ATLANTA – For the first time since beating James Madison on Jan. 13 in Harrisonburg, the App State Mountaineers (17-4, 8-1 SBC) hit the road, starting a three-game road trip at Georgia State (9-11, 4-5 SBC) on Thursday. App State's three-game road trip will include stops in three separate cities over a seven-day stretch. Tipoff from GSU Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Fresh off an undefeated four-game homestand that included two double-digit wins over Sun Belt foes and a win over James Madison in front of a sold-out crowd and a national audience, App State was among the teams receiving votes in this week's AP and Coaches Poll. The last time App State received a vote in the AP Poll came back on Nov. 15, 2010.
The Mountaineers enter Thursday's action at Georgia State on a six-game winning streak, marking the second time this season that the Mountaineers have posted a winning streak of at least six games. The last time App State had two separate six-game winning streaks in the same season was the 2006-07 season when Houston Fancher's team recorded two winning streaks of at least seven games. App State's current six-game streak is the longest active win streak in the SBC.
In addition to the Mountaineers' historic start to the season, the Black and Gold enter play on Thursday at 13 games over .500, marking the first time since 2006-07 that a Mountaineer team has been 13 games over .500 at any point in a season. The last time an App State team was even 10 games over .500 was 2009-10 when Buzz Peterson's squad finished the year 11 games over the .500 mark.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (RV) at Georgia State
- Where: GSU Convocation Center // Atlanta, Ga.
- When: Thursday, February 1 // 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
The Mountaineers completed the season sweep of James Madison last Saturday, beating the Dukes 82-76 in front of 8,052 fans and a national audience. Saturday's attendance number marked the fifth-largest crowd in program history and the third-largest crowd in the Holmes Center era.
App State led for all but 2:45 on Saturday and led by as much as 12 points. Despite a late run by the Dukes to make things interesting near the end of the contest, App State's solid free-throw shooting helped seal the deal as the final 15 Mountaineer points came from the charity stripe.
Four Mountaineers reached double-digits against the Dukes, but it was
Justin Abson on the defensive end who stole the show. The sophomore forward swatted away eight shots in the game, tying the App State single-game record for blocks in a game that was set by both Ricky Nedd and Jeremy Clayton. Abson's eight-block performance is the third-most blocks in a single game by any player in Division I this season.
Scouting the Mountaineers
At 17-4 and 8-1 in Sun Belt play, App State enters Thursday's battle with Georgia State in sole possession of first place in the conference and has won 16 of its last 18 games. The Mountaineers are one of just 17 teams in NCAA Division I with 17 wins this season and are one of just 28 teams in the country to boast a winning percentage of at least 80 percent heading into Thursday's games.
App State hangs its hat on its defense as it enters play against the Panthers allowing just 64.3 points per contest, which is the lowest mark in the Sun Belt and the 24th-lowest in the nation. The Mountaineers sit in the top 15 nationally in several defensive categories, including blocks (1st), opponent field-goal percentage (2nd), opponent three-point field-goal percentage (11th) and fouls per game (15th). Only Houston owns a better opponent field-goal percentage mark than App State this season as opponents are shooting just 37 percent against the Mountaineers.
Along with suffocating defense, App State is a tremendous rebounding team. Coming into play on Thursday, the Mountaineers boast the sixth-highest rebound average in the NCAA, averaging 42.4 boards per contest. Additionally, the Black and Gold secure the defensive glass at a high rate, grabbing 31 defensive rebounds a game, which is the second-best mark in the country. App State has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in 14 games this season and is 13-2 when it outrebounds its opponent.
On the offensive side, App State owns a deep team that shoots the ball efficiently and shares the basketball at a high rate. Entering Thursday's game, the Mountaineers have seen 11 different players score in double-figures in a game this season, which means that 85 percent of the active roster has scored in double-figures in a game this season. At least nine players have recorded a basket in 13 games this season while the team averages 29 bench points a game, good for the 22nd-best mark in the country.
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State enters play against App State at 9-11 and has lost each of its last four games. Despite the recent struggles, the Panthers have played well at home as they are 6-1 at the GSU Convocation Center and have won each of their previous five home games. In their last five home games, the Panthers have won three by double-digits, including a 28-point win against in-state foe Georgia Southern.
The Panthers boast one of the best offenses in the Sun Belt, scoring just over 78 points a game. Georgia State has scored at least 70 points in 14 games this season. Three players enter Thursday's action averaging double-figures in Lucas Taylor, Toneari Lane and Dwon Odom. Last week, Odom notched a career-high 30 points against Coastal Carolina and a 21-point night against Marshall, giving him a 26.5 point-per-game average over his last two games.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Panthers will meet for the 23rd time on Thursday and the second time this season. Back on Jan. 17, the Mountaineers opened their season-high four-game homestand with a 76-68 win over the Panthers, marking the third win in a row for App State over Georgia State. Overall, App State and Georgia State have played a tight series with the Mountaineers holding a 12-10 advantage.
App State's newcomers shined in the eight-point home win in Boone two weeks ago.
Tre'Von Spillers posted his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and grabbing a season-high 13 rebounds, while
Myles Tate netted 15 points and dished out a season-high six assists. The two combined to score 18 of App State's final 23 points to help quell Georgia State's furious second-half comeback and secure the win.
Coach Kerns is 7-5 against the Panthers in his career and 1-0 against Panther head coach Jonas Hayes. Kerns' seven wins against Georgia State marks his third-most wins against a single opponent in his head coaching career.
Next Up
The Mountaineers will head Southeast approximately 209 miles to take on Georgia Southern in Statesboro on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
