HICKORY, N.C. – Concluding the team's trip throughout the state of North Carolina, the App State Mountaineers (9-2) are set to take to the Tarlton Complex in Hickory, N.C., on Thursday where they will take on the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (6-6) in the Hickory Hoops Classic. It will be the Black & Gold's first trip to the city of Hickory since 1977. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+. Concessions will be limited inside the venue.
The Mountaineers are 2-0 on their North Carolina trip thus far, beating two in-state rivals in two of the three biggest cities in the state. So far this season, App State is undefeated in the state of North Carolina and undefeated against in-state rivals. With a win on Thursday against UNC Asheville, the Mountaineers will have beaten four in-state rivals in the same season for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
With a 9-2 record through the team's first 11 games, the Mountaineers are off to its best 11-game start in over 30 years. Tom Apke's team started 10-1 in the 1988-89 season. Additionally, App State's nine non-conference wins is the most in a single season since 2006-07. With a win on Thursday, the Mountaineers will tie the record for most non-conference wins in a season as a Sun Belt Conference member.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. UNC Asheville
- Where: Tarlton Complex at Catawba Valley Community College // Hickory, N.C.
- When: Thursday, December 21 // 7 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: ESPN+
- Listen: 97.3 WKBC, 96.5/1450 WATA, 790/93.7 WETB, 1250/103.9 WBRM
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com
Last Time Out
In the team's first trip to Greensboro since 2019, the Mountaineers battled through a slow first-half start to blow out the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs 80-59 on Saturday at the Novant Health Fieldhouse. App State scored 51 second-half points, while also drilling six second-half threes.
It was another balanced effort from Coach Kerns' squad as all nine rotational players scored a basket on Saturday. Saturday marked the seventh time that at least nine Mountaineers have recorded a basket in a game this season.
Tre'Von Spillers paced the offensive charge for App State against Gardner-Webb, scoring 16 points.
Sophomore forward
Justin Abson made history on Saturday as he swatted away his 100th career shot in the first half. He became just the eighth player in program history to reach 100 career blocks while also becoming the fastest player to reach 100 career blocks in App State history. Abson needed just 43 games to block 100 shots in an App State uniform, which shattered the previous record of 61 games.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers come into play on Wednesday riding an eight-game winning streak, which is the second-longest active streak in the Sun Belt and the 10th-longest streak in the country. App State has beaten seven of its last eight opponents by double-digits and have held at least a 10-point lead in every game during the streak. The Mountaineers come into play on Thursday with the third-most double-digit wins in the country. Just four teams have more.
App State plays a complementary style of basketball as they boast the 14th-largest scoring margin in the country at 18.2. The Mountaineers pair the lowest scoring defense with the third-highest scoring offense in the Sun Belt, scoring 81.1 points a game. Furthermore, the Mountaineers come into play on Saturday with the second-lowest opponent field goal percentage in the nation and the second-highest offensive field goal percentage in the SBC.
Coach Kerns boasts one of the deepest squads of his tenure as nine players typically see the floor each night. The Mountaineers have seen at least nine players score a basket in seven games to start the season. Fifth-year guard
Donovan Gregory leads the charge, averaging 13.5 points per game, but eight players come into play on Thursday averaging at least seven points.
Defensively, the Mountaineers are one of the nation's best teams at blocking shots this season, averaging 6.9 blocks per game, which is the fourth-highest mark in the nation. App State currently has two players in the top five in the Sun Belt Conference in blocked shots in
Justin Abson (31) and
Tre'Von Spillers (17). The Mountaineers have blocked at least two shots in 27 consecutive games entering play on Thursday.
Scouting the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville is 6-6 through 12 games this year but are coming off a win last Monday against South Carolina State. The Bulldogs have played a tough non-conference schedule this year that includes road losses to Michigan and Western Carolina and a neutral site loss to Auburn.
Head coach Mike Morrell returns an experienced group this season as 10 players on the team are upperclassmen. According to KenPom, the Bulldogs have the 20th-most experienced team in the country this season as the roster combines to have played an average of 2.84 years of college basketball.
Fifth-year forward Drew Pember leads the Bulldog offensive charge as he scores just over 18 points a contest, which is the second-highest mark in the Big South Conference. Pember has been a do-it-all player for Coach Morrell this season as he also leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots.
Series History
In a series that dates back to 1967, App State and UNC Asheville will meet for the 23rd time on Thursday. The Mountaineers hold the edge in the all-time series at 14-8, but the teams haven't squared off since 2002.
Coach Kerns and Coach Morrell have a bit of history as the two were once Big South Conference rivals when Kerns was the head coach at Presbyterian. Kerns has faced the Bulldogs five times in his coaching career, compiling a 3-2 record. Kerns has never lost to Morrell in his career as Presbyterian beat UNC Asheville three times in 2018, which was Morrell's first season as head coach at UNC Asheville.
No Mountaineer has ever seen the floor against the Bulldogs.
Next Up
App State will have the next nine days to prepare for their conference opener on Dec. 30, against ULM. It will mark the first game at the Holmes Convocation Center since Dec. 5, and the first time the Mountaineers have started Sun Belt Conference play at home since 2021-22. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
