consecutive Southland Conference games after its 92-76 victory over Incarnate Word on Wednesday. … UCA senior guard Jordan Howard scored a career-high 41 points against Incarnate Word, and the Bears combined for 13 three-pointers. The team’s 8.9 three-pointers per game ranks 68th nationally and is tied with Nicholls State for first in the Southland. … Nicholls’ senior guard Roddy Peters has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games coming off the bench.
— Brooks Kubena
UAPB men
vs. Southern
WHEN 3 p.m.
WHERE H.O. Clemmons Arena, Pine Bluff
RECORDS UAPB 3-14, 3-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Southern 5-12, 1-3
RADIO KUAP-FM, 89.7, in Pine Bluff
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UAPB
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G M.s McKnight, 6-4, Jr. 18.4 3.6 G Charles Jackson, 6-5, Jr. 9.1 2.6 G Cameron Posey, 6-2, Fr. 3.8 1.7 F Travon Harper, 6-8, Sr. 9.8 4.5 F Trent Steen, 6-8, Sr. 6.9 3.1 COACH George Ivory (77-195 in 10th season at UAPB and overall)
SOUTHERN
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Torrey Mayo, 5-8, Jr. 1.9 1.1 G Aaron Ray, 6-3, Jr. 6.4 2.6 G Jamar Sandifer, 6-4, Soph. 8.4 3.8 F Jared Sam, 6-10, Sr. 15.5 7.9 F Emanuel Sheperd, 6-8, Sr. 6.8 5.3 COACH Morris Scott (5-12 in first season at Southern and overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UAPB SU 62.2 Points for 69.4 75.7 Points against 76.6 -10.1 Rebound margin -0.9 +0.1 Turnover margin 0.0 41.9 FG pct. 39.7 33.2 3-pt. pct. 35.3 68.6 FT pct. 69.5 CHALK TALK UAPB has started the Southwestern Athletic Conference season 3-0 for the second consecutive season, but Southern will be its first conference opponent that did not enter the conference portion of the season winless. … UAPB junior guard Martaveous McKnight was named this week’s SWAC Player of the Week. He scored 24 points in the Golden Lions’ 94-68 victory at Alabama State on Monday. … Southern’s Jared Sam has led the Jaguars in points and rebounds in the past two games, recording a combined 41 points and 23 rebounds.
— Brooks Kubena
ASU women
vs. Texas Arlington
WHEN 3 p.m.
WHERE First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro RECORDS Arkansas State 8-8, 3-2 Sun Belt Conference; Texas Arlington 8-8, 2-3
RADIO KNEA-FM, 95.3, in Jonesboro
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
ARKANSAS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Jada Ford, 5-8, Soph. 10.0 1.7 G Morgan Wallace, 5-10, Fr. 5.1 3.2 G Akasha Westbrook, 5-10, Jr. 13.1 5.3 F Lauren Bradshaw, 6-2, Sr. 8.3 5.4 F Lycia Peevy, 6-2, Fr. 4.3 3.1 COACH Brian Boyer (314-262 in 19th season at ASU and overall)
TEXAS-ARLINGTON
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Laurynn McGowen, 5-6, Jr. 7.5 2.7 G Crystal Allen, 5-9, Sr. 12.8 2.4 G Shelby Richards, 5-11, Sr. 9.1 3.0 G Aysia Evans, 5-6, Soph. 4.1 1.4 C Rebekah VanDijk, 6-5, Sr. 11.9 9.0 COACH Krista Gerlich (66-81 in fifth season at Texas-Arlington, 234-123 overall in 12 seasons)
TEAM COMPARISON
ASU UTA 64.8 Points for 61.3 72.6 Points against 65.0 -2.7 Rebound margin -4.3 +0.8 Turnover margin -0.5 37.3 FG pct. 38.5 28.3 3-pt. pct. 30.0 67.8 FT pct. 62.2 CHALK TALK Arkansas State lost to Texas-Arlington last season, but the Red Wolves had won the previous 10 games. … ASU’s Lauren Bradshaw recorded her third double-double of the season in a 67-55 loss to Texas State on Thursday, recording 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. … Texas-Arlington senior center Rebekah VanDijk was selected as the Sun Belt preseason Player of the Year, and she is nine rebounds shy of becoming the first player in program history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
— Brooks Kubena
UALR women
vs. Texas State
WHEN 3 p.m.
