MOBILE, Ala. – Winners of four in a row, the South Alabama men's basketball team will play host to Arkansas State on Thursday, Jan.9, and Old Dominion on Saturday, Jan.11, this week at the Mitchell Center. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN +. 

Game Information

South Alabama (11-4, 3-0)  vs. Arkansas State (11-4, 2-1)

Tip-off: Thursday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m. CT 

Site: Mobile, Ala. | Mitchell Center 

Live Stats   ESPN+
 

South Alabama (11-4, 3-0) vs. Old Dominion (6-9, 2-1) 

Tip-off: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2 p.m. CT 

Site: Mobile, Ala. | Mitchell Center

Live Stats    ESPN+ 

Last Time Out 

Four Jaguars finished with double figures as South Alabama earned their third straight Sun Belt triumph this year with a 76-47 win over Georgia Southern on Jan. 4. Judah Brown, John Broom, and Myles Corey all finished with 11 points apiece, and Barry Dunning Jr. added 10 points as the Jaguars scored 29 points off 23 forced turnovers to secure the victory. 

Notes You Need to Know

- Junior UAB transfer Barry Dunning Jr. has had an impressive last three games, averaging  16.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor throughout that stretch. The Mobile native set a new career-high against Georgia State, scoring 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field with nine rebounds. Dunning now ranks fifth in the Sun Belt field goal percentage, shooting 45.6 percent.

- The Jaguars swept its two-game trip to Georgia State (77-51) and Georgia Southern (76-47) for the first time since the Eagles joined the conference 10 years ago. South has won its first three Sun Belt games by 28, 26 and 29 points.

- South Alabama men's basketball is up to No. 91 in the NCAA's latest NET rankings, topping the Sun Belt and improving 20 spots from last week. The Jags are also ranked No.108 in the Kenpom rankings.

- The Jags are 11-1 when scoring 70 points or more this season and 0-3 when scoring 70 points or less. Additionally, they are 9-3 when limiting their' opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field and 9-2 when holding their opposition to 70 points or less

- South Alabama has gotten off to one of the best starts to Sun Belt play in the last 15 years. The Jags have won their first three games in the conference by 25+ points or more, which only happened four times before this year in Coach Riley's SBC tenure. The last time the Jags started 4-0 in Sun Belt play, they went to the tournament in 2006 and 2008.

- The Jaguars lead the Sun Belt in assists per game, contributing 16.21 per contest. Three players average three or more assists per game-- Myles Corey (4.5), JJ Wheat (3.1), and  Randy Brady (2.9). As a squad, South has tallied 12  games with 15 or more assists this season.

-  Graduate forward Judah Brown has been lights out from behind the arc since returning for his fifth year of college basketball and third year with the Jags. Brown, a Bermuda Dunes, Calif. native, is averaging 10.8 points per game while leading the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (46.3) while knocking down 44 three-pointers. Brown surpassed his career-high against Mobile, logging 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.

-  South Alabama has an average margin of victory of 37 points in the last four games. Georgia Southern (76-47), Georgia State (77-51), Mobile (106-41), and James Madison (77-49). Additionally, the Jags have a margin of victory of 27.7 points in Sun Belt play, ranking at the top of the Sun Belt and 36th in the country in a scoring margin of 14.1.

- South Alabama leads the conference in steals per game at 10.53. Four Jaguars rank in the top 15 in the SBC in steals per game (John Broom 1.9, Myles Corey 1.7, JJ Wheat 1.7, and Dylan Fasoyiro 1.5).

- The Jags lead the Sun Belt in three-pointers per game, contributing 9.7 shots per contest. Brown and Corey rank inside the top 20 in the conference in 3's per game. 

- South Alabama is ranked in the top 100 in the country in defensive efficiency on the Kenpom rankings—the Jags rank 97th with an efficiency score of 101.7 (points allowed per 100 possessions).

All-time Series History 

-Arkansas State leads the series 29-26 and swept the Jags last season. The Jags have had the Red Wolves number in the Mitchell Center as they hold a 20-10 record against Ark State at home
- Old Dominion leads the series 13-10. South Alabama has fallen in two out of their last three in the matchup, but they own a 7-5 record while at home. 

About Arkansas State

• The Red Wolves have been led by senior guard Taryn Todd this season. Todd ranks second in the conference in points per game, contributing 16.4 points per contest. 
• Bryan Hodgson enters his second season at the helm of Arkansas State and owns a 31-21 record. 
• Arkansas State is coming off a 67-62 loss to James Madison last Saturday night. 
• The NCAA Net rankings have the Red Wolves ranked No.97 behind the Jaguars. 
• They picked up an impressive win earlier this season defeating No.19 ranked Memphis 85-72. 

• The Monarchs have won three of their last four games, picking up wins over Southern Miss, Virginia Wesleyan, and ULM. 
• Tony Jones is in his first season as head coach of Old Dominion. 
• Robert Davis Jr. and Sean Durugordon have fueled the Monarchs this season as they both average 13.5 points or more per contest. 

 FOLLOW THE JAGS

For complete coverage of South Alabama men's basketball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaJaguars (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram), or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com