Appalachian Basketball @ Furman

Last time out, Appalachian fell hard in a huge loss at Ohio by a 73-47 count. You can count on one finger the number of Mountaineers that played well. Tommy Spagnola led the Mountaineers with 11 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing the double-double in thirty-one minutes of action. Starting point guard Frank Eaves could not have played any worse. Eaves was 2-12 from the floor, including misfiring on all four of his three points attempts, while also leading the team with four turnovers compared to just two assists. Surprisingly, Tab Hamilton was ruled out of the game, and his playing time is doubt until his eligibility is straightened out due to playing too many games in a summer league.

Ohio was favored by ten points and covered the spread easily. We expected the Bobcats to cover and they did. Appalachian is 0-1 against the spread on the season and we are 1-0 with our picks.

Tonight, Appalachian faces Furman in Greenville, SC. I still do not understand why this game was scheduled, against a former SoCon opponent, nor do I understand why its being played in Greenville. The Paladins were drilled in their first game of the season, 75-40, by College of Charleston, but were without last years leading scorer in Stephen Croone who sat out due to a concussion.

This could be an ugly game tonight. Neither team was able to shoot the ball very well in their season opener. The Mountaineers slashed 33/25/44 (field goals/three pointers/free throws) while Furman countered with a 24/17/51. For those counting, thats not good. Furman has always played Appalachian tough in auditorium that is Timmons Arena. The Paladins are 2.5 point favorite, which is basically home court. However, I believe this number favors the Mountaineers slightly. I like the line better at three points, but I’ll take App at +2.5.

Elon @ Men’s Basketball

7:57 AM: Elon is favored by a whopping three points today over App. The Mountaineers covered a double digit spread on the road earlier this year at Elon.

The Phoenix dropped two in a row in the Western swing in conference play recently, at Sammie and Chatty. Elon won over WCU on Thursday.

Elon is 6-20 ATS on Saturdays it’s last three seasons, while the Apps are shockingly 15-8 ATS. Elon usually doesn’t play well in Boone.

@bigCasu: Elon has only won once in Boone since they joined the SoCon. Will Capel’s crew
break another dubious stat line today with a loss?

1:29 PM: Official pick, Elon -3.

Post game: App had on their best shooting performances for the season on Saturday, but Elon shot better in all three categories to hang on for a seven point win. It was enough to cover the minuscule three point spread. It was our second straight win on the season. Next up is The Citadel at home on Thursday, where I expect close to a double digit spread in favor of the Apps.

Men’s Basketball @ The Citadel

7:37 AM: App Basketball @ The Citadel tonight and the Mountaineers are a one point favorite. Lines haven’t moved lately. Leaning Citadel at home.

1:17 PM: We have movement. App now favored by 1.5 at El Cit tonight. Capel, nor any player on roster has beaten the Citadel in their careers.

5:58 PM: Citadel is 6-8 ATS this season but has not been this slight of an underdog all season long. Meanwhile, App covered in its last game where it was a 2 point favorite at home against Georgia Southern. The Citadel has mostly been a huge underdog this season, part of the reasoning for many of their covers. This an Appalachian play for some reason. Don’t like it, but that will be the pick.

9:00 PM: Apps win their second game of the year with a 80-67 tally over The Citadel. Apps easily cover the spread, and we were correct with our pick.

Chattanooga @ Men’s Basketball

7:11 AM: Appalachian has opened as a three point favorite tonight. Vegas must believe home court matters in a series where thirteen straight games in this series have been won by the home team. Appalachian’s overall record is 4-12, but still has not recorded a victory over a D1 team. Chattanooga is a different team, with a new style and head coach. The Mocs have yet to lose a game in conference play (4-0), and are 10-8 overall. The Mocs have a tougher than advertised inside game which should the Mountaineers fits. Tevin Baskin will play fewer than normal minutes according to Jason Capel, which we feel is a huge mistake. This line might move, but it won’t be enough to change my mind. Chattanooga is the pick here at +3.

The Mocs rolled to any easy cover as Appalachian could not hold an early ten point lead. We pick up a somewhat big upset W on the year.

UNC-Greensboro @ Men’s Basketball

7:15 AM: First look at tonight’s spread between App and UNCG, favored the Mountaineers by 3, which is now moved to 4. As of now, would consider App at 3, and hesitate at 4. Generally this wouldn’t be a game where you would make your play moments before tipoff.

10:26 PM: The spread never moved throughout the day. Somehow the oddsmakers thought App should get their first Division 1 win of the season on this night. The experts don’t know this team like I do. My official pick was made on twitter shortly after 5pm. Despite UNCG winning only one road game this season, I took the road team and the points. UNCG went on to grab at 66-60 SU ATS win. App is now 0-11 against D1 schools and App drops to 1-6 ATS. I will tabulate my wins tomorrow. Feel positive I am over .500 on the season. I expect a big 16 or 17 point spread against Davidson.

