BOONE, N.C. - Fresh off of posting a convincing win over Coastal Carolina on Thursday to open Sun Belt play, the App State men's basketball team (8-5, 1-0 SBC) will welcome the Georgia State Panthers (2-10, 0-1 SBC) to the Holmes Center for another conference test on Saturday. App State will look to start conference play 2-0 for the third time in the
Dustin Kerns era. Tip off from Boone is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
App State started Sun Belt play 1-0 for the third time in Kerns' tenure with the win on Thursday over the Chanticleers (2019-20 and 2023-24). Each time that App State has won its conference opener since 2019, it has gone on to win 10-plus games in league play (won 11 in 2019-20 and 16 in 2023-24). The Mountaineers now own a 3-4 record in Sun Belt openers since 2019.
App State is set to play its first two games of Sun Belt play in the friendly confines of the Holmes Center, marking the first time that has happened since the 2021-22 season (played Louisiana and ULM at home to open that season's conference schedule). Entering Saturday, App State has posted a 16-3 (84.2 percent winning percentage) record in the Holmes Center over its last 18 conference home games.
The Holmes Center has become one of the most daunting home venues in the Sun Belt Conference since the 2023-24 season, as App State is 30-5 over the last three seasons at home. This season, App State is 5-1 on its home floor, with four of its five wins coming by double digits. Since 2023-24, the Mountaineers have won 21 games by at least 10 points at the Holmes Center.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Georgia State
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 20 // 1 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 a game that saw nine lead changes and nine ties through the first 26 minutes of play, the App State men's basketball team dominated the final 14 minutes of the second half to post a commanding 67-49 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday to open Sun Belt play.
App State struggled to take care of the basketball early on with nine first-half turnovers, but once it cleaned up the turnovers, it embarked on a lengthy 31-13 run to close the game. The Mountaineers turned the ball over just three times in the final frame, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 67 percent from three against a stingy Chanticleer defense.
App State's rebounding was strong again on Thursday as it posted its fourth straight game with at least 40 rebounds. App State outrebounded Coastal Carolina, which came into play with the 15th-highest rebounding average in the country, by five. This mark included a 36-25 advantage on the defensive glass.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Saturday with an 8-5 record and is on a season-long four-game winning streak. App State will look to post its fifth straight victory when it hosts the Panthers on Saturday, which would mark the sixth winning streak of at least five games in the Kerns era. Entering Saturday, the Mountaineers own the second-longest active winning streak in the Sun Belt Conference (Georgia Southern - six).
The Mountaineers will play their final game at the Holmes Center in the 2025 calendar year, marking their seventh game at home this season. App State is 5-1 at home entering Saturday, with four of those wins coming by double digits. App State's offense has helped contribute to an 86 percent home winning percentage since 2023-24, as over its last 35 home games, it is scoring 79.5 points a game on its home floor. The Mountaineers have eclipsed 75 points five times this season, and three of those instances have come at the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference entering Saturday as they lead the league in scoring defense, allowing 65.6 points a game. App State has paced the conference in scoring defense each of the past four seasons, while also ranking in the top 50 in that category nationally since 2020-21. When the Mountaineers have won this season, they use their defense to do so, as they allow 58.3 points a game in wins compared to 77.4 points in losses.
Three players enter Saturday's game vs. Georgia State averaging at least 10 points in
Kasen Jennings,
Alonzo Dodd and
Luke Wilson. The trio each scored at least 19 points in the win over High Point last Sunday, which marked the second time this season that three Mountaineers eclipsed 19 points in the same game (
Andrin Njock,
Michael Marcus Jr. and
Jacari Brim vs. Virginia-Lynchburg). Both Dodd and Jennings tallied at least 19 points in Thursday's win over Coastal Carolina, while Wilson is averaging 14 points over his last four contests. Both Dodd and Jennings have scored 17 points or more in each of the last three games.
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State comes to Boone with a 2-10 record and is coming off a loss in its conference opener at Georgia Southern on Thursday. The Panthers won their game before that over Jacksonville State by four points, but they enter Saturday having dropped seven of their last eight games.
Georgia State is led offensively by Jelani Hamilton, who enters Saturday averaging 16.3 points per contest. Hamilton came back from a four-game absence on Dec. 6 against Kennesaw State, and since then, he has scored at least 19 points in back-to-back games (23 against Jacksonville State and 19 against Georgia Southern). Micah Tucker joins Hamilton in double-digit scoring averages at 11.8 per game entering Saturday.
The Panthers are among the best free-throw shooting teams in the country, as they enter play on Saturday with the 45th-highest free-throw percentage in the country (76.5 percent). Three players, Hamilton, Tucker and Malachi Brown, shoot better than 84 percent from the line entering Saturday.
Series History
App State and Georgia State are set to meet for the first of two meetings on Saturday, with the other matchup coming on Jan. 8 down in Atlanta. The two teams split last season's series, with each squad winning on its home floor.
Saturday's contest in Boone will mark the 26th meeting between the Mountaineers and Panthers, with App State owning a slight edge in the series at 14-11.
Entering Saturday, the Mountaineers have claimed a victory in five of the last six contests, and have won each of the last three meetings in Boone.
Next Up
App State is set to hit the road following an 11-day break for the holidays, traveling to Norfolk, Va., for its first road test of Sun Belt play at Old Dominion on Wednesday, Dec. 31. Tip off from Chartway Arena is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
