ASU Men's Basketball takes on Dayton - KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports

From Arkansas State University

Game 1: Arkansas State Red Wolves (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) at Dayton Flyers (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
November 10, 2012  •  UD Arena
Dayton, Ohio  •  1 p.m. (CT)
Radio: EAB Sports Radio Network (107.9 KFIN-FM, flagship) – Matt Stolz (Play-By-Play)
TV: None
LIVE STATS & VIDEO WEBCAST: www.DaytonFlyers.com

Tip Off: The Arkansas State University men's basketball team will officially commence its 2012-13 regular season this Saturday (Nov. 10)  afternoon on the road versus the Dayton Flyers in Dayton, Ohio.  The non-conference matchup is slated for a 1 p.m. (CT) start inside UD Arena.

2012-13 A-StAte MBB Ticket Info: Tickets for the 2012-13 ASU men's basketball season are now on sale.  Individual single-game prices are $12 for the upper center area, $10 for the upper side, $8 for the upper wings, $6 for children and senior citizens (age 55+), and $5 group rate purchase of 12 tickets or more.  Tickets may bepurchased through the ASU Box Office by calling 870-972-2781 or 888-ASU-FANS.  2012-13 ticket information is available on ASU Athletics official website – www.AStateRedWolves.com.

The Records: Arkansas State (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt).  The Red Wolves compiled a 14-20 overall mark with a fifth-place 6-10 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West Division ledger in the 2011-12 season.  ASU was 10-5 at home, 2-14 on the road, and 2-1 in neutral sites outings a season ago.   Dayton (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10).  The Flyers posted a 20-13 overall mark and registered a fifth-place tying 9-7 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2011-12 campaign.  UD was 14-4 at home, 3-8 on the road, and 3-1 at neutral sites last season.

The Coaches: Arkansas State – John Brady (Bellhaven, 1976), 5th season, 61-66 (.480); Career - 342-282 (.548) – (0-0 vs. Dayton).  Brady was named the 2009-10 SBC Coach of the Year and the District VII Coach of the Year by the United States BasketballWriters Association (USBWA).  He served six seasons (1991-97) as head coach at Samford and then spent 10-plus seasons (1997-08) in a head coaching capacity at LSU.  Brady guided LSU to two SEC Championship titles along with four NCAATournament appearances, which included a Final Four appearance in the 2005-06 season. Dayton  – Archie Miller (North Carolina State, 2002), 2nd season, 20-13 (.606) – (0-0 vs. ASU).  Miller was named the Flyers' 19th coach in April 2011 and the sixth in the last 64 years after serving as an associate head coach at Arizona in the 2010-11 season in which the Wildcats went 30-8 overall and made an Elite Eight appearance.  Prior to Arizona, Miller spent two seasons (2007-09) at Ohio State as an assistant.  A four-year letterwinner at North Carolina State, Miller served as NC State's Director of Basketball Operations (2004-05) and then as a full-time assistant coach (2005-06) for the Wolf Pack.  His brother (Sean) is presently Arizona's head men's basketball coach.

About Dayton: The Flyers claimed victory in both their home exhibition contests this 2012-13 season with a 77-58 season-opening triumph over Findlay (10/27) and an 81-63 decision against Walsh (11/4).  Freshman forward-center Jalen Robinson produced game highs with 19 points and 10 rebounds versus Findlay while senior forward-center Josh Benson led the way for UD against Walsh with a double-double by tallying 22 points with 12 rebounds.  The Flyers return two starters from last season's squad, including two of the team's top three scorers in senior guard Kevin Dillard (13.3 ppg.) and senior forward-center Josh Benson (10.9 ppg.).  Junior forward Devin Oliver is the Flyers' top returning rebounder after averaging 5.0 boards per contest a season ago.

Series Information: First-ever meeting between the two schools.

Season Openers: The Red Wolves are 5-5 in their last 10 regular-season openers since 2002-03 and most recentlyhave dropped their last two such encounters, including a 65-62 setback at Lamar last season (11/11) and a 68-60 home loss to Mississippi in 2010-11.  The last time A-State prevailed in its season opener was in the 2009-10 campaign with a 93-47 home decision over MacMurray..

