MONROE, La. – Wrapping up the team's season-long four-game road trip, the App State Men's Basketball team (11-8, 5-3 SBC) is set to head to Monroe, La., to square off with the ULM Warhawks (4-16, 0-7 SBC) at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Saturday. The game at ULM will mark App State's last road game until Feb. 8. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers' contest at ULM on Saturday is the final game of a season-long four-game road trip, which is the third road trip of at least four true road games in the Kerns era. In the previous two road trips consisting of four straight true road games, the Mountaineers have fared well, posting a 3-1 record in each of the previous two four-game road trips. During App State's current four-game road trip, they are 2-1.
Since the start of last season, App State is 21-5 against Sun Belt opponents. Of the team's 21 regular-season Sun Belt wins since the start of last season, 14 have come by double digits, which includes four already this season. This mark also includes six wins by at least 20 points with two of those coming this season. Since 2023-24, the Mountaineers are outscoring their Sun Belt foes by an average of 10 points a game.
App State will play its eighth of nine games in the month of January on Saturday at ULM, posting a 5-2 record thus far. In the Kerns era, App State has found great success in January, posting a 36-15 record. Since the 2021-22 season, the Mountaineers are 26-6 in January.
The Matchup
- Who: App State at ULM
- Where: Fant-Ewing Coliseum // Monroe, La.
- When: Saturday, Jan. 25 // 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Sean Fox (PxP), Mike Vining (Color)
- Listen: FLAGSHIP 97.3 (North Wilkesboro), 96.3 (Winston-Salem/Greensboro), 1350/96.1 (Asheville), 1250/103.9 (Marion), 790/93.7 (Johnson City) | Matt Present (PxP)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com
Last Time Out
Despite scratching back after going down by 13 points in the second half to make it a two-point game, cold shooting plagued the App State in Jonesboro on Thursday, helping the Sun Belt's preseason favorite Arkansas State Red Wolves to a 65-55 victory on their home floor. App State made just two 3-pointers in the contest on 27 attempts, tied for the fewest in a game this season.
App State's defense provided another strong performance against the Red Wolves, keeping the strong-shooting squad to just six 3-pointers on 26 attempts and a 36 percent mark from the field. The Mountaineers haven't let an opponent shoot better than 40 percent in each of their last six games while also extending their streak of consecutive games keeping their opponents below 40 percent from three to 18.
The trio of
Jalil Beaubrun,
CJ Huntley and
Myles Tate combined for all but one point of App State's 55 against the Red Wolves. Beaubrun tallied a season-best 19 points on 7-9 shooting, with 14 coming in the first half, while Huntley recorded his fourth 20-point game in his last five outings with 22.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Winners of five of its last six contests, App State enters Saturday's meeting with ULM with an 11-8 record and a 5-3 record in Sun Belt play. Since Jan. 2, the Mountaineers have posted two wire-to-wire wins and four wins by at least 10 points. Over the last six games, the Mountaineers are outscoring their opponents by 71 points.
Stifling defense has continued to be the story for App State this season as they enter play on Saturday with the Sun Belt's second-best scoring defense and the nation's 11th-best scoring defense, allowing just 62.4 points a game. App State hasn't let an opponent get over 70 points in each of its last 11 games, which is the longest streak in which App State has held its opponents below 70 points since it held 13 straight opponents under 70 in the 2021-22 season. Since Jan. 4, App State is allowing just 56 points a game.
The Mountaineers have been especially stellar at defending the three this season, keeping their opponents to just 133 made threes on 477 attempts, which is good for a 27.9 percent mark. App State has let just two opponents make at least 10 3-pointers against it this season and boasts the fifth-best 3-point defense in the country as of Saturday. The Mountaineers haven't let an opponent shoot over 40 percent from behind the arc since its first game of the season against Miami (Ohio) and have held 12 opponents below 30 percent from the long line entering Saturday.
One of the best duos in the conference resides in Boone, N.C., as both Tate and Huntley head into Saturday's game against the Warhawks in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Tate leads the way entering Saturday, averaging 15.5 points a game while Huntley scores 15.3 points a night, making them the only Sun Belt duo to each score at least 15 points a game as of Saturday. The last time App State had two players average at least 15 points a game over a full season was in 2018-19 when Justin Forrest and Ronshad Shabazz averaged 16.2 and 18.3 points a game.
Scouting the Warhawks
ULM comes into Saturday on a long losing streak of nine games. The team's last win came on Dec. 11 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Over their last five games, the Warhawks have lost three by double figures.
Jaden Bolden paces the ULM offense as of Saturday, scoring 12.6 points a game and adds 6.5 rebounds a game, which is the 10th-best clip in the Sun Belt. Additionally, the Warhawks boast one of the best players in the league in terms of assists in Tyreese Watson, who dishes out 3.9 dimes a game.
Warhawk alum and head coach Keith Richard boasts the most career wins of any active Sun Belt head coach with 317 while also touting the second-most Sun Belt wins all-time with 124. The 2024-25 season will be Richard's last, however, as he announced that he will retire at season's end on Dec. 20.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Warhawks are set to meet for the third consecutive season on Saturday and the first time in Monroe since Feb. 2023. The two squads matched up last year in Boone to open Sun Belt play, which saw the short-handed Mountaineers hand ULM a double-digit loss, 67-55.
App State enters play on Saturday on a four-game winning streak against the Warhawks and hasn't lost at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in the Kerns era. Head coach
Dustin Kerns is unbeaten (4-0) in his career against ULM.
In last year's meeting, the Mountaineers overcame a sluggish game from 3-point land to open Sun Belt play with a victory. Tate filled the stat sheet in the victory, tallying eight points, four rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Huntley added three points off the bench while also swatting a shot and dishing out three dimes.
Next Up
Returning to the Holmes Center for the first time since Jan. 11, App State will welcome the Old Dominion Monarchs to Boone in what will be the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. Tipoff from the Holmes Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The 2024-25 men's basketball season is presented by Foscoe Companies.
