SCOUTING REPORT
Georgia Southern was picked to finish 10th in a preseason poll of the Sun Belt Conference coaches after winning 22 games and falling in the Sun Belt Conference Championship a season ago. The Eagles are 7-12 through 19 games this year with a 3-6 mark in conference play.
Thursday, the Eagles fell 80-67 at Little Rock, allowing the Trojans to shoot 59 percent (13-for-22) from 3-point range. The Eagles were coming off a 101-100 win at Appalachian State on Monday night that saw Mike Hughes execute a four-point play with 0.8 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner. Hughes finished with 19 points and a career-high nine rebounds in the win.
Tookie Brown leads the Eagles in scoring at 17.5 ppg, followed by Ike Smith (12.7 ppg) and Hughes (12.5). Georgia Southern scores 77.5 points per contest to rank third in the Sun Belt. The Eagles make 8.6 3-pointers per game and are second in the league with 478 attempted 3's this season.
Mark Byington is in his third season as head coach and has compiled a record of 44-40 in his tenure.
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, BUT...
A-State lost its third league game on Saturday at Texas State and a common theme is found in the three league losses thus far.
In the three Sun Belt Conference losses, A-State has been outscored 126-78 in the first half, a difference of 16.0 points per game. In the first half of the three games - vs. Appalachian State, at UT Arlington and at Texas State - the Red Wolves are shooting 30.8 percent (28-91) from the floor and 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from 3-point range. Additionally, opponents are shooting 44.5 percent (45-101) from the field and 39.0 percent (16-for-41) from beyond the arc.
On the flip side, A-State is shooting 41.9 percent (75-179) in the first half of league wins. The Red Wolves have struggled from 3-point range in the first half though, shooting 24.5 percent (13-53). Opponents are shooting 37.4 percent (68-182) in the first half of A-State's conference wins and 32.6 percent (22-67) from 3-point range.
SCORING AT WILL
Devin Carter posted a career-high 34 points at UT Arlington on Jan. 21. His performance ranks 31st overall among the top individual games in program history. He became the first A-State player to top 30 points since Anthony Livingston had 31 points against UT Arlington on Feb. 28 last season.
Devin Carter and Anthony Livingston each posted 20 points Jan. 18 against Little Rock, the third time this season the duo has scored 20 or more points in the same game, including back-to-back games.
On the season, Devin Carter leads the team with 10 20-point performances, including each of the last four games. Anthony Livingston has eight 20-point outings this year after posting 10 last season. Donte Thomas (3) and Sean Gardner (2) also have 20-point performances.
CARTER'S CORNER
Devin Carter enters Saturday with 343 points over 20 games, an average of 17.2 per game.
Dating back to 2000, only Adrian Banks and Dewarick Spencer have a higher scoring average by a player in their first season playing for A-State. Banks scored 695 over 33 games to average 21.1 in 2006-07 while Dewarick Spencer averaged 19 points in the 2003-04 season.
LOOKING FOR HELP
The Red Wolves are the only team in the Sun Belt Conference to feature four players averaging double figures on the season and in conference play. The four players leading A-State are Devin Carter (17.2/19.9), Anthony Livingston (15.2/15.3), Donte Thomas (12.8/12.3) and Sean Gardner (10.7/11.9), but the group hasn't had much help.
Against Appalachian State, the four leading scorers were responsible for 70 of 72 points while the rest of the team had two points on 1-for-9 shooting. Nouhoum Bocoum and Frederic Dure gave the Red Wolves a lift against Little Rock, combining for 21 points on 8-of-15 (53 percent) shooting. Against the Trojans, A-State scored 76 points with the four leading scorers combining for 55 of those 76 points.
Against UT Arlington, the four leading scorers had 57 of the 64 points. Outside of 16-of-36 shooting (44 percent) by Carter and Livingston, the rest of the team was 6-of-30 (20 percent) from the field. At Texas State on Saturday, the four players had 64 of 68 points on 21-of-42 (50 percent) shooting while the rest of the team had four points on 1-of-9 (11 percent) shooting. Thursday, Donte Thomas missed the game and the remaining trio scored 50 of 75 points. Dure, Waters, Davis and Bocoum chipped in with a combined 25 points.
DOUBLE UP
Anthony Livingston posted his 25th career double-double Thursday with 22 points and 12 rebounds against Georgia State. The double-double was his 18th against Sun Belt foes and second against the Panthers. Livingston has a double-double against each Sun Belt opponent, except for ULM. The Warhawks held Livingston to eight points and six rebounds Jan. 7.
With 25 career double-doubles, Livingston ranks 13th among active NCAA Division I players. Shawn Long (Louisiana) leads the nation with 64 double-doubles in his career. Livingston is tied with Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State) for most double-doubles (25) among active players in their second season at the NCAA Division I level.
With 12 rebounds against Georgia State, Livingston ranks tied for fourth among NCAA active career leaders in rebound average at 9.8 per game. Livingston has 479 rebounds in his career that spans 49 games. He needs 21 rebounds to become the 24th member of the 500 rebound club in A-State program history.
AS CARTER GOES, SO GOES A-STATE
A-State had won six of the last eight games entering Monday's contest with Little Rock. In those eight outings, Devin Carter was 14-for-48 (29.2 percent) from the field and 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) in the first half compared to 29-of-54 (53.7 percent) from the floor and 13-of-32 (40.6 percent) in the second half.
Carter was a perfect 5-for-5, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, in the first half against Little Rock. With that effort he made more field goals and three pointers in the first half than any game in that stretch, but he was an uncharacteristic 2-for-6, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, in the second half.
