Bryan Hodgson and Arkansas State Deliver a Top Tier Win Against Troy

“Winning on the road is brutal,” said Coach Bryan Hodgson in his weekly press address prior to the team’s latest road swing through Troy and Mobile. “Go look at the Sun Belt conference standings. Go look at the home winning percentages. I mean, it’s insane.”

Before Thursday evening, only Nebraska had more home victories than the Troy Trojans, who entered its game with Arkansas State 11-1 in the well-appointed confines of Trojan Arena. As for the Sun Belt itself, as of the moment of this writing, the top four leading teams in the conference (Appalachian State, Troy, James Madison and Louisiana) have 5 home losses between them. The Mountaineers haven’t lost in Boone all year.

As Coach Hodgson said, it’s insane.

If the definition of insanity is “to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result,” then adding a 6’6″ 215 pound battering ram back to the lineup may be the cure to Sun Belt madness. The return of Freddy Hicks Jr., chronically absent since sustaining an injury against Belmont, delivered 16 gritty points and 6 hard nosed rebounds against Troy, providing the bruising presence in the paint the Red Wolves had missed for weeks. Hicks’ addition freed 6’10” forward Izaiyah Nelson to record his best game of the season – 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots (earning him another Hard Hat honor from Coach Hodgson).

With Hicks, Nelson and selfless Caleb Fields owning the paint, the outside was open for Derrian Ford and Tayrn Todd to scorch the Trojans from the perimeter. It was the kind of basketball even a simpleton like me could appreciate – dominate inside to open the outside, and vice versa. The Trojans, though leading by seven at the half, never had a chance.

The Red Wolves, also a powerful team at home owning a 8-3 record, brought abilities that many had seen in person in Jonesboro on the road (its second away victory after Texas State). More importantly, Arkansas State notched a win over the Sun Belt’s upper tier, having already lost twice to Louisiana, once to James Madison and having yet to play the mighty Mountaineers. (It is relevant to mention that Hicks was limited or unavailable in those games against the Cajuns and Dukes). Whether or not such a feather marks the Red Wolves as a top tier team is left undetermined, as a match with up-and-down South Alabama (7-4 at home) awaits.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine