BOONE, N.C. – After splitting its first two Sun Belt Conference games of the year, Appalachian State University men's basketball will hit the road when it takes on South Alabama at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the first of two league road contests this weekend.
The Mountaineers (4-7, 1-1 Sun Belt) are hoping to rebound after an 80-64 loss to UL Lafayette on Monday while the Jaguars (3-10, 1-2) look to keep their momentum going after topping UALR, 72-69, on Monday to snap a seven-game losing streak.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
• South Alabama enters this weekend's round of Sun Belt play at 3-10 overall and 1-2 in league play.
• The Jaguars picked up a 72-69 win over UALR on Monday, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
• Monday's win over the Trojans was South Alabama's first Division I win of the season as its other victories came against NAIA foe Carroll College and Division II opponent Spring Hill College.
• The Jaguars were selected to finish tied for ninth in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll. USA finished with 38 points to tie Georgia Southern.
• South Alabama is led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Taishaun Johnson is the team's leader at 12.5 points per game while Ken Williams (11.5) and Dionte Ferguson (10.5) round out the Jaguar's double-digit scorers.
• Ferguson is also the team's leader in rebounds at 7.3 per game. He ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in rebounding and is ninth in field-goal percentage (53.8 percent)
• The Jaguars have struggled offensively, connecting at a clip of just 40.0 percent from the floor, including 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.
• Second-year head coach Matthew Graves has used a number of different starters this year in an attempt to get something rolling.
• Only Ferguson and Barrington Stevens have started all 13 games this year.
• John Brown has made 11 starts but no other player on the roster has started more than eight games.
• One of the problems for South Alabama may be its reliance on the three-pointer. So far this year, the Jaguars have taken 36.1 percent of their shots from beyond the arc (276-of-765).
• The Jaguars lead the league in three-point attempts (276).
SERIES HISTORY
• Thursday's game marks the first-ever meeting between the Jaguars and Mountaineers on the hardwood.
• Appalachian State is 10-8 all-time against teams from the state of Alabama. That includes a 7-5 mark against former SoCon rival Samford
• The Mountaineers are 2-0 against Troy, 1-0 against Jacksonville State, 0-1 against both Auburn and 0-2 against Alabama.
• Appalachian holds a record of 15-16 when facing current Sun Belt schools in road/neutral site matchups.
• However, most of those games have come against former Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern (8-9).
UP NEXT
• The Apps return home for games against Arkansas State and Georgia State on Jan. 15 and 17, respectively.
• After the brief homestand, the Mountaineers will hit the road again for a game at Troy on Jan. 19 before returning home to play South Alabama on Jan. 24.
• Six of Appalachian's first 10 game in conference play will come on the road.
