By CHARLIE PARENT
Arkansas State took down No. 1 seed Appalachian State 67-65 on a wild buzzer from Freddy Hicks to advance to the Sun Belt Championship Game.
Hicks initially looked to back down his man before pump-faking a fadeaway that shook the defender and opened a clean look for the game-winning bucket. The 6-foot-6 former three-star wing had 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
The Red Wolves were led by Caleb Fields, who had a game-high 23 points and scored the team’s last nine points before Hicks’ winner. He and Hicks combined for 43 of the team’s 67 points. First-year head coach Bryan Hodgson, regarded as one of the top recruiters in the country, continues to outperform expectations after Arkansas State finished 13th in conference play last season. Arkansas State will play the winner of 29-3 James Madison and Texas State in the Sun Belt Championship on Monday at 6:00 p.m. Follow Charlie on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookARKANSAS STATE WINS IT AT THE BUZZER 🚨 @AStateMB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 11, 2024
THE RED WOLVES ARE HEADING TO THE SUN BELT TITLE GAME 🔥
(via @SunBelt) pic.twitter.com/enio4YPKAe
