The stakes are raised.
After 12 games against schools from across the country, Arkansas State begins the grind of the regular season, specifically conference play, this evening.
ASU opens the Sun Belt Conference schedule against West Division member South Alabama tonight at the Convocation Center, the first of four straight conference games at home. The Indians (7-5) are unbeaten in six games at the Convocation Center this season while South Alabama (3-8) has yet to win in five tries on the road.
Tipoff is 7:05 p.m.
Arkansas State head coach Dickey Nutt said the next eight weeks will be more meaningful than any other as the Indians work their way through the Sun Belt schedule.
?It?s all or nothing when you get into conference play,? Nutt said. ?This is an exciting time of year because the games take on new meaning. This is where everybody beats everybody up, where you have to play to your highest level. This is what you play for ? a conference championship ? year in and year out. That?s your No. 1 goal. Here we go, we?re 0-0.?
While Arkansas State hasn?t started the season the way Nutt prefers, South Alabama has had its own share of problems.
The Jaguars have lost four straight and haven?t won in nearly a month. Their only win over a Division I opponent dates to Nov. 24, when they nipped Samford 52-50 at home.
ASU has beaten South Alabama in five straight regular-season games. The Jaguars? only victory over the Indians during that time came in the 2002 Sun Belt tournament at Mobile, Ala.
South Alabama has faced an incredibly difficult schedule so far this year. The Jaguars have played the nation?s No. 45-ranked schedule, according to the Jeff Sagarin ratings published in USA Today. South Alabama?s first 11 opponents include the likes of Old Dominion, Mississippi State, Florida State, Southern Mississippi and Alabama-Birmingham.
Nutt said the Jags are a much better opponent than what they appear.
?I don?t think their record indicates how good they are,? Nutt said. ?They play very hard, they post up very well and they double the post so well. They play great man-to-man defense and they are going to be a very tough challenge for us. ... They have played a very, very challenging schedule, and I promise you they think they can come in here and win.?
The Indians were missing senior guard J.J. Montgomery Monday evening when they bounced NAIA foe Lyon College 79-57. Montgomery practiced for the first time in three days Wednesday as he slowly recovers from a battle with a flu-like bug.
Montgomery said he felt about 75 percent of his normal energy but believes he will be ready to play this evening. He was not listed among the team?s tentative starting five by the head coach.
?I?m still a little bit sick,? Montgomery said. ?I have a little bit of a stuffy nose. I came back to practice today just to get some energy back and get back my feel for the game. I?ve been off for three days and it?s taken a toll, but I think I will be ready to go tomorrow night.?
With Montgomery out against the Scots, ASU junior Dereke Tipler started at point guard while Dewarick Spencer moved to shooting guard and Jerry Nichols slid down to the No. 3 guard. Tipler responded with a big game against Lyon, grabbing a team-high 9 rebounds and passing for 8 assists.
Tipler will start again tonight if Montgomery is unable to go.
South Alabama is led by junior college transfer Mario Jointer. A 6-foot-3 guard from Jackson, Miss., Jointer is scoring a team-high 16.2 points a game while leading the Jaguars in rebounding at 5.2 a game.
Nutt said Spencer or Nichols will draw the defensive assignment on Jointer when the Indians are in a man-to-man defense.
?He?s really a prolific scorer but better than that, he can really get to the basket,? Nutt said of Jointer. ?Anytime a guy can crash the lane like he does on the dribble is scary. You?ve got to really play great team defense to stop him and so far, that hasn?t been our specialty.?
South Alabama is shooting just 42.2 percent as a team and averages only 60.5 points per game. The Jaguars also have committed 206 turnovers in 11 games, an average of nearly 19 a game.
Arkansas State is shooting 46.7 percent as a team and averaging 80.1 points a game. Nutt said part of ASU?s plan tonight is to attack South Alabama?s guards defensively and, hopefully, create some turnover problems for the Jaguars.
?We want to pressure them and throw different things at them and see if they can handle the pressure,? he said.
South Alabama is ranked No. 260 by the Sagarin ratings while Arkansas State is No. 195. The CollegeRPI.com index lists South Alabama at No. 249 while ASU is ranked lowest among Sun Belt teams at No. 279.
In their last outing, the Jaguars were beaten at home by Alabama-Birmingham 82-76 after the two teams were tied at the half. UAB was an NCAA Tournament team last year that advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.
Montgomery said he?s emphasized the importance of what the Indians are about to embark on over the next several weeks to his teammates. Taking South Alabama seriously is the first step.
?I have tried to tell the guys that weren?t here last year that in conference play you have to go out there and play every night,? Montgomery said. ?You can?t go out there and play good one night, and then go out there and lolly-gag another. It?s conference play, so everything counts.?
Nutt said he wanted to see his team play with a different mentality.
?We?ve got to make sure that we throw the first punch,? Nutt said. ?Our energy needs to be higher than them. We just need to be the bully. We need to be the aggressor.?
