BOONE, N.C. - Following a road win at Dartmouth last Sunday, the App State men's basketball team heads back home to start a two-game homestand by facing off with the Charlotte 49ers on Friday. The game against Charlotte will mark the start of back-to-back games in which the Mountaineers will play an opponent from the state of North Carolina. Tip off from the Holmes Center is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Friday night's game will mark the Mountaineers' third game against an opponent from North Carolina this season. App State will square off with seven in-state opponents in nonconference play, the most such games in the Kerns era. Entering Friday, the Mountaineers are 2-0 against North Carolina foes this season.
App State is set to return to the Holmes Center on Friday, a place where it has won 27 of its last 31 games. In those games, the Mountaineers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 16 points a game. So far this season, App State is 2-0 at the Holmes Center, with both wins coming by at least 20 points (Carolina Univ. - 46 and N.C. Central - 22).
Not only have the Mountaineers posted a 27-4 record at home since the start of the 2023-24 season, but they have also won 11 of their last 12 nonconference home games since 2023-24. The only loss during this stretch came against Miami (Ohio) in the 2024-25 season opener. During this stretch, the Mountaineers have tallied nine victories by double digits.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Charlotte
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Friday, Nov. 21 // 6:30 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | David Jackson (PxP), John Reisterer (Color), Bob Dillner (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
In the team's first game in the state of New Hampshire in program history, App State rode a strong showing on offense to an 85-77 road victory over the Dartmouth Big Green. App State's 85 points scored against the Big Green marked the first time it has scored 80 or more points on the road since Feb. 22, 2024, at Old Dominion.
The Mountaineers posted their best shooting effort of the season in the win as they buried 52.5 percent of their shots. Although they made just six 3-pointers in the game, the Mountaineers' ability to get into the lane was crucial as they scored 50 of their 85 points in the lane.
App State saw great outings from
Kasen Jennings,
Eren Banks,
Alonzo Dodd and
Luke Wilson, as all four players finished with at least 13 points. The Mountaineers hadn't seen four players each eclipse at least 13 points in the same game since Feb. 8, 2024, against Toledo. Jennings led the charge with a game-best 21 points, his third 20-point game of the young season, while both Banks and Dodd tallied a season-best 16 points.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Friday with a 3-2 record, posting double-digit wins over Carolina University and N.C. Central and a high-scoring victory over Dartmouth last Sunday. App State's offense has shined in its wins this season as it is scoring 84.3 points per game, compared to just 59.5 points a game in its losses.
The Mountaineers have thrived offensively at home over the last two seasons, as they enter Friday's game scoring 79.5 points a game at home since the start of the 2023-24 season. The familiar confines of the Holmes Center have helped give App State a true advantage as it has posted 19 wins by double digits over the last two seasons.
Entering play on Friday, App State has crashed the offensive glass hard, giving it the second-best offensive rebounding average in the Sun Belt Conference at 13 a game. The Mountaineers have totaled at least 10 offensive rebounds in all but one of their games this season. Entering Friday, the Mountaineers see two players (
Andrin Njock and Wilson) in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in offensive rebounding.
App State's depth has been on full display entering Friday as it sees five different players who average at least seven points a game in Jennings, Banks, Wilson, Dodd and
Jalen Tot. Six different Mountaineers have posted a double-digit point game this season, which includes multiple from Jennings, Wilson and Dodd. Entering play on Friday, the Mountaineers get 27.8 points a game from their bench unit, which would be the second-highest bench points per game average in the Kerns era if the season ended today.
Scouting the 49ers
Charlotte is 2-2 on the young season, and enters play on Friday having lost each of its last two games to Virginia Tech and Davidson. Charlotte's wins have come against Indiana State and Tennessee Tech this year, with both wins coming at home.
The 49ers have a similar play style to App State as they enter play on Friday ranked 363rd in the country in adjusted tempo and 352nd in average possession length. This has led to Charlotte being the 11th-best scoring team in the American Conference entering Friday, averaging 73.3 points per contest.
Despite their slow pace of play, Charlotte is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, as it enters play with the 14th-best offensive rebound rate in the country (43.0 percent). Anton Bonke currently ranks second in the AAC in offensive rebounds a game (4.5) and ranks 14th nationally.
Series History
In what will be the first installment of a four-game series that was announced in April, the Mountaineers and 49ers will meet for the 41st time on Friday, and the first time since 2022. Friday's game in Boone will mark Charlotte's first visit to the Holmes Center since Nov. 18, 2021.
Although Kerns has never faced 49er head coach Aaron Fearne in his career, he has faced Charlotte five times, owning a 2-3 record against it.
Additionally, the Mountaineers have experience against two players on Charlotte's roster, Kylan Blackmon and Dezayne Mingo, as both were members of Sun Belt teams last season (Coastal Carolina and Marshall, respectively).
Next Up
The Mountaineers will conclude their two-game stint at home on Monday by hosting the Elon Phoenix at the Holmes Center. Tip off from Boone is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
