Game Day Primer: App State Closes 2025 With First Road Test of Conference Play

NORFOLK, Va. - Following a 10-day hiatus for the holiday season, the App State men's basketball team (8-6, 1-1 SBC) is set to take the floor for the first time since Dec. 20 at Chartway Arena to open its Sun Belt road schedule against the Old Dominion Monarchs (4-10, 1-1 SBC) on Wednesday. This will be App State's final game before the calendar flips to 2026, and the start of a season-long four-game road trip. Tip off from Norfolk, Va., is slated for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
The Mountaineers will look to secure their second win in their first three conference games against the Monarchs on Wednesday, which would mark the fifth time (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2023-24) that they would start their league schedule with a 2-1 record or better under Coach Kerns. The Mountaineers started Sun Belt play 1-0 with a win over Coastal Carolina on Dec. 18, which marked the third time in the Kerns era that App State started conference play 1-0.
 
App State will wrap up the 2025 calendar year by playing a game on New Year's Eve for the fifth time since the 2010-11 season. Over the last four games played on New Year's Eve, App State owns a 1-3 record, with the last win coming against UT Arlington back in the 2017-18 season. App State has played one game under Kerns on New Year's Eve, which came at Southern Miss in the 2022-23 season (Southern Miss won 76-70).
 
The Mountaineers are set to play their sixth and final game of December on Wednesday at Old Dominion. App State's six December games this season are tied for the second-most December games in the Kerns era. The Mountaineers will look for their fifth victory this month on Wednesday, which would match the most wins in December in the Kerns era (went 5-1 in 2023-24). 
 
The Matchup 

• Who: App State at Old Dominion
• Where: Chartway Arena // Norfolk, Va.
• When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 // 2 p.m.

 
Tune In

• Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Scott Jackson (PxP), Billy Mann (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
App State fell short to the Georgia State Panthers at the Holmes Center in their last contest. App State couldn't overcome a three-point halftime deficit and saw its season-long four-game winning streak end on its home floor.
 
The Mountaineers' offense struggled to find consistency against the Panthers, as they shot just 38.9 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point land. Georgia State took advantage of App State's cold offense, shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 33 percent from behind the arc.
 
Free throws played a huge role in deciding the game as App State missed 10 freebies on 24 attempts, while Georgia State shot 75 percent (15-20) from the charity stripe. The Panthers shot 14-18 from the free-throw line in the second half compared to App State's 10-16 clip. This proved vital late, as Georgia State made nine of their final 11 free throws in the game, which helped seal the game as the Mountaineers tried to fight back.

Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Wednesday with an 8-6 record and has won four of its last five games, which include three by double digits. App State owns a 1-1 record in Sun Belt play, which places it in a tie for fourth place in the league standings. The Mountaineers will look to start Sun Belt play with a 2-1 record or better for the fifth time in the Kerns era with a win over Old Dominion on Wednesday.
 
The Mountaineers are set to leave the borders of North Carolina for the first time since Nov. 26 on Wednesday in what will be their seventh road game of the season. App State is 2-4 away from home this season, posting wins over Dartmouth on Nov. 16 and ECU on Dec. 11. The last time App State went on the road, it allowed 54 points to the Pirates, which marked the seventh time since the start of last season that it has allowed fewer than 60 points on the road. When App State goes on the road, it relies heavily on its defense to win, as it has allowed just 65.5 points per game since the start of last season.
 
The Mountaineers continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference entering Wednesday as they lead the league in scoring defense, allowing 65.9 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 76.2 points in losses.
 
Three players enter Wednesday's game vs. Old Dominion averaging at least 10 points in Kasen Jennings (15.4), Alonzo Dodd (12.4) and Luke Wilson (10.1). The trio each scored at least 19 points in the win over High Point on Dec. 14, 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). All three players posted a double-digit point game on Dec. 20 against Georgia State, while both Jennings and Dodd tallied at least 19 points in App State's win over Coastal Carolina on Dec. 18.
 
Scouting the Monarchs
Despite owning a 4-10 record entering Wednesday's contest vs. the Mountaineers, the Monarchs, which were picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, have played the 92nd-toughest schedule in the country, according to the NCAA NET rankings. Seven of ODU's 14 games have come against either Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2 opponents this season.
 
ODU has three players who average better than 12 points per game in Ketron Shaw, Jordan Battle and LJ Thomas. Additionally, Robert Davis Jr., who was the Sun Belt's Preseason Player of the Year, averages 8.7 points per contest. Shaw, who leads the Monarchs and ranks eighth in the Sun Belt in scoring, has scored at least 19 points in each of his last three contests.
 
The Monarchs are also among the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference at defending the 3-pointer, as they rank fourth in the league in that category. According to KenPom, just 30.7 percent of their opponents' points come from beyond the arc, which is the 66th-best tally in the country entering Wednesday.
 
Series History
The Mountaineers and Monarchs are slated to meet for the first of two matchups this season on Wednesday, with the other game between the two teams coming on Jan. 17 in Boone.
 
This will be the eighth contest between App State and Old Dominion, with every game between the two teams coming since ODU joined the Sun Belt before the 2022-23 season.
 
App State owns a slight edge in the series at 4-3, but ODU has won the last two games against the Mountaineers. This includes a 61-56 win over App State in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Tournament last season, which ended App State's season.

Next Up
The Mountaineers will open 2026 by continuing their season-long four-game road trip at Marshall on Saturday. Tip off from the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.