Men’s Basketball @ Elon

6:49 AM: Elon is a 14 point favorite tonight, but the Phoenix are only 4-7 ATS the spread this year. #AppStateBBall

1:10 PM: App/Elon spread stands at 14. Not likely to move with a team, (App), involved that has yet to cover in any lined games (0-5). Sneaky gut feeling that App might cover tonight.

6:16 PM: Point spread has dropped to 13 tonight for App & Elon. Kind of what I expected. Has to turn around eventually. I’ll take the Apps to cover despite losing a point from earlier today.

9:03 PM: Apps lose 75-66 after trailing by 15 at halftime. Largest deficit was twenty points. Canty scored twenty points and Baskin added 19. My instincts were correct. Elon falls to 4-8 ATS and App covers for the first time this year. Improves to 1-5 ATS.

Men’s Basketball @ Georgia

7:08am: #AppStateMBB is getting 12 points today down in Athens with no word on the status of Mike Neal. At least none that we have seen.

Georgia has four players scoring in double figures this season and their only win was over Wofford, while losing to Davidson.

7:16am: I think this line could move a half point before tip. Not a lot of NCAA games on the card today. Right now, I am leaning toward a UGA cover

10:44am: #APPvsUGA spread has dropped to 11.5. As I expected it to do. Could see it go to 11, but I don’t think it moves more than that.

10:52am: #AppStateMBB is 13-4 ATS as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points since 1997.

3:40pm: Line hasn’t moved this afternoon off of 11.5. Money line payouts haven’t budged either. #APPvsUGA #ncaabb

4:47pm: Late money coming in on Georgia pushes the line back to 12. That’s going to be my pick, for Georgia to cover the spread.

Men’s Basketball Season Review

When the Mountaineers learned they would be without the services of starting point guard Mike Neal until the beginning of the spring semester, many critics feared the Mountaineers would fall short of their already low expectations. For the most part, they were correct, as Appalachian started the season very slowly, not really beating anyone until a surprising road win at UMKC. The win was uplifting at the time, because it was an actual win, and not a loss. The Roos went on to finish the season with a 8-24 record. The following game, Appalachian went down to Columbia to face South Carolina, and played well, but lost by five points to a team that would eventually finish the season 14-18 and only won four conference games in a down year in the SEC.

Once conference season began in full force, Appalachian knew it would be in a dog fight for top seed in the conference tourney with two other teams. Appalachian opened January with three conference wins over Wofford, Elon and UNCG. Then the Mountaineers starting showing signs of what the theme of the season would end up being. When Appalachian plays their best, they can be pretty decent, and when they play their worst, it can be really bad. The problem, was that there was a big gap between the good App team and the bad one.

The western road swing began with an overtime collapse at Chattanooga. Appalachian held a big lead late in the game and allowed the Mocs to force overtime and eventually win. That was followed by a close loss at Samford to a very hot shooting team. That was followed by another game against Georgia Southern where the Mountaineers let a big lead evaporate, but was able to pull out the win in overtime. The next two games were losses to Davidson who was superior to Appalachian in the regular season, and Charleston, where Applachian lost another lead and gave way to the Cougars.

For the rest of the season, the Mountaineers beat everyone they should have, and lost to the same type of teams. Appalachian beat Georgia Southern again in overtime, blew another lead on the road at Elon before dropping a game to The Citadel at home where the Mountaineers were totally out of it from a mental standpoint.

However, the season came down to the last weekend, with a chance to win the four seed in the conference tournament with two wins. Appalachian snuffed out a double overtime win over Samford and then played their best game of the season in the home finale over Chattanooga.

In the conference tournament, Appalachian handled Furman, who upset Samford in the 5/12 game and gave Davidson a good scare in the semifinals. Davidson went on to win the conference tournament as Appalachian said farewell to Nathan Healy and Jamaal Trice.

The Mountaineers finished 15-16 on the season, winning ten home games, and losing eleven on the road. Jason Capel has basically been assured he will fill out his first coaching contract, but will need to earn a second contract next season. He will be a lame duck coach unless Charlie Cobb grants him a short extension just to ensure an easier path on the recruiting trail.

Healy was the biggest surprise of the season. The former walk-on turned himself into an all-conference player and defensive player of the year. Healy led the team in scoring (14.5), rebounding (7.7), steals (59), and blocks (45). Healy played more minutes, hit more field goals and three pointers, and shot better from the free throw line than any other player on the team.

Jamaal Trice was sick for most of the season from various ailments. Despite that, Trice hit 35 three pointers, shooting 41% from behind the arc, and averaged seven points per game. Trice started seven games and was instrumental to the team down the stretch in the last couple weeks of the season.

