After an impressive victory over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Monday to open the 2024-25 season, the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to return to the court this Friday night for a matchup with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
An opponent that Alabama also hosted a year ago, the Crimson Tide defeated the Red Wolves by a final score of 89-65 back on December 4, with that team from Arkansas State eventually going on win at-least 20 games for the first time since 2016-17.
Here is a preview for the 2024-25 Arkansas State Red Wolves ahead of their trip to Tuscaloosa on Friday night:
Arkansas State Red Wolves Team Overview
- Team Name: Arkansas State Red Wolves
- Conference: Sun Belt
- Arena: First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, Arkansas
- 2024-25 Record: 1-0 overall
- Ranking: Unranked in AP Poll, Unranked in Coaches Poll
The Arkansas State Red Wolves are a long-time member of the Sun Belt Conference, and are coming off a season in which they finished with an overall record of 20-17, as well as 11-7 in conference play. So far this year, Arkansas State sits undefeated at 1-0 overall with an 80-75 home win over Akron.
Arkansas State Red Wolves Coaching Staff
- Head Coach: Bryan Hodgson
- Associate Head Coach: Jamie Quarles
- Associate Head Coach: Tee Butters
- Assistant Coach: Derek Rongstad
Arkansas State is led by a familiar face to Alabama fans in Bryan Hodgson, who was an assistant with the Crimson Tide from 2019-23 prior to becoming the head coach of the Red Wolves a year ago. All of Jamie Quarles, Tee Butters, and Derek Rongstad are also in their second seasons at Arkansas State.
Arkansas State Red Wolves 2024-25 Stats
- PPG: 80 (No. 175 in NCAA)
- PPG Allowed: 75 (No. 223 in NCAA)
- FG%: 46.6
- 3P%: 30
- FT%: 50
- RPG: 44
- APG: 14
- SPG: 8
- BPG: 9
As mentioned previously, Arkansas State won their season-opener by a final score of 80-75. The Red Wolves also currently rank among the nation’s top teams in blocks per game, ranking No. 13 nationally with an average of nine per game.
Arkansas State Red Wolves Names to Know
- Derrian Ford, Guard – Junior
- Joseph Pinion, Guard – Junior
- Kobe Julien, Forward – Redshirt Senior
- Taryn Todd, Guard – Senior
- Justin Johnson, Forward – Freshman
The Red Wolves roster is headlined by a trio of double-digit scorers in Derrian Ford, Joseph Pinion, and Kobe Julien, the first two of which originally began their college basketball career’s at Arkansas. Arkansas State also returns their leading scorer from a year ago in senior guard Taryn Todd, who averaged 12.8 PPG last season.