BOONE, N.C. – At the midway point of its season-high four-game home stand, the App State Mountaineers (15-4, 6-1 SBC) host a longtime rival at the Holmes Center in Georgia Southern (4-15, 4-3 SBC) on Thursday. The Mountaineers will wear their black jerseys as part of their "Black Out" game. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the Holmes Center. Thursday's game will also be App State's Coaches vs. Cancer game. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers have been tough to play at home this season as they are 8-0 at the Holmes Convocation Center entering Thursday, marking the first time that an App State team has started its home schedule by winning the first eight games since the 2002-03 squad won its first 12 home games. The Mountaineers are the lone remaining unbeaten team at home in the Sun Belt Conference and one of just 46 teams in the NCAA with an unblemished home record.
With a win against Georgia Southern on Thursday, the Mountaineers will have matched the program's best 20-game start in the last 40 years at 16-4. The last time an App State team won 16 of its first 20 games was in 1988-89. Additionally, App State enters Thursday's action 11 games over .500, which is the first time since 2010-11 that the Mountaineers have been at least 10 games over .500 at any point in a season.
For the first time since 2002-03, the Black and Gold are 6-1 in Sun Belt Conference play after beating Coastal Carolina last Saturday. No other App State team has ever started Sun Belt play 6-1 or better since joining the league in 2014. The last time the Mountaineers started conference play 7-1 or better was the 2002-03 season when Houston Fancher's squad won eight of its first nine conference games.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Georgia Southern
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Thursday, January 25 // 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 throttled the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers last Saturday 88-59, marking the second-largest margin of victory for App State over a current Sun Belt opponent. For the season, App State outscored Coastal Carolina by 54 points.
Six Mountaineers reached double-figures against the Chanticleers, led by Sun Belt Player of the Week
Tre'Von Spillers' 18 points.
Jordan Marsh,
Christopher Mantis and
CJ Huntley each recorded double-digit games last Saturday off the bench, while three of the five starters reached the 10-point threshold as well.
The Mountaineers held the Chanticleers to just 36 percent shooting last Saturday, marking the fifth straight game that the Mountaineer defense has held its opponent below a 40 percent field goal percentage.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers enter Thursday's battle with the Eagles in first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and boast the second-best winning percentage in the league. App State has also won 14 of its last 16 games and is riding a four-game winning streak, which is the second winning streak of at least four games this season.
The Mountaineer defense has been vital to their success this season as they allow the second-lowest opponent field goal percentage in the country, the 12th-fewest points in the country and foul at the 10th-lowest clip in the country coming into play on Thursday. The Mountaineers allow just 63.2 points a game, making them one of 35 teams in the nation that allow less than 65 points a game. App State also boasts the second-best blocks-per-game tally in the country entering play against Georgia Southern, averaging 6.7 swats per contest.
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 Southern grabbing 31 defensive rebounds a game, which is the best average in the nation. Overall, the Mountaineers have been one of the best rebounding teams in the NCAA as they grab 42.5 rebounds a game, good for the sixth-best mark in the nation. Spillers leads the team and is sixth in the conference, averaging 8.4 rebounds a game.
On the offensive end, the Mountaineers boast a balanced team that shoots the ball efficiently and shares the ball effectively. Coming into play on Thursday, App State is shooting 47 percent as a team from the floor, which is the second-best mark in the SBC, and have shot greater than 50 percent from the floor as a team eight times this season. Additionally, the Mountaineers dish out 15.7 assists per game, which is the second-best rate in the league. App State has recorded at least 10 assists in 11 consecutive contests.
Scouting the Eagles
After a 12-game winless streak to begin the season, the Eagles have been one of the better teams in the Sun Belt to open conference play as they have won four of their first seven Sun Belt matchups. Overall, Georgia Southern is 4-15 this season and has won each of its last two contests.
The Eagles rely on Tyren Moore to jump-start their offensive production, as Moore is the lone player to average double-figures for Georgia Southern. Moore is scoring 14.8 points a game coming into play on Thursday, which is the ninth-highest average in the Sun Belt.
Georgia Southern head coach Charlie Henry is in his first season at the helm of the program after spending the previous four years as an assistant under Nate Oates at Alabama. It is his first collegiate head-coaching gig.
Series History
Georgia Southern's visit to the Holmes Center on Thursday will be the first of two meetings between the Mountaineers and Eagles this season and the 62nd meeting all time. App State holds the edge in the series 34-27 and has won eight of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2020.
The Eagles swept the season series last year. In the 2022-23 regular-season finale against Georgia Southern, two current Mountaineers eclipsed the 10-point threshold in
CJ Huntley and
Donovan Gregory. Huntley paced the Mountaineer offense with 14 points on 5-8 shooting.
Head coach
Dustin Kerns is 8-3 in his career against the Eagles, which is his most wins against a single opponent as a head coach. Thursday's contest will mark the first meeting between Kerns and Eagle head coach Charlie Henry.
Next Up
App State's highly anticipated nationally televised home bout with James Madison is next on its schedule. The first 500 students in the arena will receive a free replica jersey. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on ESPN2.