A-State has won eight of the last 12 games and Carter is 26-of-69 (37.7 percent) from the field and 12-of-35 (34.3 percent) from 3-point range in the first half. In the second half, Carter is 44-for-88 (50.0 percent) from the field and 20-of-52 (38.5 percent) from long range in those games.
In the 12-game stretch, Carter has two 5-for-5 perfect shooting halves. The first occurred in the second half at South Alabama in which A-State outscored the Jaguars 54-34 by shooting 70.4 percent (19-for-27). The second happened Jan. 18 in the first half in which he shot 5-for-5 against Little Rock and A-State took a 48-30 halftime lead by shooting 62.1 percent (18-for-29) from the field.
TOUGH CONFERENCE SCHEDULING
The Sun Belt Conference returned to travel partners this year and Appalachian State is the lone team without a travel mate. The Mountaineers face 10 opponents coming off a bye date, but the combined days between games opponents have preparing for Appalachian State are less than what A-State faces this season.
A-State faces four opponents this season coming off one of their two bye dates on the league schedule in addition to UT Arlington with a two-day leg up. ULM (6), Little Rock (3), Georgia State (6), Louisiana (6) and UT Arlington (2) have a total of 23 days in preparing for A-State while Appalachian State's 10 opponents coming off a bye date total 21 days. ULM has three consecutive Thursday opponents in February coming off a Saturday bye date.
THE CHARITY STRIPE GIVETH
This season, A-State has seen a sharp contrast in free throw attempts in home games against road games. At the Convocation Center, the Red Wolves have earned an average of 30 free throws a game (212-299) while on the road, A-State is getting to the charity stripe just 19 times per game (141-of-189).
A-State opponents have shot 154-of-235 (25 FTA per game) at the Convocation Center, but the Red Wolves' hosts have gone to the line an average of 30 times a game (216-303). SIU-Edwardsville, Oregon and Troy have each attempted 40 free throws in road games for A-State while only Missouri and South Alabama attempted fewer free throw attempts than A-State. The Red Wolves have been outscored 216-141 at the free throw line in road games, a difference of 7.5 points per game, but have outscored opponents 212-154 (5.8 PPG) at the line in home games. In comparison to last year, A-State earned 19.7 free throw attempts per game in 14 home games (201-276) while attempting 16.9 free throws in 15 road games (173-254).
The Red Wolves have taken advantage of the attempts, rather it be home or away, shooting 72.3 percent at the line. A-State is shooting 70.9 percent at home and 74.6 percent in road games. On the season, A-State averages 24 free throw attempts which is on pace (756) to approach the school record of 771 in 1971-72. The Red Wolves make 18 free throws a game and are on pace for 547 which would be nine shy of the single season record of 556 set in 2013-14.
THREE POINT SHOOTING WOES
A-State ranks 10th in the Sun Belt in 3-point field goal percentage in league games this season, shooting just 30.3 percent (50-165) from long range. Defensively, the Red Wolves are 10th, allowing opponents to shoot 39.0 percent (83-213) from beyond the arc.
Devin Carter ranks 10th in league games, shooting 42.4 (28-66) percent from 3-point range, but the rest of the team has gone a combined 22-of-99 (22.2 percent) from behind the 3-point line.
In league play, the Red Wolves have been outscored by an average of 11 points a game by their opponents 3-point shooting. Appalachian State (36-6), UT Arlington (45-21) and Texas State (27-21) combined to out-score A-State 108-48 in it's three league losses. The Mountaineers finished 12-for-30 (40 percent) from 3-point range while UT Arlington was 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) and Texas State was 60 percent (9-15).
SEEING TOUGH DEFENSES
The matchup against Georgia State ended a stretch of four-straight games against the top four scoring defenses in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves went 2-2 during that stretch while scoring 70.8 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent 3-point shooting.
The stretch began with A-State facing the top-ranked scoring defense in the nation when Little Rock played at the Convocation Center on Jan. 18. The Trojans also had the nationally-ranked No. 2 field-goal percentage defense. UT Arlington, Texas State and Georgia State continue to make up the top four scoring defenses.
DEFYING THE ODDS
In a oddity among college basketball teams, A-State features five players who shoot with their left hand. Among a survey sent to collegiate sport information directors, responses showed that A-State and Oakland University (Michigan) have the most left-handed shooters with five. Three teams (Canisius, East Carolina and Texas Rio Grande Valley) each have four players than shoot left handed.
The left-handed shooters are junior Anthony Livingston, senior Frederic Dure, redshirt-junior Devin Carter, redshirt-freshman Connor Kern and freshman Christian Davis.
Only 5-10 percent of the world's population is left-handed yet, 39 percent (5 of 13) of the 2015-16 A-State roster shoots left handed.
CLOSE TIES
Guard Josh Pierre's father, Butch, will embark on his eighth season as the associate men's basketball head coach at Oklahoma State University. Butch spent 11 seasons (1997-08) at LSU as a member of current A-State head coach John Brady's staff, including six as an associate head coach. Josh has scored 18 points in 16 appearances as he begins his senior season.
GOOD WORK
Josh PIerre was nominated for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Good Works team announced Wednesday. The award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in their respective communities.
Pierre, a sports management major that will graduate on Dec. 12, has been a three-year leader on Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) leadership team and guest speaker at many events across the region.
Sports information directors and college basketball coaches submitted NABC Good Works Team nominees. From the nominations, voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from Divisions II, III and NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.
