BOONE, N.C – The App State Mountaineers (21-5, 11-2 SBC) are set to play the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (17-9, 9-4 SBC) at the Holmes Center on Saturday. With a win on Saturday, App State will surpass the record set by the 2002-03 team, becoming the fastest team to win 13 home games in App State history. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and is available on ESPN+.
Thursday's win over Marshall marked win No. 21 on the year for App State, tying the 1978-79 team as the fastest App State team to win 21 games in the Division I era. The win last Thursday also marked the earliest date on the calendar that App State has reached 21 wins in program history.
App State also picked up its 12th home win of the season against Marshall, marking the third year in a row that the Mountaineers have won at least 10 games at the Holmes Center and the seventh year overall in the Holmes Center era. App State is 12-0 at the Holmes Center this season, making the Mountaineers the lone remaining unbeaten team at home in the Sun Belt and one of 24 undefeated teams at home in the country.
The Mountaineers carry on with Sun Belt play on Saturday. App State is 11-2 in conference play entering Saturday, making them one of just 20 teams in NCAA Division I with 11 conference wins. With a win on Saturday, the Mountaineers will have their best 14-game start in conference play in the last 30 years at 12-2.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (RV) vs Louisiana
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Saturday, February 17 // 4:30 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
The Mountaineers defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 73-58 last Thursday at the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers held the Thundering Herd's top scorer, Obinna Anochili-Killen, to a season-low three points, on 1-14 shooting.
The Mountaineers were led by Donovan Gregory's 19 points and four assists, while also being active defensively, tallying a season-high six steals. The bench for the Mountaineers played a large contribution in the win, giving App State 22 points compared to just six from Marshall's bench. Leading the second unit was Myles Tate, who put up 12 points along with seven rebounds in Thursday's win.
The App State bigs were crucial in Thursday's win against Marshall, with Tre'Von Spillers tallying 14 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Justin Abson finished with six points, six rebounds and three blocks, along with several solid entry passes leading to open dunks.
Scouting the Mountaineers
At 21-5 and 11-2 in Sun Belt play, App State enters Saturday's battle with Louisiana as the sole leader of the Sun Belt, after a loss from conference opponent Troy. The Mountaineers are one of just 14 teams in NCAA Division I with at least 21 wins this season and are one of just 14 teams in the country to boast a winning percentage of at least 80.8 percent heading into Saturday's game.
App State has been dominant at home this season as they are the only remaining unbeaten team at home in the Sun Belt Conference. In those 12 games, the Mountaineers are averaging 83 points per contest, while outscoring their opponents by 20 points this season. The Mountaineers have scored at least 80 points in seven home contests this year, which accounts for more than half of their 80-point outings this year.
The Mountaineers hang their hat on defense as the team boasts the best scoring defense in the Sun Belt and the 43rd-lowest in the nation entering Saturday's contest, allowing just 66.5 points a game. Coming into play against Louisana, App State ranks in the top five in the conference in several defensive categories, including blocks (first), opponent field-goal percentage (first), fouls per game (first) and three-point field goal defense (fifth).
Along with suffocating defense, App State is a tremendous rebounding team. Coming into play on Saturday, the Mountaineers boast the sixth-highest rebound average in the NCAA, averaging 41.85 boards per contest. Additionally, the Black and Gold secure the defensive glass at a high rate, grabbing 30.81 defensive rebounds a game, which is the second-best mark in the country. App State has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in 15 games this season and is 16-2 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 Saturday's action, 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 15 games this season while at least two players have eclipsed double-figures in each of the last 32 games.
Scouting the Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana enters play against App State with a 17-9 record and has won nine of its last 10 games. The Ragin' Cajuns have played well on the road recently, winning four of their last five road games.
Louisiana guard Kobe Julien leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring entering Saturday, averaging an even 18 points a game. Julien has recorded at least 10 points in all but one game this season and has eclipsed 20 points nine times. Overall, the Cajuns see four players tally double-figures each night in Joe Charles, Themus Fulks and Hosana Kitenge.
The Ragin' Cajuns are coached by 2018 Sun Belt coach of the year Bob Marlin, who led them to be 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament champions. Marlin is the all-time leader in Sun Belt conference wins, at 149.
Series History
Saturday's matchup marks the 11th meeting between App State and Louisiana, with the last matchup being on Dec. 30, 2021. The Mountaineers are 2-8 all-time against Louisiana, with their last win being in 2019 when the Mountaineers defeated Louisiana 90-80.
Head coach Dustin Kerns is 0-2 against Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin in his career.
Next Up
The Mountaineers take on conference opponent Old Dominion on the road at Chartway Arena on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. This is the Mountaineers' first matchup with the Monarchs this season. Tipoff from Norfolk, Va., is set for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
