ATLANTA - Continuing its season-long four-game road swing, the App State men's basketball team is set for a rematch with the Georgia State Panthers, with this matchup coming in Atlanta on Thursday. Thursday's contest will mark App State's second of three trips to the state of Georgia this season (Mercer on Nov. 26 and Georgia Southern on Feb. 11). Tip off from the GSU Convocation Center is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers will look to start their Sun Belt road schedule with two wins in their first three road games for the third straight season on Thursday. App State has started 2-1 in Sun Belt road games four previous times under Kerns (2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25). Each time that App State has started its road schedule with a 2-1 record or better, it has gone on to win at least 10 league games.
The Mountaineers enter Thursday's contest at Georgia State with the most conference wins of any other team in the Sun Belt Conference since 2019, boasting 67 wins, which is three clear of the next closest team (South Alabama - 64). Since
Dustin Kerns took over the program before the 2019 season, the Mountaineers have totaled four 10-win seasons in Sun Belt play, which are the most in six years since 2006-12 (also achieved four in those six seasons).
Last Saturday's game at Marshall opened App State's January schedule. The team will play nine games in January, tied for the most games in a single month this season (also played nine in November). Under Kerns, the Mountaineers have been great in January, as they own a 37-17 record since 2019 in January (69.8 percent winning percentage). Kerns' 37 wins in his App State career in January mark his most in a month as App State's head coach, and are nine clear of his next-highest tally (28 in November).
The Matchup
- Who: App State at Georgia State
- Where: GSU Convocation Center // Atlanta, Ga.
- When: Thursday, Jan. 8 // 7 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Dave Cohen (PxP), Rodney Turner (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
Despite trailing by 17 points early in the second half, App State fought back to cut its once double-digit deficit down to two points with two minutes to play in the game after embarking on an extended 32-16 run. But Marshall remained calm and closed out an 88-81 win with a late 9-1 run on its home floor on Saturday.
Marshall's high-powered offense, which averaged the fourth-most points in the Sun Belt Conference entering the game, got off to a strong start on Saturday, as it scored 44 first-half points against App State's strong defense. The Herd's 44 points in the opening frame marked the most that an App State opponent has scored in a first half this season. This helped Marshall to a double-digit halftime advantage, which was ultimately too much for App State to overcome.
Despite the outcome, the Mountaineers saw huge performances from
Michael Marcus Jr.,
Jason Clarke Jr. and
Luke Wilson against Marshall, as the trio combined to score 51 points. Marcus Jr., who tallied a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double on Dec. 31, set his new career high with 21 points against Marshall on 50 percent shooting from the field. Wilson matched his career high with 19 points and pulled in nine rebounds, while Clarke Jr. set his career high with 11 points on 4-5 shooting. Clarke Jr.'s 11 points marked the first time he has eclipsed double figures in his career.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Thursday with a 9-7 record and has won five of its last seven games, which include three by double digits. App State owns a 2-2 record in Sun Belt play, which places it in a tie for sixth place in the league standings. App State will look for its second Sun Belt road win in its first three games for the third consecutive season when the ball tips on Thursday in Atlanta.
The Mountaineers will play their eighth road game of the season when action starts against Georgia State on Thursday. App State is 3-5 in road games this season, posting wins over Dartmouth on Nov. 16, ECU on Dec. 11 and Old Dominion on Dec. 31. App State enters Thursday having won three of its last four games away from home. When App State goes on the road, it relies heavily on its defense to win, as it is allowing 68 points a game in its road wins this season, and has kept its opponents to 60 or fewer points seven times on the road since the start of last season, which includes one instance this year (ECU on Dec. 11).
App State has been one of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference at forcing tough looks from its opponents, as it enters play on Thursday with the third-best field-goal percentage defense in the Sun Belt Conference and the 31st-best field-goal percentage defense nationally. Through the last seven games, the Mountaineers' opponents are shooting 160/430 (37.2 percent) and have shot better than 36 percent three times (Georgia State on Dec. 20, Old Dominion on Dec. 31 and Marshall on Jan. 3). App State has allowed just three of its last 11 opponents to shoot better than 43 percent from the field (Marshall on Jan. 3, Georgia State on Dec. 20 and Elon on Nov. 24).
Three players enter Thursday's game at Georgia State averaging at least 10 points in
Kasen Jennings (14.6),
Alonzo Dodd (12.2) and Wilson (10.7). Wilson and Dodd have been especially hot over the last seven games, as Dodd is averaging 15.7 points per game, while Wilson is scoring 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest since Dec. 3.
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State enters Thursday's matchup with the Mountaineers with a 5-11 record on the season and a 2-2 mark in Sun Belt play. The Panthers defeated Coastal Carolina last Saturday in Conway by 18 points, which capped a stretch of four straight Sun Belt games on the road.
The Panthers turned a nine-point halftime deficit into an 18-point win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday thanks in large part to a historic second half from the 3-point line. 93 percent (14-15) of the Panthers' second-half 3-pointers fell, which included a streak of 11 straight at one point, which fell three short of the NCAA record of 14. The Panthers tallied 64 second-half points against the Chanticleers, the seventh-most points they have scored in a half in program history.
Jelani Hamilton enters Thursday as the Sun Belt's leading scorer, netting 17.5 points per game. Hamilton totaled 22 points against the Chanticleers on Saturday and has scored at least 15 points in each of his last six outings.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Panthers are set to meet for the second time in the last 19 days on Thursday after squaring off in Boone for the first time this season on Dec. 20. Georgia State took home a 70-63 win on Dec. 20, taking a slim halftime lead and extending that with a 39-point second half to secure a victory.
Georgia State enters Thursday's contest having won each of the last two games against the Mountaineers, but App State has won five of the last seven in the series.
Thursday's contest will be the 27th meeting all-time between the two programs, with App State holding a slight 14-12 edge in the overall series.
Next Up
The Mountaineers will close out their season-long four-game road trip with a visit to the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., to take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday. This will be the second and final regular-season matchup between App State and Coastal Carolina. Tip off is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
