App State Men’s Basketball Hosts Old Dominion in Saturday Matinee

Image Courtesy Of App State Facebook

After opening its four-game homestand with a dominant performance, the App State men’s basketball team (11-8, 4-3 SBC) welcomes Old Dominion (5-14, 2-5 SBC) to the Holmes Center for a 1 p.m. Saturday matchup on ESPN+. This marks the second and final regular-season meeting, following App State’s 81-73 victory in Norfolk on Dec. 31.

Home Dominance

App State posted its fifth double-digit home win Thursday with an 80-65 victory over James Madison. The Mountaineers have won six home games this season by an average of 32 points and need just one more double-digit home victory to match last season’s total of six.

App State has won 31 of its last 37 home games since the start of 2023-24, outscoring opponents by an average of 15.9 points. Thursday’s 15-point victory was the Mountaineers’ fifth home win of at least 15 points this season, the most since totaling seven in 2023-24.

App State leads all Sun Belt teams with 69 conference wins since 2019, three ahead of South Alabama (66). Under Coach Dustin Kerns, the Mountaineers have posted four 10-win Sun Belt seasons, the most in a six-year span since 2006-12.

Last Time Out

App State raced to a 12-0 lead in less than three minutes Thursday and never trailed in an 80-65 wire-to-wire victory over James Madison. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Dukes 38-31, with Alonzo Dodd (10), Luke Wilson (nine), and Michael Marcus Jr. (nine) each grabbing at least nine boards. Dodd’s 10 rebounds paired with 23 points gave him his first career double-double.

Kasen Jennings scored a career-high 23 points and reached 1,000 career collegiate points at the 3:38 mark of the second half. The graduate guard had five first-half points but exploded for 18 in the second half.

Current Form

App State has won seven of its last 10 games, including four by double digits. Since the 2023-24 regular-season championship, the Mountaineers are 30-13 (.700) in conference play, allowing just 64.6 points per game over the last 43 Sun Belt games.

Offensive rebounding ranks as a team strength, with App State third in the Sun Belt (12.4 per game). The Mountaineers have grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in five straight games. Marcus Jr. (3.0) ranks first in the conference in offensive rebounding, while Wilson (2.2) is tied for seventh.

Three players average double figures: Jennings (14.6), Dodd (12.9), and Wilson (10.6). Jennings and Dodd both scored 23 points Thursday, marking the first time this season two Mountaineers exceeded 23 points in the same game. Dodd averages 16 points in Sun Belt play (15th in the league) and has scored at least 20 in back-to-back games.

Scouting Old Dominion

The Monarchs have lost consecutive three-point games to James Madison and Georgia Southern. Four players average double figures: Ketron Shaw (16.0), Jordan Battle, LJ Thomas, and Robert Davis Jr. Shaw ranks eighth in the Sun Belt and has scored in double figures in all but one game.

Old Dominion ranks 11th in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (77.5 points per game) and has allowed 80-plus points nine times.

Series History

App State leads the all-time series 5-3 and has won four of the last six meetings. The Mountaineers shot 53.7 percent on Dec. 31, their highest mark against a Division I opponent this season.

Up Next

App State hosts Louisiana on Thursday at 6:30p.m., its first matchup against a Sun Belt West team. The game airs on ESPN+.