COLUMBUS, Ohio - After posting a 2-0 homestand against Carolina Univ. and N.C. Central last week, the App State Men's Basketball team is set to travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a road matchup with B1G foe Ohio State on Tuesday. It will mark the second consecutive year that App State will face a current B1G opponent (Wisconsin - Nov. 10, 2024). Tip off from Value City Arena is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on B1G Network Plus.
Tuesday's matchup at Ohio State will mark the Mountaineers' lone game against a High-Major opponent in 2025-26, and the third game against a B1G opponent in the
Dustin Kerns era (Michigan - 2019 and Wisconsin - 2024). App State has played at least one game against an Autonomy Five opponent every season since the 1990-91 season. In the Kerns era, App State has matched up with 11 Autonomy Five programs.
The Mountaineers will look for their first win over a current B1G opponent in just under 32 years on Tuesday. App State last beat a B1G opponent on Dec. 1, 1992, when it took down Nebraska 91-82 at Varsity Gym in Boone.
With wins over Auburn and Louisville, Kerns enters Tuesday's game against Ohio State as one of just three coaches in program history with multiple Autonomy Five victories. Currently, he trails only Houston Fancher for the most High-Major wins in program history. Fancher tallied four such wins in his nine years as a head coach.
The Matchup
- Who: App State at Ohio State
- Where: Value City Arena // Columbus, Ohio
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 11 // 6:30 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (B1G Network Plus) | Harrison Hall (PxP), Mason Jarrell (Color), Gabe Eaker (Sideline)
- Listen: FLAGSHIP 97.3 (North Wilkesboro), 950 AM/92.7 FM (Greensboro), 790 AM/93.7 FM (Johnson City) | Matt Present (PxP)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com
Last Time Out
App State led from the opening tip to the final buzzer, dominating the North Carolina Central Eagles to post a 76-54 win at the Holmes Center on Sunday. App State led for 38:46 of play and jumped ahead by as many as 32 points in the game.
The Mountaineers' defense shined bright on Sunday, as they held the Eagles to 30 percent from the field (15-50) and just six 3-pointers. App State jumped out to a 20-point lead at halftime thanks to a stellar defensive showing in the first 20 minutes, holding N.C. Central to just five made field goals on 23 attempts.
App State spread the wealth on Sunday as nine different players scored a basket in the game. The Mountaineers were led by a career-best day from
Kasen Jennings, who tallied 22 points to lead all scorers. Jennings set his previous career high against Central Michigan last Monday, but bested that with another strong showing. Along with Jennings,
Andrin Njock was very good in his minutes as he netted a career-high 11 points on 4-4 shooting. Njock provided three highlight-reel dunks against the Eagles, while also being strong on the glass with seven rebounds.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Tuesday with a 2-1 record on the young season and is on a two-game winning streak. App State's 2-1 start marks its best three-game start to a season since starting 3-0 back in the 2022-23 season.
Entering play on Tuesday, App State has crashed the offensive glass hard, giving it the best offensive rebounding average in the Sun Belt Conference at 15.3 a game. The Mountaineers tallied 17 offensive rebounds in last Monday's game against the Chippewas and 18 more against the Bruins last Wednesday. The Mountaineers' 18 offensive rebounds against Carolina Univ. marked their most in a game since also tallying 18 against Georgia State on Feb. 3, 2024. The last time App State grabbed at least 17 offensive rebounds in back-to-back games was the first two games of the 2023-24 season (Oakland City and Northern Illinois). App State will look to post four straight games with 10 or more offensive rebounds to open the season for the first time since 2017-18.
Because App State's offensive rebounding rate has been so high through the first three games, second-chance points have become a major contributor to its offensive attack. Entering Tuesday, App State has scored 59 second-chance points (21 vs. Carolina Univ., 20 vs. Central Michigan and 18 against N.C. Central), good for 25.2 percent of its total points scored this season. The Mountaineers hadn't tallied back-to-back games with at least 20 second-chance points since recording 24 against Central Penn on Dec. 5, 2023, and 20 against Queens on Dec. 13, 2023.
App State has shown the ability to take care of the basketball at a high rate on the young season as they lead the Sun Belt in fewest turnovers per game entering Tuesday, averaging nine per contest. The Mountaineers have turned the ball over just 27 times through three games (nine vs. Central Michigan, 10 vs. Carolina Univ., eight vs. N.C. Central) and have won the turnover battle in each game. App State also leads the Sun Belt in assist/turnover ratio (1.63), and sees three players (Jennings,
Alonzo Dodd and
Jason Clarke Jr.) in the top 25 of the league in that category.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State enters Tuesday's game vs. the Mountaineers with a 2-0 record, posting home wins over IU Indy and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Buckeyes tallied 118 points against IU Indy to open the season, and 94 points vs. Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday.
Because of the high-scoring contests to open the season, the Buckeyes enter Tuesday's game with the ninth-highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 106 points a game. Additionally, Ohio State is shooting 64.8 percent from the field, the second-best percentage in the nation.
Buckeye senior guard Bruce Thornton enters Tuesday as the nation's leader in points per game, averaging 32 per contest. Thornton tallied 38 points in Friday's win over Purdue Fort Wayne, the highest single-game tally since Jared Sullinger scored 40 vs. IUPUI in 2010. Overall, Ohio State sees four players who score better than 14 points a game entering Tuesday in Thornton, Christoph Tilly, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal.
Series History
Although App State and Ohio State don't have a lot of history between one another, the two have met in some big games before. The two teams last squared off on Dec. 16, 2017, in Columbus, but before that, they met in the 2000 NCAA Tournament after the Mountaineers won the Southern Conference regular season and tournament title.
Ohio State owns a 2-0 lead in the series, with the Buckeyes grabbing an 80-67 win on their home floor in 2017. Kerns has never faced Ohio State in his coaching career.
Next Up
Once action concludes in Columbus on Tuesday, App State will stay on the road, traveling to square off with Ivy League opponent Dartmouth on Sunday. Tip off from Leede Arena is set for noon, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