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
RECORDS UALR 8-8, 5-0 Sun Belt Conference; Texas State 11-5, 4-1
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UALR
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Monique Townson, 5-6, Sr. 7.8 4.1 G Raeyana DeGray, 6-0, Jr. 8.9 5.4 G Terrion Moore, 5-8, Fr. 2.7 2.5 F Anna Hurlburt, 6-1, So. 2.7 3.4 F Keanna Keys, 6-1, Gr. 7.6 4.9 COACH Joe Foley (297-161 in 15th season at UALR, 753-242 overall in 30 seasons)
TEXAS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Toshua Leavitt, 5-4, Jr. 18.3 1.9 G Taeler Deer, 5-5, Sr. 15.7 4.9 G Brooke Holle, 5-7, Soph. 11.7 4.7 G Ericka May, 5-10, Sr. 6.9 8.3 C Ti’Aira Pitts, 6-1, Sr. 7.9 4.5 COACH Zenarae Antoine (99-104 in seventh season at Texas State and overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UALR TSU 58.2 Points for 71.9 56.1 Points against 58.9 +2.1 Rebound margin -0.2 +2.1 Turnover margin +5.4 40.8 FG pct. 41.4 26.6 3-pt. pct. 36.4 75.6 FT pct. 71.9 CHALK TALK This matchup pits the top two teams in the Sun Belt Conference standings. UALR is first and Texas State moved alone into second with a 67-55 victory at Arkansas State on Thursday. … UALR junior guard Ronjanae DeGray is averaging 16.8 points per game since she went from the starting lineup to the team’s sixth man before the LSU game on Dec.
- … Texas State’s Ericka May recorded her second consecutive double-double and her third of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds against Arkansas State University.
— Brooks Kubena
UCA women
at Nicholls State
WHEN 1 p.m. Central
WHERE Stopher Gym, Thibodaux, La.
RECORDS Central Arkansas 12-4, 5-0 Southland Conference; Nicholls State 8-8, 3-2
RADIO KUCA-FM, 91.3, in Conway
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Kamry Orr, 5-6, Jr. 13.9 3.6 G Taylor Sells, 5-7, Soph. 5.7 4.8 G Angel Williams, 5-6, Sr. 5.4 1.1 F Taylor Baudoin, 6-0, Sr. 14.6 6.6 C Kierra Jordan, 6-1, Sr. 9.6 7.6 COACH Sandra Rushing (116-54 in six seasons at UCA, 519-309 overall in 29 seasons)
NICHOLLS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Tia Charles, 5-6, Sr. 8.8 3.1 G Cassidy Barrios, 5-10, Jr. 14.8 9.9 G Tykeria Williams, 5-6, Soph. 13.4 3.3 G Airi Hamilton, 5-8, Soph. 5.9 3.9 C Marina Lilly, 6-3, Sr. 7.9 4.8 COACH DoBee Plaisance (110-171 in 10 seasons at Nicholls State, and 268-393 in 23 seasons overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UCA NSU 64.0 Points for 66.2 48.0 Points against 66.0 +5.0 Rebound margin -4.6 +3.5 Turnover margin +2.9 44.3 FG pct. 39.2 36.4 3-pt. pct. 28.9 69.6 FT pct. 71.1 CHALK TALK Central Arkansas has started the Southland Conference season 5-0 for the first time since the 2009-2010 season, when the Sugar Bears finished the season 21-8 but missed postseason play. … UCA leads the conference in scoring defense (48.0), which ranks second nationally. … Nicholls State’s Cassidy Barrios scored seven points in the Colonels’ 61-54 victory over McNeese State on Wednesday, which gave her 1,000 points in her career. She is the 15th player in program history to reach the milestone.
— Brooks Kubena
UAPB women
vs. Southern
WHEN 1 p.m.
WHERE H.O. Clemmons Arena, Pine Bluff
RECORDS UAPB 3-10, 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Southern 4-9, 3-1
RADIO KUAP-FM, 89.7, in Pine Bluff
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UAPB
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Alexus Bryson, 5-5, Jr. 4.5 3.3 G Ashlee Daniel, 5-9, Soph. 2.4 2.2 G Malaik Muhammad, 5-6, Sr. 7.5 1.7 F Aiya El Hassan, 5-11, Soph. 3.4 3.1 F Katherine Darden, 5-11, Soph. 2.1 2.4 COACH Nate Kilbert (47-115 in six seasons at UAPB, 169-315 overall in 17 seasons)
SOUTHERN
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Danayea Charles, 5-6, Jr. 1.9 2.1 G Samantha Duncan, 5-9, Sr. 10.9 4.2 G Skylar O’Bear, 5-7, Jr. 6.1 2.5 F Briana Green, 5-11, Sr. 16.5 6.8 F Briana Thompson, 6-2, Fr. 1.7 1.8 COACH Sandy Pugh (185-219 in 18th season at Southern and overall)
TEAM COMPARISON
UAPB SU 52.7 Points for 65.0 71.8 Points against 71.2 -4.9 Rebound margin -7.6 -3.6 Turnover margin +4.2 32.1 FG pct. 36.6 17.4 3-pt. pct. 23.8 67.2 FT pct. 72.1 CHALK TALK UAPB has lost two consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference games and will face a Southern team that is in a three-way tie at the top of the conference standings. … Southern senior forward Briana Green’s 16.5 points per game ranks third in the SWAC and 129th nationally. She scored 31 points in Southern’s 86-76 victory over Jackson State on Monday. … UAPB shot a season-low 27 percent from the floor in its 63-54 loss at Alabama State on Monday. The Golden Lions’ 32.1 shooting percentage ranks ninth out of 10 in the SWAC.