Appalachian State University men’s basketball will travel to in-state foe NC State on Thursday for a showdown on ESPNU. Tipoff from inside PNC Arena is set for 7 p.m. The game will also be streamed live via the WatchESPN app.
Thursday’s contest can be heard live locally on WATA 1450 AM in Boone and Blowing Rock. It will also be carried on Appalachian State’s flagship station, WKBC 97.3 FM, as well as, WZGV 730 AM, WCOG 1320 AM, and online/worldwide on appstatesports.com and via the TuneIn app.
LAST TIME OUT • Appalachian State scored 116 points in an offensive onslaught of Montreat last Sunday.
- The Mountaineers used a 17-1 run over 2:52 in the early going to separate themselves from the Cavaliers and take a 61-31 lead into the locker room.
- App State scored 60 points in a half for the second time this season and set a season-high by shooting 60.6 percent from the field overall in the game.
- With 116 points, it marked the third time this season the Mountaineers scored at least 90 points (2-1 in those games).
- It marked the second time this season App State posted at least 25 assists with a season-high 30 on 40 made field goals.
- They also set a season-high with 16 made 3-pointers (16-for-33).
- With 17 points, Shabazz posted his 25th double-digit scoring game. Matt O’Boyle and Craig Hinton both poured in a career-high 10 points, while Kevin Kerley chipped in a career-high five points.
TOP HEADLINES AND SERIES HISTORY • Appalachian State and NC State will match up for the 13th time in program history tonight.
- The Wolfpack own an 11-1 advantage in the all time series leading up to tonight’s contest.
- App State and NC State last played during the 2013-14 campaign in the season opener on Nov. 8. The Wolfpack won decisively, 98-77.
- The Black and Gold’s lone win came in the first game of the series during the 1939-40 season – a 39-25 win for the Mountaineers.
- Appalachian State finished 18-3 that season and won a conference championship under head coach Flucie Stewart.
- Appalachian State boasts seven players who post at least 7.0 points per game this season: Ronshad Shabazz (15.3), Kelvin Robinson (8.8), Patrick Good (8.3), Tyrell Johnson (7.5), Griffin Kinney (7.4), Jake Babic (7.3) and Isaac Johnson (7.3).
- I. Johnson still leads the squad with 5.6 rebounds per game, while T. Johnson is second with 4.5 rebounds per contest.
- Last Sunday, Babic tallied his team-leading 20th assist of the season.
- With six blocks against Montreat, Jake Wilson now leads the team with 11 blocks.
- On average, the Mountaineers are outscoring (82.0-73.6), outrebounding (40.9-35.0), outshooting (.445-.427) and have committed less turnovers than their opponents.
- Appalachian carries a +5.9 rebounding margin and a +8.4 scoring margin.
- With 116 points against Montreat on Sunday, App State has scored 100+ points for the second time this season and third time under Jim Fox. (2-1 in those games).
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK • NC State enters tonight’s contest with a 7-2 overall record.
- The Wolfpack are led by Dennis Smith, Jr. who has posted 18.3 points per game. Three other players average double-digits: Terry Henderson (17.2), Torin Dorn (16.8) and Abdul-Malik Abu (11.9).
- NC State boasts a +4.0 scoring margin, but a -1.7 rebounding margin – a perceived strength of the Mountaineers this season. App State has outrebounded its opponent in six of its eight games.
- The Wolfpack shoot 47.9 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from 3-point land. They are a 69.7 percent shooting team from the charity stripe.
- Smith, Jr. leads the team with 45 assists, while Beejay Anya leads defense around the rim with a team-high 15 blocks.
- Most recently, NC State is coming off of a overtime win over Tennessee State last Friday, 67-55.
WHAT’S NEXT • The Mountaineers will close out their non-conference schedule with back-to-back home contests against James Madison (Dec. 17) and Hampton (Dec. 21).
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