KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- App State men's basketball will take on No. 10-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday evening. Tip is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network and the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
THE SERIES
- This will be the sixth meeting all-time between the two schools, with Tennessee leading 5-0.
- The two teams last met in the 2016-17 season, with the Volunteers winning 103-94.
LAST TIME OUT
- App State held Charlotte to just three points over the final 7:14 in a 61-57 win on Friday.
- Trailing 35-26 early in the second half, App State mounted an 8-0 run, capped by a trey from Michael Almonacy, to pull within 35-34 with 14:59 left to play. The 49ers (1-3) came right back with a 9-2 spurt to build their lead back to 44-36 with just under 13 minutes to play. App State answered right back with six straight points to pull within 44-42 with 10:02 left to play. Charlotte pushed its lead back to six at 53-47, before the Black and Gold went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Donovan Gregory 3-pointer, to take a 54-53 lead. Leading 56-55, Adrian Delph hit a fadeaway 3-pointer from the top of the key to beat the shot clock with 15 seconds left to push the Mountaineer lead to 59-55. Charlotte came right back with a layup, but Delph hit a pair of free throws with five seconds left to put the game away.
- Delph finished with a career high tying 21 points and a career best five assists. Kendall Lewis added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds and Gregory tallied 10 points in the win.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- App State stands at 4-1 on the season. The 4-1 start is the best for the program since 1993-94, when the Mountaineers also started 4-1. App State last started 5-1 in 1990-91.
- With one more non-conference win, App State would clinch its second straight non-conference winning record after going 6-5 last season. The last time App State posted back-to-back seasons with non-conference winning records was in 1998-99 (6-4) and 1999-00 (6-4).
- Three Mountaineers are averaging double figures in scoring in Delph (13.6), Lewis (11.8) and Gregory (11.2).
- App State's defense has been tough all season leading the Sun Belt in opponent scoring (55.2 ppg), opponent field goal percentage (.357) and opponent 3-point percentage (.267).
SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS
- Tennessee enters play 2-0 on the season and ranked No. 10 in both the AP poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- The Volunteers defeated Cincinnati 65-56 on Saturday. John Fulkerson had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaden Springer added 11 points.
- Fulkerson leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg), with Santiago Vescovi ranking second on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg) and leading the team in assists (8).
- As a team, the Volunteers are holding opponents to 26.0 percent shooting on threes, which leads the SEC. In addition, Tennessee is giving up 51.5 ppg, which is tied for best in the conference.
UP NEXT
App State will return to the High Country for back-to-back home games on Thursday and Friday. The Mountaineers will host Greensboro College on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Columbia International on Friday at 6 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
