Arkansas State comes home with two conference victories and two losses. What soup do we make from this?

Red Wolves led the Troy Trojans for about a 1:20 total the entire game on Saturday – but at least is was for the right one minutes and twenty seconds. For the majority of the game, it appeared that Troy head coach Scott Cross was simply going to outcross Arkansas State with a crescendo of well orchestrated cross court passes, flummoxing Red Wolves defenders until Troy could find the open three. Trojan forward Tayton Conerway, normally a facilitator and single-digit scorer, lit up Arkansas State with a career high 32 points – a tally that included four three pointers.

Meanwhile, the Red Wolves seemed largely deflated by Thursday’s 76-62 loss to South Alabama (who would fall to Old Dominion on Saturday). Coach Ritchie Riley’s hope chest assortment of zone defenses appeared to have sapped Arkansas State’s lifeforce. The Red Wolves, in an effort to avoid penetration, fired 49 three pointers and the Jaguars and made twelve – which was just four fewer two point shots the team attempted. By game’s end, Bryan Hodgson and his team seemed the embodiment of slumped shoulders, emotionally and physically drained by a career-day performance from Elijah Ormiston, the Jaguar big who was averaging about 4 per contest.

The Red Wolves appeared to bring the those slumped shoulders to Troy. Like the Jaguars, the Trojans are a team that moves the ball well, triggering Red Wolves to race from point to point until Troy found the opening they wanted. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves offense had curtailed the three-ball attempts (a less eyebrow raising 25), but none of the buckets came easy, with Red Wolves big man Rashaud Marshall opting to fight for layups rather than kicking out to an open man. The result was a bevy of blocked shots for Troy, who dog piled anyone who ventured into the paint.

By halftime, Troy led Arkansas State 43-34, nearly identical to the 10-point lead the Jaguars had enjoyed at the half. In that match., A-State had reduced the South Alabama lead to just six with time expiring, but a burst of aggression led to a foul on Ormiston who had just nailed a three. The fouls had piled substantially on Arkansas State, with the Red Wolves seeming incapable of defending without an infraction. With every whistle, Red Wolves held up their hand and glowered. Even Izaiyah Nelson, a player perpetually dialed to 11, appeared listless and deflated, unable to cope with a defensive scheme that robbed him of his explosiveness.

However, something happened with about eight minutes left in the game, with Troy leading 66-59 and preparing to click on the cruise control. Taryn Todd nailed three. He and Terrence Ford hit a few layups. Most magically, Joseph Pinion found his three-stroke. Within 41 seconds to play, the 6’5″ sharpshooter nailed a corner three to give the Red Wolves a 2 point lead. A pair of Conerway free throws tied the score, but Pinion responded with another three from the same corner. A two-point layup would have sufficed, but the Red Wolves opted for the dagger instead.

Suddenly, it was the Trojans who looked dejected and confused. What was happening? No one can be sure what exactly led to the Red Wolves offensive burst except to say Kobe Julien was back on the court, and he has an uncanny knack for wearing out opposing defenses. The Red Wolves would win the game 84-78

The Red Wolves return to Jonesboro with victories over Old Dominion and Troy, losses to James Madison and South Alabama, and a substantial amount of frequent flyer miles. Cheerfully optimistic types often say there are no losses, only lessons to learn. I’m not smart enough to see the lesson delivered by the Jaguars, but I suspect Coach Hodgson is.

NEXT UP: A four game home stand starting with Louisiana and Georgia State