BOONE, N.C. - In a matchup between two teams separated by a half game in the Sun Belt standings, the first-place App State men's basketball team will welcome the Marshall Thundering Herd, which is tied for second place in the standings, to the Holmes Center for a Thursday night showdown in the Sun Belt's game of the week. Tipoff from the Holmes Center is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Thursday's game marks the start of the Mountaineers' final homestand of the season. They will play host to Marshall on Thursday and Georgia Southern on Saturday. The Mountaineers own a 10-3 record at home this year, and will look to end its home schedule with 12 home wins, which would mark the second-most home wins in the Kerns era (won 15 home games in 2023-24).
Entering Thursday, the Mountaineers have won 35 of their last 42 games played at the Holmes Center, which is good for an 83.3 percent winning percentage. App State has won each of its last four home games entering Thursday, with two of them coming by double figures. Since 2023-24, the Mountaineers have posted 25 wins by at least 10 points at home.
App State stands two wins away from a 20-win season, which would mark its second 20-win season in the last three years (tallied a program record 27 wins in 2023-24). If App State were to get to 20 wins, it would mark the 14th 20-win season in program history. Prior to App State's 27-win season two years ago, the Mountaineers hadn't seen a 20-win season since 2009-10 (tallied 24 wins that year).
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Marshall
- Where: Holmes Convocation Center // Boone, N.C.
- When: Thursday, Feb. 19 // 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
App State's season-long seven-game winning streak ended last Saturday, as it fell 69-58 to James Madison in Harrisonburg. App State's sluggish start and a 12-2 second-half JMU run helped the Dukes close out a win on their home floor.
Despite the outcome, the Mountaineers saw a huge performance from
Luke Wilson, who posted 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Wilson helped steady App State in the first half with nine points and nine rebounds, which helped keep App State in the game when James Madison threatened to pull away early.
James Madison played one of its best defensive games of the season against App State, as the Mountaineers' 58 points were the second-fewest James Madison has allowed to a Division I opponent all season. James Madison's defense proved especially potent during its 12-2 second-half run, which allowed it to take control late in the game, as App State went 1-5 with a turnover during this stretch.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Thursday with an 18-10 record and a 10-5 record in Sun Belt play, which places it in sole possession of first place in the league standings. App State enters play against the Thundering Herd having won seven of its last eight games, and 14 of their last 19 games dating back to Dec. 3. App State is the only team in the Sun Belt Conference with 10 or more Sun Belt wins, while also being one of two Sun Belt teams with at least 18 wins overall this season (South Alabama - 19).
A huge reason why App State has won seven of its last eight games entering Thursday is due to suffocating defense. Since Jan. 22, the Mountaineers haven't allowed any of their opponents to reach 70 points (most during this stretch was 69 points at James Madison on Feb. 14). App State has held four opponents (Louisiana, ULM, Troy and South Alabama) below the 60-point threshold. Since Jan. 8, App State has kept all but one of its opponents below 70 points (Old Dominion - 75 on Jan. 17).
App State has been one of the best teams in the Sun Belt and the nation at forcing tough looks from its opponents, as it enters play on Thursday with the second-best field-goal percentage defense in the Sun Belt and the seventh-best field-goal percentage defense nationally. Opponents shoot just 38.7 percent against the Mountaineers, which makes them one of eight teams in the country to hold their opponents below 39 percent from the field entering Thursday. The Mountaineers are looking to post a top-10 field-goal percentage defense nationally for the third straight season (finished ninth in 2024-25 and third in 2023-24).
The Mountaineers are led by a trio of double-digit scorers entering Thursday in
Kasen Jennings (15.3),
Alonzo Dodd (13.6) and Wilson (10.2). Jennings enters Thursday having posted two 30-point games over his last five outings after tallying 31 at Georgia Southern on Feb. 11, while Dodd has scored at least 18 points in four straight games. Additionally,
Michael Marcus Jr. provided a spark on Feb.11 at Georgia Southern with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, which was his second 20-point, 10-rebound double-double of the year.
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Marshall enters play on Thursday just a half game back of App State in the Sun Belt standings with a 9-5 record in league play. Overall, the Herd is 17-10 and comes to Boone having posted a win in four of their last six games. Marshall is one of three teams in a tie for second place in the standings entering Thursday (Troy and South Alabama).
The Herd boasts one of the top offenses in the Sun Belt Conference entering Thursday, as they score 80 points a game in league games. Marshall is led offensively by a trio of double-digit scorers in Wyatt Fricks, Jalen Speer and Noah Otshudi, who each pour in better than 14 points per contest.
Marshall relies heavily on the 3-pointer, as coming into play on Thursday, it leads the Sun Belt in 3-pointers made per game (10.3) and 3-point percentage (36.9 percent). The Herd have shot at least 37 percent from deep and have made at least 10 long balls in each of their last three games. This includes 18 made threes against South Alabama on Monday night.
Series History
App State and Marshall are slated to meet for the second and final time of the regular season after last meeting on Jan. 3 in Huntington. The Herd survived a double-digit comeback attempt by App State in the second frame to post an 88-81 victory on their home floor.
Marshall enters Thursday's game with the edge in the series at 37-20, which includes a 3-1 advantage in games played at the Holmes Center.
App State is looking for its first win over Marshall since Feb. 24, 2024.
Next Up
The Mountaineers will wrap up their regular-season home schedule by hosting the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday is senior day at the Holmes Center, and the Mountaineers will honor their three seniors before the game. Fans are also encouraged to wear black to the game, as Saturday's contest is a Black Out. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
