If you ever watched 1980s wrestling, you understand that every wrestler had a uniform set of moves in their bag: the drop kick, the body slam, the suplex, the pile driver, the clothesline. Some guys appropriated moves and branded them for their exclusive use. Rick Flair didn’t invent the Figure Four Leglock, but it was his thing. Hulk Hogan wasn’t the first to implement the Atomic Leg Drop, but that became his finishing move.

Some guys got lucky with the signature move and made them a legacy. Jake the Snake took what can only be described as a reverse headlock and turned into into The DDT. The Iron Sheik terrorized opponents with the Camel Clutch. The Ultimate Warrior had the Gorilla Press Slam, and Jimmy Snuka had the Superfly Splash.

For my money, there was no better finishing move than the Flying Elbow Off the Top Turnbuckle. Fearless guys like Hacksaw Jim Dugan and Macho Man Savage used it, and I could never figure out how a man could recover from such an violent affront to his person. A normal man would be left with a crater in his chest. You do something like that in public, and you’re going to jail forever.

Five Sun Belt teams find themselves one game from joining Arkansas State atop the standings. A sixth team, Old Dominion, is just two game behind. That’s six teams strutting around the SBC Arena, pointing meaty fingers and claiming that championship designs are more than just aspirational. If the Red Wolves want to nip this attitude in the bud, Bryan Hodgson will need to drop the flying elbow from the top turnbuckle during this four game home stand.

Southern Miss visits first, on Wednesday night, and despite enjoying the services of contending SBC Player of the Year Denijay Harris, the Golden Golden Eagles are not in contention (four games out). It’s hard to understand why Southern Miss isn’t in the One Game Back Gang. They have dangerous backcourt weapons in Neftali Alvarez and Andre Curbelo, and DeAntoni Gordon isn’t a bad rebounder.

The problem might be depth. In the team’s first meeting with A-State, the Golden Eagles put up 41 points in the first quarter. In the second half, the team cooled considerably to 27. Six Golden Eagles do the majority of lifting for the team, with Harris rarely allowed off the floor. In contrast, the Red Wolves’ depth has been a strength all season.

Saturday provides more intrigue when Troy comes to Jonesboro to avenge their 84-78 loss – a game that salvaged Arkansas State’s first four-game road trip. Senior Tayton Conerway dropped 32 points in the loss, and 6’9″ senior Theo Seng scored 18 (normally held to just 7). But apart from Conerway and Seng, the Red Wolves found answers for the remainder of Scott Cross’ team, holding the Rigsby Brothers to just five total points.

Scott Cross is too smart not to grasp the lesson (whatever it might be). He’ll find a way to get Myles Rigsby more involved. The Trojans do spread their minutes a more evenly than Southern Miss, and if you recall how the last game ended, it wasn’t for a lack of gas for Troy. Both teams had the reserves to go the distance. Joe Pinion just got extremely hot from the three in the waining minutes. Will Arkansas State need a second burst from Pinion to outlast the Trojans again?

On Those Losses to Marshall and Kent State

In that loss to South Alabama early in the year, the Red Wolves look disoriented and discouraged just minutes into the second half, unable to puncture the zone defense the Jaguars set up. This wasn’t the case at Marshall, who simply seemed to be fueled by an alien form of electricity from tip-off to the final buzzer. Arkansas State wasn’t overwhelmed or puzzled; they were simply out-furyed The Thundering Herd had much to play for: home crowd, national TV audience, an opportunity to get within one game of first place. If the Red Wolves want to advance in the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament, it will have to find similar motivations.

As for Kent State, there were a lot of whistles on A-State and that didn’t exactly mesh with the Red Wolves quick up-and-down mode of play. Still, how the refs blow is part of the game. You have to adapt. This is among the finest Red Wolves basketball teams ever seen in Jonesboro. That doesn’t mean it can’t improve. By SBC Tournament time, Arkansas State should have acquired all the necessary lessons to excel.

Photo by Carla Wehmeyer – Arkansas State