BOONE, N.C. – For the first time in 2024, the App State Mountaineers (13-4, 4-1 SBC) are set to play in the Holmes Convocation Center, welcoming the Georgia State Panthers (9-7,4-1 SBC) for a Sun Belt battle on Wednesday. Both teams enter play at 4-1 in Sun Belt play, making this a matchup between two of the top three teams in the conference. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State is 4-1 through its first five Sun Belt games, marking the first time that the Mountaineers have opened conference play by winning four of their first five games since joining the league in 2014. The last time App State started conference play 4-1 was 2006-07, which was also the last time an App State team opened conference play 5-1 or better.
Additionally, the Mountaineers enter play on Wednesday having won 12 of their last 14 games, which is the best 14-game stretch in a season since Buzz Williams' squad won 12 of 14 games in the 2009-10 season. App State's current 14-game stretch is one of seven instances in the last 23 years that the Mountaineers have won at least 10 games over a 14-game stretch.
Winning 13 of their first 17 games, the Mountaineers are off to their best 17-game start since Houston Fancher's squad won 13 of its first 17 games in 2006-07. The Mountaineers have won 13 of 17 games to open a season just twice since the turn of the 21st century.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Georgia State
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Wednesday, January 17 // 6:30 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 capped off its season-high four-game road trip with a statement win over James Madison, who received the third-most votes in last week's AP Poll by unranked teams and was a top-60 team in the NCAA NET rankings. Despite turning the ball over a season-high 23 times, the Mountaineers battled for a hard-fought win in one of the most anticipated games in the Sun Belt this year.
After falling behind 26-10 in the first half, James Madison worked to pull even with 12:53 and took a one-point lead in the final five minutes of the game. But
Tre'Von Spillers' put-back layup and
Myles Tate's game-sealing layup to push the margin to four would cement the road win in front of 7,761 screaming fans at Atlantic Union Bank Center.
The Mountaineers showed their might on the defensive end against the Dukes, recording eight steals and seven blocks while holding JMU 33 points below their season average and a season-low 35 percent field-goal percentage.
Justin Abson was a huge factor on the defensive end, tallying four blocks and holding premier big man T.J. Bickerstaff to a season-low six points.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers enter play against Georgia State at 13-4 and have won 12 of their last 14 games. App State is one of just three teams in the Sun Belt Conference with at least 10 wins coming into play on Wednesday.
The Mountaineer defense has been key to their success as they allow the third-lowest opponent field goal percentage in the country, the 16th-fewest points in the country and foul at the 18th-lowest clip in the country coming into play on Wednesday. The Mountaineers allow just 63.1 points a game, making them one of 37 teams in the nation that allow less than 65 points a game and one of two teams in the Sun Belt to allow less than 70 points a game.
Along with their defense, the Mountaineers close defensive possessions with defensive rebounds at one of the best clips in the country, as they enter play against Georgia State grabbing 31 defensive rebounds a game, which is the second-highest average in the nation. Overall, the Mountaineers have been one of the best rebounding teams in the NCAA as they grab 42.1 rebounds a game, good for the 12th-best mark in the nation. Spillers leads the team and is fifth in the conference, averaging 8.1 rebounds a game.
On the offensive end, the Mountaineers boast a balanced team that shoots the ball efficiently and takes care of the basketball. Coming into play on Wednesday, App State shoots 47 percent as a team from the floor, which is the second-best mark in the SBC while turning the ball over at the second-lowest clip in the conference.
Tre'Von Spillers and
Donovan Gregory lead the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 and 12.8 points respectively, which are both top-20 numbers in the SBC.
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State is 9-7 this season but comes into Wednesday's action in the High Country at 4-1 in conference play. The Panthers have won each of their last three games. The Panthers have struggled on the road this season, however, as they have lost five of their last six contests away from Atlanta.
Head coach Jonas Hayes' squad scores at a high clip, averaging 80.6 points a game, which makes the Panthers one of three teams in the Sun Belt to average at least 80 points. Two Panthers find themselves in the top 15 in the conference in scoring in Lucas Taylor and Toneari Lane. Lucas averages just under 15 points a contest, while Lane averages 13.8.
On the defensive end, the Panthers defend against the three-pointer well as opponents are shooting just 28 percent from behind the arc.
Series History
Wednesday's matchup in Boone will be the first of two contests between the Mountaineers and Panthers this season. The two teams will meet again in Atlanta on February 1. This will be the 22nd meeting between the two teams with App State holding a slight 11-10 advantage.
The Mountaineers swept last season's series, winning both games by double-digits. In last season's matchup in Boone, three current Mountaineers eclipsed double-figures in
Terence Harcum,
Donovan Gregory and
Christopher Mantis. In 36 minutes, Harcum tallied a game-high 21 points on 6-10 shooting. Mantis provided a spark off the bench, scoring 14 points on four made threes.
Coach Kerns and Georgia State head coach Jonas Hayes have met twice before with both matchups coming last season. Kerns is 2-0 against Hayes and 6-5 against Georgia State in his career. His six wins against the Panthers are his third-most wins against a current Sun Belt opponent.
Next Up
App State will welcome the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to the Holmes Center in their next contest on Saturday. It will be the Mountaineers' second meeting with Coastal Carolina in the last four games. Saturday's game will be a part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The women's game will tip off at 2 p.m. with the men's game set to start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game. App State vs. Coastal Carolina can be streamed on ESPN+.
