Arkansas State may be the biggest surprise in the Sun Belt Conference, but the Red Wolves' next 18 days will prove just how good they really are under first-year Coach Grant McCasland.
ASU is 18-6 overall, 9-2 in the Sun Belt and is in a three-way tie atop the standings with seven games remaining. But ASU has not played Georgia State and Georgia Southern, both of which are 9-2; nor has it played Texas-Arlington, in fourth at 7-3, or Texas State, in fifth at 6-4.
ASU plays at Texas-Arlington on Saturday to start a five-game string in which it'll play both Texas schools and both Georgia schools.
"I think you always have something to prove," McCasland said. "We got picked 10th. Our guys know that. I think every game you show up, you have something to prove. So, I think there's a sense of urgency on our side to continue to play well, and then put ourselves in the best position possible for the conference tournament."
First up is Texas-Arlington, which was the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt and is led by Kevin Hervey, the preseason player of the year.
Texas-Arlington beat now-No. 20 St. Mary's in the nonconference season, but it will play Saturday's game in fourth place having lost to Texas State, Troy and Coastal Carolina.
McCasland said the Mavericks are plenty dangerous, citing Hervey and their defense. They hold Sun Belt teams to 41.6 percent shooting from the floor and average 40.7 rebounds per league game, which is tops in the Sun Belt. Hervey reminds McCasland of former Baylor forward Taurean Prince, a first-round pick by the Utah Jazz last year whom McCasland coached as an assistant with the Bears.
"They're physical, man," McCasland said.
ASU then plays at Texas State on Monday. The Red Wolves host UALR on Feb. 17 before hosting Georgia Southern on Feb. 25 and Georgia State on Feb. 27.
"I just knew that this league didn't have any bad teams," McCasland said. "Everybody's good. So, I just knew you'd better get after it from the jump."
UALR MEN
Seeking consistency
Jalen Jackson has had good and bad moments in his two seasons with the Trojans. The senior forward had plenty of good ones in last week's games against Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.
Jackson, from West Memphis, had 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting in 26 minutes in a loss to Coastal Carolina, then 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 22 minutes in a victory over Appalachian State.
The surge comes on the heels of perhaps his two worst games, when he scored one point in 21 combined minutes in losses at Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.
What's the difference between good and bad Jackson? Coach Wes Flanigan, whose known Jackson a long time, starts at the beginning.
"I think when he sees the ball go through the basket early in games, he's a guy that can get rolling," said Flanigan, who remembers watching Jackson when he was a ninth-grader. "He's a guy who can score in bunches, and the best thing to do is get him going."
Jackson has scored 14 or more points in three of UALR's four Sun Belt victories, with the exception being his two-point game at Appalachian State on Jan. 7. He has scored more than 12 points in just one of UALR's seven Sun Belt losses, which was his 21-point effort Saturday against Coastal Carolina.
With UALR facing its toughest stretch of the season starting with Saturday's game at Texas State, a Jackson that looks more like last weekend is preferred.
"As we see Jalen play consistently, then I think you can see our team play consistently," Flanigan said. "I think he has the ability to make our team better with our passing ability, and it's getting him to see those situations and take advantage of them."
UCA women
Freshman emergence
Sandra Rushing wasn't sure what she was going to get out of Taylor Sells on Wednesday night.
The freshman guard from Tulsa missed two practices this week with mononucleosis, and when it was time to tip off against Abilene Christian with first place in the Southland Conference at stake, the Sugar Bears coach was rolling the dice.
Turns out, she had nothing to worry about. Sells, who has played her way into the starting lineup, scored 4 points with 5 assists and committed just 1 turnover in 32 minutes.
It looked a lot like her recent performances, when she's provided the offense a boost despite not scoring much. In her past five games, all starts, Sells has totaled 20 assists with just 8 turnovers while averaging 30 minutes per game.
"She's doing amazing things right now for a freshman," Rushing said. "And she's going to get better and better."
UAPB Women
Winning short-handed
Nate Kilbert is pleased with his team's three-game winning streak, but he's more pleased considering the circumstances.
The Arkansas-Pine Bluff women's basketball team beat Jackson State on Jan. 30 in Mississippi before an Alabama road trip, for which Kilbert suspended starters Niya Head and Erin Boothe for one game for what he described as curfew violations.
No problem for the Lady Lions, who beat Alabama State 52-51 and then defeated Alabama A&M 65-55 two nights later to improve their SWAC record to 6-5.
Head, who leads UAPB at 10.0 points per game, didn't play at all in the Alabama State game and played only three minutes against Alabama A&M. She didn't score in either game. Boothe missed the Alabama State game and played seven minutes against Alabama A&M.
"She's got to follow team rules like everybody else," Kilbert said of Head, who is averaging 24.1 minutes per game. "Maybe next time they'll follow curfew."
Kilbert said he learned a lot about his team, which is on a three-game winning streak for the first time in four years.
Faith Ohanta, a junior forward, stood out with 13 points against Alabama State and 15 points against Alabama A&M. She is averaging 15.0 points over her past three games.
"We got a chance to see some other kids that we probably wouldn't have played," he said. "We didn't trust them. Now we trust them a little bit more, and they trust that we're going to play them. It was definitely a good thing."
Sports on 02/10/2017