MOBILE, Ala. – Fresh off a dominant home victory, South Alabama men's basketball returns home to the Mitchell Center to square off with Arkansas State on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. CT.

Game Information

South Alabama (12–5, 3–2 SBC) vs. Arkansas State (12–5, 4–1 SBC)
Date: Thursday, January 15
Tip-off: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Mobile, Ala. | Mitchell Center
Listen: Jags Radio Network
Stats: South Alabama StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out

• Four Jaguars finished in double figures as South Alabama delivered a wire-to-wire performance Saturday afternoon, pulling away early for an 87–71 victory over first-place Georgia Southern at the Mitchell Center on ESPNU.

• Junior forward Adam Olsen led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point range. Chaze Harris added 21 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while Stephen Williams was dominant inside with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds.

• South Alabama shot a season-high 59.3 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc, while holding Georgia Southern to 34.4 percent shooting overall and 26.7 percent from three-point range. The Jaguars tallied 17 assists, outscored the Eagles 46–20 in the paint, and forced 17 turnovers.

• Georgia Southern opened the game with a three-pointer, but the Jaguars responded immediately with an early run and never trailed again, taking a 44–32 lead into halftime. Early in the second half, Olsen buried a fast-break three to push the margin to 17 and set the tone for the remainder of the contest.

Scouting the Red Wolves

• As of Jan. 14, Arkansas State features five players averaging double figures, tying for the second-most nationally. Joey Chammaa (13.0), Matt Hayman (11.8), Chandler Jackson (11.5), Jaxon Ellingsworth (10.9), and Christian Harmon (10.4) pace the balanced Red Wolves offense.

• Arkansas State averages 36.1 points off the bench, ranking 15th nationally and first in the Sun Belt. Head coach Ryan Pannone is in his first season at Arkansas State after spending last year as an assistant at Alabama.

Series History

• Arkansas State holds a narrow 30–28 advantage in the all-time series. South Alabama has won two of the last three meetings, including both regular-season matchups last season. The Red Wolves, however, defeated the Jaguars in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals, ending South Alabama's season a year ago.

Notes You Need to Know

• Thursday marks the 59th all-time meeting between South Alabama and Arkansas State.

• The matchup represents South Alabama's third straight Sun Belt Conference Game of the Week appearance, following contests against Troy and Georgia Southern on national television.

• Adam Olsen was named Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after his standout performance against Georgia Southern. He recorded his 11th double-digit scoring game and his ninth 20-point performance, both Sun Belt highs this season.

• South Alabama's defensive identity centers on protecting the paint and forcing perimeter-heavy offenses. Opponents are attempting 62.4 percent of their field-goal attempts from three-point range, one of the highest rates in the nation.

• The Jaguars lead the nation in three-pointers attempted against (39.0 per game) and limit opponents to 30.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

• Defensively, South Alabama ranks first nationally in fewest fouls per game (11.6), third in field-goal percentage defense (37.5%), and 44th in scoring defense (67.4 ppg).

• The Jaguars are 11–2 when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer and have limited teams to 40 percent shooting or below in 11 of 17 games.

• Chaze Harris leads the Sun Belt in conference scoring at 22.0 points per game and ranks among the league's top five in scoring, assists, and field-goal percentage. According to KenPom, Harris leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally in percentage of possessions used (34.8%).

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