HANOVER, N.H. - Continuing its brief two-game road trip after a stop in Columbus last Tuesday, the App State men's basketball team is set to travel to Hanover, N.H., for a meeting with the Dartmouth Big Green on Sunday. Sunday's game will mark the first time that the two teams will meet one another. Tip off from Leede Arena is scheduled for noon, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
App State's meeting with Dartmouth on Sunday will be the first time App State will play an Ivy League school since March 17, 2010, when it took on Harvard as part of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. App State won that game vs. Harvard by 22 points.
In addition to App State's game at Dartmouth being the first game against an Ivy League school since 2010, it will also mark just the second game in program history against an Ivy League school. The Mountaineers will be the only Sun Belt team to play an Ivy League team this season.
Not only will Sunday's trip to New Hampshire mark the Mountaineers' first trip to the state in the Kerns era, it will also mark the first trip to New Hampshire in program history. Sunday's road trip will mark App State's furthest trip north since traveling to Oregon State back on Nov. 14, 2023.
The Matchup
- Who: App State at Dartmouth
- Where: Leede Arena // Hanover, N.H.
- When: Sunday, Nov. 16 // Noon
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Brett Bosse (PxP), Dave Faucher (Color)
- 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
After a fast start to go up by 12 with 8:13 to go in the first half, App State had plenty of momentum going to the halftime break. But the experienced Ohio State Buckeyes found another gear, and outscored App State 15-0 over the final five minutes to take control of the game. The Buckeyes ended up outscoring the Mountaineers by 17 in the second half and won the game 75-53 on their home floor on Tuesday.
The free-throw line played a big role on Tuesday as the Buckeyes outshot the Mountaineers 32-8 in the contest. App State saw two of its guards (
Alonzo Dodd and
Eren Banks) grab three first-half fouls, which helped Ohio State score points at the line without time coming off the clock. Ohio State's 32 free throws are the most an App State opponent has attempted in a game since Feb. 26, 2021, when Georgia Southern also attempted 32 free throws in a double overtime game.
Kasen Jennings continued his strong start to the season by pouring in a team-best 12 points, marking his fourth straight double-figure game. This streak marks his longest since tallying four straight from Nov. 14-23 of the 2021-22 season when he was a member of Kennesaw State. Additionally,
Jalen Tot tallied nine points, his Mountaineer best, and a team-best three 3-pointers.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Sunday with a 2-2 record, posting double-digit wins over Carolina University and N.C. Central. App State has been dominant in its wins this season, having never trailed in either of them. The Mountaineers haven't tallied three wire-to-wire wins through their first five games of a season in the Kerns era.
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 Sunday, averaging nine per contest. App State also sits second in the Sun Belt in assist/turnover ratio (1.50), and sees three players (Jennings, Dodd and
Jason Clarke Jr.) in the top 25 of the league in assists. App State hasn't turned the ball over more than 10 times in each of its first four games, and is looking to extend its streak to five on Sunday, which would be the first five-game streak with 10 or fewer turnovers since posting a six-game streak in the 2021-22 season.
Entering play on Sunday, App State has crashed the offensive glass hard, giving it the second-best offensive rebounding average in the Sun Belt Conference at 13.25 a game. The Mountaineers tallied 17 offensive rebounds in the season-opening game against the Chippewas and 18 more against the Bruins on Nov. 5. 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 has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds in three of its first four games entering Sunday.
Six Mountaineers enter Sunday's game vs. the Big Green averaging seven or more points in Jennings, Dodd, Banks, Tot,
Luke Wilson and
Andrin Njock. Heading into the season, Coach Kerns emphasized the depth that App State had going into the season, and that has reigned true four games into the year as the Mountaineers are averaging 30 bench points a game entering Sunday, good for the fourth-highest clip in the Sun Belt. App State has scored at least 25 bench points in three straight games.
Scouting the Big Green
Dartmouth enters Sunday's game vs. App State with a 0-2 record, having fallen to Marist at home and Bryant on the road. The Big Green are coming off a season where they clinched their first appearance in the Ivy League Tournament and their best overall and conference record since 1998-99.
Kareem Thomas has paced the Dartmouth offensive attack to begin the season, as he enters play on Sunday averaging 16 points a game. Thomas tallied a 20-point game in the season opener vs. Marist. Additionally, Brandon Mitchell-Day has tallied two double-doubles to open the year, which includes an 18-point, 15-rebound performance vs. Bryant on Wednesday.
Head coach David McLaughlin, who is in his 10th season as head coach of the Big Green, owns a career 76-145 record with Dartmouth.
Series History
App State and Dartmouth are set to meet for the first time on Sunday in what will be the first of a home-and-home series that was finalized on Sept. 24. Dartmouth will make its return trip to the Holmes Center in the 2026-27 season.
Although it's just a one-game sample size, App State will look to remain unbeaten vs. Ivy League schools when it takes the floor on Sunday.
Head coach
Dustin Kerns has never faced the Big Green or an Ivy League school in his coaching career, and no player on the roster has taken the floor against them.
Next Up
The Mountaineers will return to the Holmes Center following Sunday's game to kick off a two-game homestand against North Carolina opponents by welcoming the Charlotte 49ers to Boone on Friday. This game will mark the first of a four-game series that was announced in April. Tip off is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
