Men's Basketball Sun Belt Conference

Men's Basketball Weekly Notes

NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference is back in action this weekend with eight games scheduled - four on Friday and four on Saturday. All six teams in the East Division are 1-1 in the conference, while Little Rock and ULM top the West Division at 2-0.


THIS WEEK’S MATCHUPS:
 
Date Game Time Broadcast
Friday, Jan. 8 South Alabama at Coastal Carolina 5 p.m. ESPN+
Friday, Jan. 8 Georgia Southern at App State 5 p.m. ESPN+
Friday, Jan. 8 Little Rock at Louisiana 6 p.m. ESPN+
Friday, Jan. 8 UTA at ULM 6 p.m. ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 9 South Alabama at Coastal Carolina 2 p.m. ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 9 Georgia Southern at App State 3 p.m. ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 9 Little Rock at Louisiana 4 p.m. ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 9 UTA at ULM 4 p.m. ESPN+
(All times listed are Central)
 
 
  • PANTHERS IN THE RANKINGS – Georgia State is ranked No. 9 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and are No. 67 in the NCAA NET rankings, the highest ranked Sun Belt Conference team in either poll. The Panthers (7-2) are off to their second-best start in program history (they were 8-1 to start in 2000-01).
  • SCORING NATIONALLY – Coastal Carolina’s offense continues to shine, averaging 90.7 points per game which continues to lead the Sun Belt and is ranked seventh nationally.
 
 
EAST DIVISION:
 
SOUTH ALABAMA (7-4, 1-1 SBC) at COASTAL CAROLINA (7-2, 1-1 SBC)
South Alabama travels to Conway, South Carolina this weekend to face Coastal Carolina with tip-off on Friday slated for 5 p.m. CT and Saturday to start at 2 p.m. CT. The Chants have the advantage in the series with a 6-4 mark. The last four meetings between both teams have been a split where each team won one on the road and one at home. Coastal ranks first in the Sun Belt and seventh in the country in scoring at 90.7 and will face a Jaguars defense that has held their opponents to 72.0 ppg. South Alabama ranks first in the Sun Belt making .399 three-point percentage into the series against Coastal’s .389 three-point percentage that ranks second. South Alabama’s Michael Flowers is averaging 21.0 ppg and ranks fourth in the NCAA. The senior scored 44 points total over the first pair of conference contests last weekend at Georgia Southern. DeVante Jones of Coastal this season is averaging 23.3 ppg and ranks first in the conference and sixth in the nation. Teammate Essam Mostafa is averaging a double-double in points (14.0) and rebounds (10.4) this season. Mostafa has been the teams’ leading rebounder in six of the team's nine games so far this season.
 
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (7-4, 1-1 SBC) at APP STATE (7-4, 1-1 SBC)
The Eagles take to the road this week as it faces App State with Friday’s night game geared to start at 5 p.m. CT and Saturday to start at 3 p.m. CT. App State leads the all-time series 28-24 and is 15-10 when hosting. Georgia Southern this season ranks 12th nationally and second in the Sun Belt in free-throw attempts (252) and 33rd in the country and third league in made free throws (159). App State’s 31-point margin of victory last Saturday against Troy was the largest point margin in conference play since a 41-point win over The Citadel on Jan. 27, 2007. Elijah McCadden finished with a double-double in points (12) and rebounds (10) last game for the Eagles. Teammate Zach Bryant is averaging a team-best 15.1 points and is tied for team-high eight steals.  App State’s James Lewis Jr. in his last two games is averaging 14.5 points on 92.3 percent shooting. Adrian Delph has reached double figures in scoring in eight games and leads the team in scoring (12.1 ppg).
 
GEORGIA STATE (7-2, 1-1 SBC) at TROY (6-5, 1-1 SBC) - POSTPONED
 
 
WEST DIVISION:
 
LITTLE ROCK (6-3, 2-0 SBC) at LOUISIANA (7-2, 1-1 SBC)
Little Rock plays its 500th game this weekend when it travels to Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns lead the series 31-24 and are 17-8 at home in the series. Little Rock has won the last two meetings and is 2-2 in the last four meetings. As a team, the Trojans boast 10 double-doubles on the year, this is second nationally behind Illinois, who has a total of 12 double-doubles. Markquis Nowell is averaging a team-best 17.0 points per game and leads the team in three-pointers made with 18. Ben Coupet Jr. last week averaged 26.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 77.3% from the floor, 73.3 percent from three-point range, and 80.0 percent from the line. On the season, Coupet Jr. is averaging 10.9 points. Louisiana’s Cedric Russell leads the team and is third in the conference in scoring as he is averaging 17.6 points per game. He also leads the team in three-pointers made with 20. Theo Akwuba and Dou Gueye each are averaging double-doubles in points and rebounds. Akwuba is averaging 10.8 points and 10.4 rebounds, while Gueye has tallied 10.4 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game.
 
UT ARLINGTON (4-6, 0-2 SBC) at ULM (4-5, 2-0 SBC)
UT Arlington is looking for its first conference win of the season as it travels to ULM. ULM leads the all-time series 51-22 with a 31-7 home record. The Warhawks are coming off a sweep of Arkansas State last weekend, while the Mavericks were swept by Little Rock last weekend on the road. The Mavericks are paced by Shahada Wells in scoring (15.6), three-pointers made (22), and three-point percentage (.478). UTA’s Fredelin De La Cruz leads the team in rebounding with 69 boards (Off: 35, Def: 34). Russell Harrison of ULM is averaging 13.8 points to lead the team while shooting .342 percent from the floor. He has been the team’s leading scorer in six of the nine games this year for the Warhawks. ULM’s Elijah Gonzales has dished out assists while shooting a team-high .583 from three-point range this season. In his last four games, he is averaging 2.5 assists per game.
 
ARKANSAS STATE (3-6, 0-2 SBC) at TEXAS STATE (7-4, 1-1 SBC) - POSTPONED
 
 
SUN BELT PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Week 1 – Justin Roberts, Georgia State
Week 2 – Markquis Nowell, Little Rock
Week 3 – Adrian Delph, App State
Week 4 – DeVante' Jones, Coastal Carolina
Week 5 – Corey Allen, Georgia State
Week 6 – Ben Coupet Jr., Little Rock
 
SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
 
After six years in New Orleans, the Sun Belt Conference Tournament moves to Pensacola, Florida this March with all 12 teams competing in the single elimination tournament. The tournament will be played March 5-8 at both Pensacola State Community College and the Pensacola Bay Center, will kick-off March Madness. Pensacola will serve as home to the tournament through the 2024-25 season.