Arkansas State Faces Troy for Sun Belt Tournament Title

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Arkansas State Red Wolves and Troy Trojans meet tonight at 7 p.m. ET in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Both teams were tied for first in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.

Arkansas State (24-9, 13-5) advanced to the final after defeating top-seeded South Alabama and fifth-seeded Marshall, while Troy (22-10, 13-5) secured its spot by beating No. 2 seed James Madison and No. 10 seed Old Dominion.

The Red Wolves hold a slight edge in betting odds, being favored by 1.5 points as per recent predictions. The model analyzing the match-up simulates each game 10,000 times and is on a successful run with its college basketball picks, currently up nearly 1900 units.

“Arkansas State is the more talented offensive group with exploitable mismatches on both ends of the floor,” said Phil Naessens, a betting analyst. “They have averaged 77 points in their two meetings against Troy this season.”

In their last encounter, Arkansas State edged out Troy with a 73-70 victory, showcasing both teams’ ability to perform under pressure. The Red Wolves have a +5-point differential in their season series against Troy, indicating a closely matched rivalry.

Meanwhile, Troy’s strategy involves a robust defense that has held opponents to minimal scoring, allowing just 65.5 points per game over their last several outings. “Troy absolutely dominated James Madison yesterday, holding them to just 32.3% shooting,” Naessens added.

Fans are expecting a tight contest, with both teams vying to cut down the nets at the Pensacola Bay Center. The stakes are high as the winner looks towards Selection Sunday with hopes of joining the NCAA Tournament field.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, and it bears significant implications not just for the teams, but for their fans and school pride.