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Maybe a few more folks than the usual turned out for UALR's Thursday night matchup with Florida International, simply because Isiah Thomas was on the FIU sideline. Of course, watching Thomas coach isn't akin to watching one of the greatest NCAA and NBA players of the past 31 years play the game — Thomas proved with the New York Knicks that building and coaching a team will never be considered his strong suit. In three seasons at FIU, he had amassed a 25-61 record going into the UALR contest. Yet, he's still Isiah Thomas. If he showed up for an autograph signing session, that alone should draw a crowd anywhere. But Thomas didn't stay for his team's entire game with UALR on Thursday night, and when he left, the game went south for Florida International. read more >

Sophomore Will Neighbour was one of four Trojans to score in double figures, finishing with a game-high 21 points to lead the UALR men's basketball team (13-14, 10-3 Sun Belt) to a 78-64 victory over Florida International (7-18, 4-9) at the Jack Stephens Center. UALR shot 52.1 percent from the field while holding the Golden Panthers to a .305 clip to improve to 10-3 in league play and maintain its spot atop the Sun Belt's West Division. read more >

Each week during the football season, the ArkansasSports360.com's staff of Chris Bahn and Jim Harris conduct a no-holds-barred “pressbox roundtable” with selected experts/guest columnists for AS360.com, including former Razorback All-America defensive end Bruce James and radio hosts Justin Acri, TJ Carpenter and Mickey Ryan. This week, we look at Arkansas' struggle at Oxford and if the Hogs deserved to drop a notch in the BCS poll, Dennis Johnson's big rushing game and whether it could continue, the continued questions about the Razorback defense and the upcoming Vanderbilt game on Saturday. We also hit on the national topic of video replay and whether it was right to decide a crucial game, Wisconsin-Michigan State, with a call on the final play, and our panel chimes in on seeing more Arkansas State football on television. Join in the conversation in the comments section below. read more >

First-year head coach Hugh Freeze and his Arkansas State Red Wolves used a 21st century offensive look to play a throwback style of football and whip preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite Florida International on Tuesday night. For a half, it not only wasn't pretty, it was downright ugly. But then the Red Wolves took away FIU's run completely while running it down the Golden Panthers throats — with the quarterback. read more >

Arkansas State won its fourth straight game for the first time in five years behind the feet, rather than the passing arm, of junior quarterback Ryan Aplin. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder carried 21 times for 164 net yards, deftly faking the Florida International defenders on the zone read option several times for drive-sustaining gains and for touchdowns of 22 and 7 yards. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves' defense limited FIU to 66 yards rushing, 91 below the Golden Panthers' per-game average, and also kept their mercurial receiver, T.Y. Hilton, in check much of the night. Hilton did get loose for a 46-yard touchdown catch, one of six receptions for 97 yards, but was little factor in the return game, a point of emphasis for the Red Wolves in a big Sun Belt Conference win in Jonesboro. read more >