Conference play starts for La.-Lafeyette, Arkansas St.
Louisiana-Lafayette (5-5, 0-0) vs. Arkansas State (7-3, 0-0)
First National Bank Arena, Jonesboro, Arkansas; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Louisiana-Lafayette visits Arkansas State as Sun Belt play starts for both teams. In conference play last season, Louisiana-Lafayette finished with 10 wins and nine losses, while Arkansas State won seven games and lost 12.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Arkansas State's Canberk Kus has averaged 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds while J.J. Matthews has put up 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. For the Ragin' Cajuns, Jalen Johnson has averaged 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds while Cedric Russell has put up 13.9 points.JUMPING FOR JALEN: Jalen Johnson has connected on 32.6 percent of the 46 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 6 of 15 over his last three games. He's also made 80.9 percent of his foul shots this season.
SCORING THRESHOLDS: Louisiana-Lafayette is 0-5 when its offense scores 67 points or fewer. Arkansas State is a perfect 5-0 when it holds opponents to 68 or fewer points.
COLD SPELL: Louisiana-Lafayette has lost its last four road games, scoring 62.5 points, while allowing 80.3 per game.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Louisiana-Lafayette offense has averaged 74.9 possessions per game, the 30th-most in Division I. Arkansas State has not been as uptempo as the Ragin' Cajuns and is averaging only 66.7 possessions per game (ranked 302nd, nationally).
