BOONE, N.C. -- App State men's basketball prepares for its first road game of the season at Louisville on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
THE SERIES
This will be the 2nd meeting between the two schools in a series Louisville leads 1-0. The Cardinals defeated the Mountaineers 80-53 on Nov. 23, 2009, in Louisville.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS (2-0)
- App State ranks first in the nation in blocks per game (9.5) with 19 through its first two contests. Justin Abson has led the way with three against Warren Wilson and five against N.C. Central in his first two collegiate games. Three of his blocks against the Eagles came in the last two minutes of overtime when App State held its five-point lead to win. Abson ranks sixth in the nation in blocks per game (4) and first in the Sun Belt.
- Last time out, App State secured its second win at home, defeating N.C. Central 79-74 (OT). After trailing at the half, Donovan Gregory sparked a second-half run by scoring or assisting 11 straight points to start the half. This was App State's 19th comeback win after a halftime deficit under fourth-year head coach Dustin Kerns.
- The Mountaineers have five players averaging double figures so far this season: Tyree Boykin (17.0), Terence Harcum (14.0), CJ Huntley (13.5), Gregory (11.0) and Christopher Mantis (11.0).
- Sophomore duo Harcum and Mantis have worked their way into the lineup, each playing significant roles after averaging less than 10 minutes per game last season. Harcum scored 14 against the Eagles and had two late diving rebounds that helped App State secure the victory. Mantis had a career-high 22 points with four threes in the season opener.
- A win over Louisville would give App State its first 3-0 start to a season since 1997-98 (21-8, 13-2 SoCon). It would also be the first win over an autonomy-5 opponent since Virginia Tech in 2014.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS (0-2)
- Louisville has started the season with two one-point losses to Bellarmine and Wright State.
- El Ellis leads the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game at a 48.6% clip. Ellis had a career-high 29 points, including UofL's final 13 of the game against Wright State, with his final bucket giving the Cardinals a 72-67 advantage with 1:33 left.
- Jae'Lyn Withers has been the impactful big man for Louisville so far, averaging 16 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 100% from the free-throw line.
- Last season, the Cardinals finished 13-19 (6-14 ACC) with an 8-8 home record. They defeated Georgia Tech 84-74 in the first round of the ACC Tournament before losing by one point to Virginia to close the season.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers return to action this weekend when they will host a multi-team event that features games against Campbell (Fri. at 7), Kennesaw State (Sat. at 7) and Southeastern Louisiana (Sun. at 2:30). The three other schools will play neutral matches at App State each day as well.
