The Arkansas State Red Wolves will be at W.S. Hanner Fieldhouse to play the Georgia Southern Eagles in a Sun Belt matchup. Action gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Eagles are hoping for a better outcome after their 80-76 loss to South Alabama in their last matchup. Jake Allsmiller finished with 29 points to lead the game. The Red Wolves are coming off a 78-73 loss to Louisiana-Monroe in their last outing. Arkansas State lost despite the best efforts of Anthony Livingston, who recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Mike Hughes has taken his game to another level recently for the Eagles, averaging 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers over the last five games.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Eagles won the first game 71-66. Despite the loss, Sean Gardner had a standout performance with 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and three three-pointers.
The Eagles have gone 11-13 Straight Up (SU) and 10-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Eagles come into the game with the nation’s 47th-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 81.7 points per game on their own court. Turning to the defensive side, the Eagles are the 30th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.0 steals per game.
As for their opponent, the Red Wolves have 11-14 SU and 10-10 ATS records. Arkansas State has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 8-2. Arkansas State is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, making .739 of their shots from the line. The Red Wolves are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 40.5 rebounds per game. Arkansas State’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .385 from the field. They average 4.9 blocks per game, good for 44th in the nation.
Georgia Southern beat Arkansas State in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 5-0 over the Red Wolves. Furthermore, Georgia Southern holds the advantage ATS with a record of 4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – GaSo, ATS Winner – GaSo
Notes
Georgia Southern averages 76.9 points per game (ranked 82nd). Arkansas State, on the other hand, allows 75.0 points per game (ranked 199th).
Arkansas State scores 73.7 points per away game (ranked 78th). Georgia Southern ranks a poor 133rd in points allowed at home, allowing 68.5 points.
Georgia Southern has an average field goal percentage of 41.3%. Arkansas State is an underachieving 1-8 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Georgia Southern Eagles rank lower for their field goal percentage (294th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (249th), but the Arkansas State Red Wolves have a better FG% ranking (252nd) than eFG% ranking (283rd).
Arkansas State, the 44th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.9 per game. Georgia Southern does worse, ranked 314th with 2.1.
Arkansas State is one of the top defensive rebounding teams, ranking fourth. Georgia Southern ranks 56th in offensive rebounding.
Georgia Southern has forced an average turnover percentage of 21.7% this season. Arkansas State has a losing 1-4 record when its TO% is 21.7% or higher.
