JONESBORO, Arkansas – UT Arlington men's basketball makes a trip to Jonesboro for a road test against Arkansas State (7-3) on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. CT. That game will broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the radio on the Varsity App.
 
The Mavs enter play following a dominant 84-70 win over Louisiana-Monroe on the road back on Dec. 2, and the Red Wolves are coming off an upset win on the road at then-No. 16 Memphis, 85-72. UTA clamped down on the defensive end in Monroe, which helped propel them to their first true road win of the season, and that continues to be an area of emphasis for the Mavericks.
 
"We obviously have to get off to better starts," head coach KT Turner said during UTA's media availability on Tuesday. "It starts with our defense and we're getting better at it, and we'll continue to get better at it. I keep talking about it and keep harping on our defense. We have to be able to guard people. Offensively I'm very confident in our ability to score points, but it's stopping people from scoring that we need to get better at."
 
The Red Wolves are led by second-year head coach Bryan Hodgson. The Western New York native has coached previously as an assistant at Alabama (2019-23), Buffalo (2015-19) and in the junior college ranks at Midland JC (2014-15 as an assistant and 2013-14 as a volunteer assistant).
 
Arkansas State, who went 20-17 in Hodgson's first season last year, is led in 2024-25 by guard Taryn Todd, who is averaging a team-high 13.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Forward Kobe Julien (12.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg) and guard Derrian Ford (10.2 ppg) are also key fixtures for the Red Wolves. Additionally off the bench, guard Joseph Pinion is a factor, averaging 8.8 ppg and shooting 40.8% from distance. Pinion had 22 against Memphis on Sunday, knocking down 5-of-11 3-pointers.
 
Thursday's meeting between UTA and Arkansas State will be the 68th-ever between the two programs. The Red Wolves have won each of the last two meetings, and UTA has won six of the past 10, dating back to 2019.
 
The Mavs are finding themselves throughout the past several games with the insertion of forward/center Lance Ware into the lineup. The 6-10 New Jersey native is leading the team in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocks (2,0 bpg) through four games thus far, providing UTA with a major presence on the inside on both ends of the floor.
 
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