ASU Picked Second: Arkansas State was picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference's West Division as a result of the 2012-13 SBC Coaches' Preseason Poll.  The Red Wolves received 40 points in the balloting to placed second behind favorite North Texas, which picked up 55 points and 11 first-place votes.  Middle Tennessee was predicted to capture the East Division crown by claiming 11 first-place votes and 55 points.

All-SBC Preseason: Three ASU seniors – guards Trey Finn and Marcus Hooten alongwith forward Brandon Peterson were named to the 2012-13 Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Teams as selected by the league's head coaches.  Finn earned first team honors while Peterson garnered second-team laurels and Hooten attained third-team recognition.

Non-Conference: Arkansas State produced an 8-10 record in non-conference contests last season, which consisted of a 1-7 mark on the road, 5-2 at home, and 2-1 at neutral sites. Last season, the Red Wolves averaged 64.7 points per game (1,165 total) in their 18 non-league affairs while the opposition compiled 65.7 points an outing (1,182) for a 1.0 point differential.  A-State recorded 36.0 rebounds a contest (648 total) to its opponent's 32.9 boards per game (593 total).  Since the 2006-07 campaign, the Red Wolves have assembled a 40-45 record (.471 winning pct.) and registered a season-best 8-4 non-league mark in 2008-09 which included a 5-0 home ledger and a 3-4 mark in away encounters.

November Games: A-State is 12-16 in November games dating back to the 2007-08 season.  ASU is 8-3 at home, 4-9 on the road, and 0-4 at neutral sites during that span.  Last November, Trey Finn and Brandon Peterson led the squad at 12.0 and 10.5 per game, respectively. The pair also averaged 6.7 rebounds a gameapiece..

Primed For Success: Five of the 2011-12 squad's top six scorers are back for the 2012-13 season, including the Red Wolves' top points leader in Marcus Hooten (12.5 ppg.). The five, which includes four starters, accounted for 68.7% (1,510-2,198) of A-State's scoring last season.

Team Captains: The A-State captains for this 2012-13 season are Trey Finn, Marcus Hooten, and Brandon Peterson.  Hooten started in 33 of 34 games a season ago while Finn competed in 29 of 30 encounters.  Peterson earned the starting nod in all 34 ASU contests last season.

Approaching A Milestone:  Trey Finn enters this season only 147 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point career mark.  The backcourt standout has tallied 853 career points in 91 games to date and would become the 24th player to attain the milestone.  Finn also presently ranks seventh among the school's all-time leaders in both three-point field goal percentage (40.5), three-point field goals made(131), and career steals (119).

What Returns For 2012-13: The Red Wolves welcome back 73.5% (1,614-2,198) of their scoring, 71.4% (736-1,031) in rebounding, 71.4% (546-765) in field goals made, 89.8%(158-176) in three-point field goals made, 84.3% in steals (177-210), 56.4%(44-78) in blocked shots, 73.9% (5,067-6,500) in minutes played, and 78.8% (134-170) of game started.

Last Time Out: A-State concluded its two-game exhibition slate at 2-0 as the Red Wolves recorded a 95-65 decision over Henderson State Tuesday (Nov. 6) at the ASU Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Ark.  As a result of exhibition sweep, ASU managed to extend its exhibition win streak to 17 in a row as the Red Wolves have an impressive 17-1 mark in such outings to date since 2004-05. Senior guard Marcus Hooten's  game-high 20 points was tops among the Red Wolves, who had five players with double-figure points.  Junior guard Ed Townsel came off the bench to score 18 points and junior forward Kendrick Washington totaled 13 points and claimed eight boards.  Senior forward Brandon Peterson had a solid outing with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a double-double effort while freshman guard Raeford Worsham added 10 points in a reserve capacity.

Last Season: A-State concluded the 2011-12 campaign at 14-20 overall and posted a fifth-place 6-10 mark in the Sun Belt Conference's (SBC) West Division.    The Red Wolves were 10-5 at home, 2-14 on the road, and 2-1 at neutral sites a season ago.

Coming Up Next: The Red Wolves will entertain the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils next Tuesday, Nov. 13, in their 2012-13 season home opener at the ASU Convocation Center in Jonesboro.   Opening tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. (CT).