With a deficit of 25, there aren’t many opportunities for halftime speeches.

Arkansas State coach Bryan Hodgson chose the blunt route against UAB.

“We couldn’t possibly play worse than we just did,” Hodgson told his players.

Typically, the locker room reaction to a 25-point halftime deficit is slumped shoulders, slumped heads and faraway looks. Hodgson didn’t see that in his players. Despite the seemingly dire situation, there was confidence in her eyes.

And the Red Wolves proved their coach right and pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Division I history.

Arkansas State trailed 53-28 at halftime and beat UAB 98-89 in overtime on Sunday night in Birmingham, Ala. It was the sixth time in NCAA history that a team won a game after scoring 25 points at halftime, completing the third-largest comeback in history. The Red Wolves also became the eighth team to overcome a deficit of at least 27 points – they trailed 59-32 early in the second half – and win.

“When I looked around the locker room I was convinced we could win,” Hodgson said Monday. “They didn’t waver at all.”

The foundation for the Red Wolves’ confidence was laid during Hodgson’s previous stints in Buffalo and Alabama. Hodgson worked as an assistant under coach Nate Oats and saw the confidence his boss instilled in his players and brought that same mentality with him when he took the Arkansas State job in 2023.

The Red Wolves showed flashes of confidence in their first season under Hodgson, going 20-17, and even more so this year when they posted a nine-point loss to No. 6 Alabama and an 85-72 win over No. 6 Alabama earlier this month. 21 Memphis had to accept.

All of that strength suddenly disappeared in the first half against UAB.

Even though Arkansas State (9-3) had nine days to prepare and knew what to expect from UAB’s 1-3-1 zone, it slowed down and failed. Instead of getting the ball to the middle of the court or moving it to the corners against the zone, the Red Wolves spent most of the first half trying to pass the ball directly to the Blazers (5-6).

UAB used a flurry of turnovers to get out in transition, turning a three-point deficit into a 24-point lead in about 7 1/2 minutes.

“We were like a deer in headlights,” Hodgson said. “It was kind of mind-blowing. We just threw the ball across the gym.”

At the start of the second half the deficit was 27, and two injured starters only played limited minutes. That seemed like a recipe for another run-of-the-mill bankruptcy.

The Red Wolves made their mark in history with a massive turnaround.

Finally, Arkansas State executed the game plan and split UAB’s zone to grab the lead. Unlike the first half, when their big men were late on high screens or threw the ball away, the Red Wolves were able to jump-start their offense with screens at the top of the key.

With the big men up on time with their screens, Arkansas State’s guards were able to cross the 3-point line unhindered and force the Blazers to play from behind. From there, Arkansas State’s guards drove to the basket or stepped to open shooters.

The Red Wolves reduced their turnovers from 11 in the first half to three in the second, making 22 of 37 shots and going 6 of 11 from 3. UAB forced Yaxel Lendeborg’s dunk with seven seconds left in overtime, but Arkansas State’s Taryn Todd scored five of his career-high 31 points in overtime to help Arkansas State to an improbable victory.

“My boys just showed a lot of courage in the second half,” said Hodgson.

Terrible in the first half, the Red Wolves couldn’t have played much better in the second half to earn a place in history.