The future appears to be bright, but potentially thin in the post, based on what our eyes have seen thus far. Next season’s starting lineup should include Mike Neal, Tab Hamilton, Jay Canty, Tevin Baskin and Micheal Obacha. The Mountaineers used a very short bench all season long, so there is not much tape on freshman Rantavious Gilbert, Frank Eaves or Bennet Rutherford. Brian Okam may not return to school as he has enough credits to graduate, and fell out of favor with Capel after a certain free throw he attempted. Chris Burgess will provide a solid backup to Mike Neal, as he improved more than any other player on the team throughout the season.

The question marks will be whether or not a sophomore or incoming freshman will be able to garner significant playing time. The backcourt is quite crowded, with three more guards committed for the fall, and one forward. Mike Kobani may have the best chance as he is 6’7″ and 250 pounds. Rantavious Gilbert has a great chance to get playing time with his length and potential to be a great defender. Until November, many questions will be answered regarding the direction of the program, from a potential head coach extension to conference realignment.

 

App. State Men and Women advance at SoCon Tournament

Women:

Appalachian and Charleston played a really close game until the final few minutes when Appalachian’s pressure finally got to Charleston. Appalachian was in control for much of the game, but could never really extend their lead in the first half. Charleston led by a point on one occasion, but Appalachian quickly regained the lead. For much of the game, the Mountaineers led by just under ten points as Charleston hung around as long as they could.

The Cougars were still in the game with 2:09 remaining, as they only trailed by six points. The Mountaineers would finish the game on a 8-0 run to mark the final tally at 74-60. Six of those eight points came at the free throw line via Maryah Sydnor and Anna Freeman. Bria Huffman hit a basket as well in that final run by the Mountaineers.

Anna led all scorers with 23 points and added ten rebounds. Maryah Sydnor scored 17 points and added a half dozen rebounds. Raven Gary added 14 points, six rebouns and four assists. Courtney Freeman chipped in eleven points. Three Mountaineers, Sydnor, Anna, and Courtney accumulated twelve of the nineteen Appalachian fouls as all three were called for four. Charleston threw up another twenty three point attempts, and were mostly unsuccessful, hitting only five of them. The Cougars attempted 28 more shots than Appalachian, and the Mountaineers turned the ball over 13 more times than their opponent.

Appalachian gave up 20 offensive rebounds to Charleston, and must clean that up if they want to beat Chattanooga. The Mocs pounded Appalachian just eight days ago at home. The key to beating the Mocs is playing good perimeter defense and getting in the face of the Mocs three point shooters. Appalachian must also be very aware of Chattanooga’s post players, and do everything they can to limit the Mocs to one shot on the offensive end. Appalachian and Chattanooga will face off at noon on Sunday.

(We made the tough decision and attended the men’s game on Saturday)

Men:

Appalachian jumped all over a tired Furman team in the first half and never looked back. Appalachian used a 7-0 run the jump out to an 18-7 lead early in the first half. Moments later, a 10-2 run by Appalachian up by seventeen points, a lead they would two more times in the first half before heading to the locker room with a fourteen point halftime lead. Appalachian used active hands on the defensive end, something we had not seen all year long. Their hands were in the passing lanes on the wings, and once the ball was tipped, the Mountaineers were off and running for easy fast break points.

Furman cut the lead to five points at 38-33 early in the second half, but Appalachian once again answered with a huge run, another 7-0 run, that put that back up by double digits with 16:17 to play in the game. Furman would once again cut the lead back down to single digits at 47-40, before Appalachian finally put the Paladins away. Over the next 5:23 of game time, the Mountaineers went on a 19-5 run that gave them the Mountaineers their biggest lead of the game with just over eight minutes to play.

Furman responded with a 10-0 run, but it was too little too late for the Paladins. Tevin Baskin put a bow on the game as Furman went up for a breakaway dunk with 13 seconds left and Baskin emphatically blocked it away to preserve a 74-60 final margin.

In the earlier meeting against Furman, Appalachian had very balanced scoring, as four players scored 14 points. Scoring was very balanced against Furman in the tournament as no player scored more than 13 points. Nathan Healy and Jay Canty scored 13 as Jamaal Trice added twelve points to round out the Mountaineer double figure scorers. Baskin and Tab Hamilton added nine points each while Michael Obacha scored eight points and led the team with seven rebounds.

Next up for the Mountaineers is Davidson, who blistered Georgia Southern with three pointers, nailing ten in the first half, and thirteen for the game. Five Wildcats scored in double figures in the 86-59 win. Davidson handled Appalachian in both meeting this season, so this game will be a tall task for the Mountaineers. Most consider Appalachian the weakest of the four top seeds and predicted they would make an early exit in the tournament. Davidson and Appalachian have never met in the semifinals before and Appalachian is 1-3 all time against the Wildcats in the tournament. Davidson has easily brought the most fans to the tournament, but hopefully a 6pm start will bring a few more Mountaineers to Asheville.