BOONE, N.C. – The App State Mountaineers (9-3) take the floor for one final time in 2023 on Saturday when they welcome the ULM Warhawks (4-6) to the Holmes Convocation Center in the team's Sun Belt Conference opener. Saturday's contest will mark the first time since the 2021-22 season that App State will open conference play at home. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers have opened conference play at home just twice under Coach Kerns. The Mountaineers are 1-4 in Sun Belt home openers under Kerns with the lone win coming last January when App State defeated the Chanticleers by one point. App State will look to start 1-0 in the Sun Belt for just the fifth time since 2010 on Saturday.
The Black & Gold enter conference play at 9-3, which is the team's best record entering conference play as a member of the league. Furthermore, the Mountaineers are off to their best 12-game start since the 2006-07 season when Houston Fancher's squad started the season by winning nine of their first 12 contests.
Coach Kerns' squad will also look for their 10th win before the turn of the new year on Saturday against ULM. The last time App State won 10 games before the calendar flipped to the new year was also in 2006-07 when the Black & Gold won 11 games before Dec. 31.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. ULM
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Saturday, December 30 // 1 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
App State fell 63-76 against UNC Asheville in its last contest in the team's first trip to Hickory, N.C., since 1977. It was the Mountaineers' first loss in 37 days.
Two Mountaineers notched double-figure nights against the Bulldogs in
Donovan Gregory and
Tre'Von Spillers. Spillers continued his great play as a member of the starting lineup as he recorded his fourth-straight double-digit scoring night. The JUCO transfer already has nine games this season where he has scored at least 10 points.
The Mountaineers couldn't find their rhythm offensively against UNC Asheville as they only made three three-pointers for the game. On the other side, the Bulldogs saw a record-breaking performance by senior guard Josh Banks, who tallied a career-high 33 points on 10 made three-pointers.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Despite the loss to close the early portion of their non-conference schedule, the Mountaineers enter Sun Belt Conference play having won eight of their last nine games. App State has held at least a 10-point lead in every win this season and have posted eight double-digit victories, which is the most in the Sun Belt.
App State plays a complementary style of basketball as they boast the 28th-largest scoring margin in the country at 15.6 The Mountaineers pair the lowest-scoring defense with the fourth-highest scoring offense in the Sun Belt, scoring 79.6 points a game. Furthermore, the Mountaineers come into play on Saturday with the second-lowest opponent field goal percentage in the nation as they are holding opponents to just 35 percent from the field.
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 eight of the 12 games to start the season.
Donovan Gregory and
Tre'Von Spillers lead the way offensively, combining to average 26.4 points a night. App State also sees four other players average at least seven points a game.
Defensively, the Mountaineers are one of the nation's best teams at blocking shots this season, averaging 6.8 blocks per game, which is the third-highest mark in the nation. App State currently has two players in the top three in the Sun Belt Conference in blocked shots in
Justin Abson (32) and
Tre'Von Spillers (20). Abson and Spillers are two of just three Sun Belt players to have posted 20 blocks coming into play on Saturday.
Scouting the Warhawks
The Warhawks come into conference play at 4-6 on the season and have lost each of their last three games. ULM has beaten just two Division I opponents this season in Central Michigan as part of the SBC/MAC Challenge and Northwestern State.
ULM is one of the best teams in the country at offensive rebounding as the team grabs 14 extra chances a night, which is the 18th-highest tally in the nation. Additionally, the Warhawks carry a deep team with five players who average at least eight points a game. Nika Metskhvarishvili paces the team offensively, scoring 10.7 points per contest.
Head coach Keith Richard is in his 14th season at his alma mater and has led the Warhawks to 156 wins in his career. Historically, ULM has been a tough conference foe under Richard as he has led the team to 85 conference wins and four postseason appearances.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Warhawks are set to renew a series darting back to 2015 on Saturday. Historically, the two teams have matched up well with one another as each team has won six games in the series. The Mountaineers have dominated the series in recent history, however, winning each of the last three matchups.
In a low-scoring affair, the Mountaineers won last year's contest against ULM 52-45 in Monroe, La. It was the first time that App State traveled to ULM since 2020.
CJ Huntley led the Black & Gold in scoring against the Warhawks last February with 11 points.
Head coach
Dustin Kerns has never lost to ULM and head coach Keith Richard in his career.
Next Up
The Mountaineers will start a season-high four-game road trip after play concludes on Saturday, starting in Mobile, Ala., where they will face the South Alabama Jaguars on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