After 12 games against schools from across the country, Arkansas State begins the grind of the regular season, specifically conference play, this evening.
ASU opens the Sun Belt Conference schedule against West Division member South Alabama tonight at the Convocation Center, the first of four straight conference games at home. The Indians (7-5) are unbeaten in six games at the Convocation Center this season while South Alabama (3-8) has yet to win in five tries on the road.
Tipoff is 7:05 p.m.
Arkansas State head coach Dickey Nutt said the next eight weeks will be more meaningful than any other as the Indians work their way through the Sun Belt schedule.
?It?s all or nothing when you get into conference play,? Nutt said. ?This is an exciting time of year because the games take on new meaning. This is where everybody beats everybody up, where you have to play to your highest level. This is what you play for ? a conference championship ? year in and year out. That?s your No. 1 goal. Here we go, we?re 0-0.?
While Arkansas State hasn?t started the season the way Nutt prefers, South Alabama has had its own share of problems.
The Jaguars have lost four straight and haven?t won in nearly a month. Their only win over a Division I opponent dates to Nov. 24, when they nipped Samford 52-50 at home.
ASU has beaten South Alabama in five straight regular-season games. The Jaguars? only victory over the Indians during that time came in the 2002 Sun Belt tournament at Mobile, Ala.
South Alabama has faced an incredibly difficult schedule so far this year. The Jaguars have played the nation?s No. 45-ranked schedule, according to the Jeff Sagarin ratings published in USA Today. South Alabama?s first 11 opponents include the likes of Old Dominion, Mississippi State, Florida State, Southern Mississippi and Alabama-Birmingham.
Nutt said the Jags are a much better opponent than what they appear.
?I don?t think their record indicates how good they are,? Nutt said. ?They play very hard, they post up very well and they double the post so well. They play great man-to-man defense and they are going to be a very tough challenge for us. ... They have played a very, very challenging schedule, and I promise you they think they can come in here and win.?
The Indians were missing senior guard J.J. Montgomery Monday evening when they bounced NAIA foe Lyon College 79-57. Montgomery practiced for the first time in three days Wednesday as he slowly recovers from a battle with a flu-like bug.
Montgomery said he felt about 75 percent of his normal energy but believes he will be ready to play this evening. He was not listed among the team?s tentative starting five by the head coach.
?I?m still a little bit sick,? Montgomery said. ?I have a little bit of a stuffy nose. I came back to practice today just to get some energy back and get back my feel for the game. I?ve been off for three days and it?s taken a toll, but I think I will be ready to go tomorrow night.?
With Montgomery out against the Scots, ASU junior Dereke Tipler started at point guard while Dewarick Spencer moved to shooting guard and Jerry Nichols slid down to the No. 3 guard. Tipler responded with a big game against Lyon, grabbing a team-high 9 rebounds and passing for 8 assists.
Tipler will start again tonight if Montgomery is unable to go.
South Alabama is led by junior college transfer Mario Jointer. A 6-foot-3 guard from Jackson, Miss., Jointer is scoring a team-high 16.2 points a game while leading the Jaguars in rebounding at 5.2 a game.
Nutt said Spencer or Nichols will draw the defensive assignment on Jointer when the Indians are in a man-to-man defense.
?He?s really a prolific scorer but better than that, he can really get to the basket,? Nutt said of Jointer. ?Anytime a guy can crash the lane like he does on the dribble is scary. You?ve got to really play great team defense to stop him and so far, that hasn?t been our specialty.?
South Alabama is shooting just 42.2 percent as a team and averages only 60.5 points per game. The Jaguars also have committed 206 turnovers in 11 games, an average of nearly 19 a game.
Arkansas State is shooting 46.7 percent as a team and averaging 80.1 points a game. Nutt said part of ASU?s plan tonight is to attack South Alabama?s guards defensively and, hopefully, create some turnover problems for the Jaguars.
?We want to pressure them and throw different things at them and see if they can handle the pressure,? he said.
South Alabama is ranked No. 260 by the Sagarin ratings while Arkansas State is No. 195. The CollegeRPI.com index lists South Alabama at No. 249 while ASU is ranked lowest among Sun Belt teams at No. 279.
In their last outing, the Jaguars were beaten at home by Alabama-Birmingham 82-76 after the two teams were tied at the half. UAB was an NCAA Tournament team last year that advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.
Montgomery said he?s emphasized the importance of what the Indians are about to embark on over the next several weeks to his teammates. Taking South Alabama seriously is the first step.
?I have tried to tell the guys that weren?t here last year that in conference play you have to go out there and play every night,? Montgomery said. ?You can?t go out there and play good one night, and then go out there and lolly-gag another. It?s conference play, so everything counts.?
Nutt said he wanted to see his team play with a different mentality.
?We?ve got to make sure that we throw the first punch,? Nutt said. ?Our energy needs to be higher than them. We just need to be the bully. We need to be the aggressor.?
