Vegas had favored the Arkansas State Red Wolves over the Georgia Southern Eagles by a handful of points. However, A-State dominated the game with an 18-point victory behind 18 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots for Norchad Omier. Desi Sills chipped in five steals along with 15 points, with his former Jonesboro High battery mate Marquis Eaton also putting up 15.

The Eagles, who had led the Sun Belt with a field goal percentage above 50%, where held to 36.7% on Saturday, with forward Andrei Savrasov leading all Eagles with 13 points.

I honestly can’t recall a Red Wolves team bearing such potent defensive weapons. But between Omier leading the Sun Belt in rebounds, coming in second in blocks and Sills registering second in steals, the Red Wolves have become a team for which defense is a premium. The last three Red Wolves opponents have shot 32%, 37% and 36.7%. It’s no wonder the Eagles felt compelled to vent their frustration at game’s end.

It was a chippy ending to tonight's game. Three technical fouls were assessed in the final seconds, and Balado and Georgia Southern's staff shared some words postgame.

I asked him about the ending sequence of the game from his perspective. pic.twitter.com/ek7r5Pje2r

— Logan Whaley (@LoganWhaleyKAIT) January 2, 2022

Defense isn’t always fun to watch, but the Sills & Omier Show is a fascinating view on both ends of the floor. The Red Wolves take a swing through Louisiana later this week to meet the Cajuns (2-0) and the Warhawks (0-2), a true litmus test for Arkansas State.

It would be nice to see more than 1,000 fans in the stands when the team returns home to face UA Little Rock.

PHOTO CREDIT: mine