BOONE, N.C. – At the tail-end of its season-high four-game home stand, the App State Mountaineers (16-4, 7-1 SBC) host another nationally televised contest at the Holmes Center, welcoming James Madison (18-2, 6-2 SBC) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Mountaineers have been tough to play at home this season as they are 9-0 at the Holmes Convocation Center entering Saturday, marking the first time that an App State team has started its home schedule by winning the first nine 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 42 teams in the NCAA with an unblemished home record.
With a win against James Madison on Saturday, the Mountaineers will have eclipsed the program's best 21-game start in the last 40 years at 17-4. Additionally, App State enters Thursday's action 12 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 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference play after beating Georgia Southern last Thursday. No other App State team has ever started Sun Belt play 7-1 or better since joining the league in 2014. The last time the Mountaineers started conference play 8-1 was the 2002-03 season when Houston Fancher's squad won eight of their first nine Southern Conference games.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. James Madison
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Saturday, January 27 // 6 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: ESPN2, 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 knocked off the Georgia Southern Eagles last Thursday 84-74, stretching the App State winning streak to five while staying undefeated at the Holmes Convocation Center.
Four Mountaineers ended the game in double-figures, led by
Terence Harcum's 23 points, on 4-6 shooting from beyond the three-point line. The Mountaineers held their own in the interior, finishing the game with nine blocks as a team, three of which came from
Tre'Von Spillers.
The Mountaineers held the Eagles to 21% from beyond the three-point line, marking Thursday's matchup as the third time in the last four games that App State's opponents have shot below 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers enter Saturday's battle with the Dukes in first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and boast the second-best winning percentage in the league. App State has also won 15 of its last 17 games and is riding a five-game winning streak, which is the second winning streak of at least five 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 15th-fewest points in the country and foul at the 13th-lowest clip in the country coming into play on Saturday. The Mountaineers allow just 63.7 points a game, making them one of 33 teams in the nation that allow less than 65 points a game. App State also boasts the best blocks-per-game tally in the country entering play against James Madison, averaging 6.8 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 James Madison grabbing 31 defensive rebounds a game, which is the best average in the Sun Belt, and second-best 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 8.5 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 Saturday, 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 15.5 assists per game, which is the second-best rate in the conference. App State has recorded at least 10 assists in 12 consecutive contests.
Scouting the Dukes
The Dukes opened up the 2023-24 season winning 14 consecutive games, the first being against the then-No. 4 Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing. Before losing on the road to Southern Miss, the Dukes were one of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the NCAA. Both JMU losses have come in January.
The Dukes are led by Terrence Edwards Jr., who is averaging 16.7 points in the 20 games he has appeared in so far. The Dukes score 85.5 points a game, making the Dukes the highest-scoring team in the Sun Belt and the 10th-highest-scoring offense in the country.
It is Mark Byington's fourth year as the head coach of James Madison. Under Byington's leadership, the Dukes posted a historic season in their first year in the Sun Belt Conference, setting program records for points, rebounds, total steals and steals per game.
Series History
James Madison's visit to the Holmes Center on Saturday will be the last meeting of the season between the Mountaineers and Dukes and the 10th meeting all time. App State is currently winning the close battle against the Dukes, holding a 6-3 advantage over James Madison.
In the first meeting between the two teams, App State defeated the Dukes 59-55 in Harrisonburg, marking App State's second win this season over a team that received votes in that week's AP Poll. The Mountaineers held the Dukes to a season-low 55 points while forcing 13 turnovers.
Justin Abson played a stellar game against JMU, blocking four shots and scoring 12 points.
Head coach
Dustin Kerns is 2-1 against James Madison leading up to Saturday's matchup. This is only Kerns' second home game against James Madison in his coaching career.
Next Up
Next on App State's schedule is a road battle with conference opponent Georgia State. This is App State's second and final meeting with the Panthers this season, with App State winning 76-68 in the last meeting. Thursday's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
