Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – With the majority of the non-conference season in the rear-view mirror, the University of South Alabama men's basketball team turns its attention to the Sun Belt Conference portion of the schedule, starting with Arkansas State at home Tuesday night.

The Jaguars and Red Wolves will tip off at 7:05 p.m. Subscribers to South Alabama All-Access can watch online at USAJaguars.com and the radio broadcast can be heard on 710 AM in Mobile or on iHeartRadio.com. Live stats on USAJaguars.com and Twitter updates at @SouthAlaMBK will also provide information throughout the game.

"I'm excited to see what we can accomplish; this team is still very much a work in progress," USA head coach Matthew Graves said. "We still haven't found a rhythm on either side of the ball yet, but guys are still working hard and trying to compete and do some good things. We really want to develop great habits. I'm anxious to get started in conference play and our two goals from the beginning of the year were to get better every day and find a way to get in the top eight, go to New Orleans and have a shot at the Sun Belt title."

USA (2-8) will attempt to end its current five-game losing streak overall that has seen the Jags average just 62.8 points.

"It's more of a confidence thing," Graves said about the offensive struggles. "I think once we see a guy or two make some shots, it has a trickle-down effect and other guys will make shots. We just need a guy or two to step up and make a few shots to get us going on a roll. We're doing a decent job of getting the ball in the paint and we're not jacking up a bunch of 3s, but at the same time, we've got to find a way to see the ball go through the hoop. One of the things we've spent more time on in the last few days of practice is some individual skill work, like shooting the basketball, so hopefully we'll see the results of that."

Arkansas State has won three straight entering league play after a 2-4 start, including a 69-55 road win at Mississippi State on Dec. 17, and is the only Sun Belt school to hold a winning road record (3-2).

"They're certainly beginning to peak at the right time," Graves noted. "As a coach, sometimes you don't know what you have at the start of the season and you're trying to play different pieces and see how it all fits together. Coach (John) Brady has started to see who his key guys are and I think it's evident by winning some games of late. Looking at their box scores, they've settled in on a rotation of players, so they're in a good place right now heading into conference play and it will certainly be a challenging game for us."

The Red Wolves (5-4) are led by the scoring triumvirate of Anthony Livingston, Cameron Golden and Sean Gardner, who all rank in the league's top nine in scoring; ASU is the only school to boast three of the SBC's top nine scorers. Livingston is fourth in the league in scoring at 16.4 points per game and second in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per contest, and had a 20-point, 20-rebound performance Dec. 20 vs. Marshall.

Golden is eighth in points (15.3 ppg) while Gardner is ninth (14.9). Gardner has two 20-point games in his last three outings and is third in the conference in 3-pointers per game (2.7).

"You've got to be constantly aware because any of those three guys are capable of scoring 20—if not two of them—on any given night," Graves said. "You have to be really good and detailed in your scouting report and we have to make other guys beat us. I'm more concerned with their wings because of their ability to stretch and space the floor. Livingston is a guy who's had 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game this year, so he's certainly capable, but any time you have two wings like Golden and Gardner who can really stretch the floor, when they get going that's when Livingston can get going, because you've had to stretch your defense. We have to set a tone on their two wings to start the game."

USA freshman Taishaun Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) is averaging 17.5 points in his last two games after a team-leading 17 points on a career-high three 3-pointers and a 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line vs. Howard. He also recorded a personal-best four steals.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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