BOONE, N.C. - The App State men's basketball team is set to host its final home game of the early portion of its nonconference schedule when it hosts the Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons on Wednesday. App State will host its last nonconference home game against a MAC opponent to be determined in January on Feb. 7. Tip off against the Dragons from the Holmes Center is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
With App State's win over Charlotte on Nov. 21 at the Holmes Center, head coach
Dustin Kerns sits one win away from 150 for his career. Entering Wednesday, Kerns owns a 149-121 career record, with 118 of those victories coming at App State over the last seven years. Last year, Kerns surpassed 100 career victories at App State and became the third-fastest App State head coach to reach 100 career wins when he did so. Entering Wednesday, Kerns owns the fifth-most wins in program history.
Sunday's contest at UNC Asheville marked the start of a 32-day stretch in which the Mountaineers won't leave the state of North Carolina. The next time App State will leave North Carolina is Dec. 31, when it travels to Old Dominion for its first road test in conference play. App State will play three home games during this stretch (Wednesday vs. Virginia-Lynchburg, Dec. 18 vs. Coastal Carolina and Dec. 20 against Georgia State), while also traveling to Greenville for a game on Dec. 11 against ECU and a neutral-site contest with High Point in Hickory on Dec. 14.
The Holmes Center has become one of the toughest places to play in the Sun Belt in recent history as the Mountaineers own a 28-5 record at home since the start of the 2023-24 season. Entering play on Wednesday, the Mountaineers are 3-1 at the Holmes Center this year, and have outscored their opponents by nine points per game.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Virginia-Lynchburg
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Sunday, Dec. 3 // 6:30 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Bryson Byrnes (PxP), John Reisterer (Color), Ella Snapp (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 third and final game of Feast Week for the Mountaineers, a slow start that saw them go down by 17 points just eight minutes into the game helped the UNC Asheville Bulldogs take a 67-55 win at the Harrah's Cherokee Center on Sunday. UNC Asheville led for the entire contest.
Rebounding proved vital in Sunday's loss, as UNC Asheville was physical on the glass and outrebounded App State by 11 (36-25). The Bulldogs totaled 10 offensive rebounds, which included an 8-1 edge in the first half. Additionally, UNC Asheville got to the free-throw line at a high rate, shooting 27 freebies and burying 22 of them.
App State did see its bench play well against the Bulldogs, as App State's bench outscored UNC Asheville's bench 26-4.
Michael Marcus Jr. led the Mountaineers in scoring off the bench with 13 points – his season high – and
Jalen Tot tallied eight. App State's 26 bench points on Sunday marked the third time in the last four games that the Mountaineers have totaled at least 20 points from their second unit.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Wednesday with a 4-5 record and is looking to snap a season-long three-game losing streak. App State's offense has shined in its wins this season as it is scoring 79.5 points per game, compared to just 58.8 points a game in its losses. The Mountaineers have tallied 75 or more points in three of their four wins this season.
App State enters Wednesday on a nine-game streak with at least 10 assists. This streak marks the longest to open a season in the Kerns era and the longest to open a season in the Sun Belt era. The Mountaineers have tallied 15 or more assists in two of those games (Carolina Univ. and N.C. Central). Entering Wednesday, the Mountaineers see four players who sit in the top 25 in the Sun Belt in total assists (
Alonzo Dodd - 28,
Kasen Jennings - 23,
Jason Clarke Jr. - 21 and
Eren Banks - 19).
In addition to the assist numbers, the Mountaineers have taken care of the basketball at one of the best rates in both the Sun Belt and the nation entering Wednesday. The Mountaineers carry a 9.4 turnovers per game average entering Wednesday's game vs. Virginia-Lynchburg and a 1.29 assist/turnover ratio. These marks rank second and third, respectively, in the Sun Belt entering Wednesday. The Mountaineers have turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in eight of their first nine games entering Wednesday.
App State's depth has been on full display entering Wednesday as it sees five different players who average at least seven points a game in Jennings, Banks,
Luke Wilson, Dodd and Tot. Six different Mountaineers have posted a double-digit point game this season, which includes multiple from Jennings, Wilson, Banks, Marcus Jr. and Dodd. Entering play on Wednesday, the Mountaineers get 26.1 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 Dragons
Virginia-Lynchburg enters play on Wednesday following a pair of losses to Toccoa Falls (Nov. 30) and Belmont-Abbey (Dec. 1). Wednesday's contest in Boone will mark the Dragons' fourth day in a row with a game. In addition to Sunday's and Monday's games, the Dragons will square off with Western Carolina on Tuesday before heading to the Holmes Center.
The Dragons have played every one of their 12 games this season away from home. In fact, every game Virginia-Lynchburg will play this season will come on the road. It will also be its sixth game against a North Carolina opponent this season.
Derek Todd Jr. paces the Dragons offensively entering Wednesday, averaging 11.3 points per contest. He is followed by Jacob Newman and Jarek Sasser, who score 9.7 and 8.9 points per game, respectively.
Series History
App State and Virginia-Lynchburg are set to square off for the first time on Wednesday. The Dragons, who play in the NCCAA, will mark App State's fourth time squaring off with an opponent from the NCCAA ranks.
Kerns is 3-0 in his coaching career against teams from the NCCAA, posting a win in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Wednesday's game will mark Kerns' first time coaching against Virginia-Lynchburg in his career.
Next Up
After a week off during App State's finals week, the Mountaineers will visit another in-state opponent on Thursday, Dec. 11, taking on the ECU Pirates in Greenville. That game will mark the start of a four-game series between the Mountaineers and Pirates that was announced in June. Tip off from Minges Coliseum is at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
