Category Archives: Basketball (M)

Appalachian opens tournament against Furman

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Furman pulled off the upset of the evening last night if you want to believe most SoCon experts. The fact is, there is not a huge gap between the bottom teams of this conference and the lower middle teams. Samford, who Furman beat on Friday, prefers a slower pace of basketball, which induces a game of half court basketball where execution is vital. Samford and Furman both play very short benches and a Furman victory to us was not as surprising as it was for most. Furman had been playing much better down the stretch, despite losing ten games in a row.

Furman won their eighth game of the season last night while getting several players back from injury. Stephen Croone came back from a foot injury, playing in only his second game back from injury and scored eleven of Furman’s 55 points. Croone drilled the Mountaineers for twenty points in their only meeting earlier this year in Boone. Charlie Reddick scored eight points and grabbed ten rebounds in a game where the Paladins outrebounded the Bulldogs 34-24. Furman also had a big game from Bobby Austin who scored seventeen points in 34 minutes.

Appalachian must regroup and focus after an emotional week of basketball last week. The Mountaineers were able to win two games in order to clinch the bye. Furman may have gained some confidence last night, but will have to play after less than a day of rest. The only meeting between the two schools earlier this year featured another one of Appalachian’s games where they blew a big lead and had to hold on late. Appalachian had an 18 point lead in the first half before eventually allowing Furman to cut the lead to one point late in the game. March is not the time for loss of focus and Appalachian must keep its down and grind this win out before worrying about who they may play tomorrow.

We are still waiting on Vegas to chime in on this game. This usually happens where we cannot find a line for tournament games until right before tipoff. Considering other high profile games that are being played across the country, it is very possible that we do not see a line in this game at all. We will keep checking until game time. Our guess is the Mountaineers are favored by 5.5 points, but that could be generous. It is possible this line could be as high as 7 points.

11:25 UPDATE: Appalachian has opened as 6 point favorite. This is what we were expecting. We will keep waiting for movement before we make a pick.

Chattanooga trounces Appalachian Women

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This season for the Appalachian will go down as one of the most disappointing in program history. For whatever reason, the women have underachieved to an extent that is hard to believe. Unlike the men, who played earlier in part of a doubleheader, and needed to beat Chattanooga, the women played exactly the opposite. The men dominated the Mocs earning a bye, while Appalachian lost the third seed with the Mocs using them on both ends of the court. The 45 points the Mountaineers scored were the fewest they scored all season long. The loss continued to show why Appalachian has not been as dominant, going 1-5 against the the top three teams in the league this season.

The Mountaineers will play Samford on Monday, in a game that has no meaning. Regardless of the outcome, both teams will play each other on Saturday at Kimmel Arena in the SoCon tournament. The women created the worst nightmare for a fan of both teams. Had Appalachian won, they would have almost assured that the women and the men would play at different times in the tournament’s opening days. However, the men and the women will tipoff at basically the same time on Saturday, but miles apart. The decision will be tough for a fan of both teams, but it is obvious the men are playing better at this point and will deserve more attention. It is possible that Samford could end the women’s season for the fourth straight season. Even if the Mountaineers can get by their tournament nemesis in Samford, the Chattanooga Mocs will be likely waiting for them on Sunday.

Men’s Basketball pounds Mocs, earns SoCon bye

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Pregame:

Line opened at 5, favoring the Mountaineers, and has dropped throughout the morning, now down to 3.5. This is free money today. If this line keeps dropping, or even settles back to 4, the Mountaineers are the play here. I was lukewarm on Chattanooga at +5.

Postgame:

The season was basically on the line, and Appalachian responded in a way they had not all season long. Appalachian could not miss in the first half, scoring a season high 55 points in the first half that included nine three pointers. The Mountaineers cruised in the second half as Chattanooga never really threatened. The Mountaineers were led by their outgoing seniors who played their last game in the Holmes Center. Jamaal Trice scored 13 points in his final home game, where Appalachian donned black uniforms for the first time in the thirteen year history of the Holmes Center. Nathan Healy scored 20 points and grabbed fourteen rebounds on his senior day. Healy was emotional in an awestruck way while trying to find out how she acknowledge the just over 2100 fans in attendance.

To imagine the journey that Nathan Healy went on these past fours years is inspiring. He was a freshman on the 2009-2010 team that was one game short of advancing to the NCAA tournament after losing to Wofford in the SoCon championship game in Charlotte. Healy had only played in thirty career games entering his senior season, and had only started in eleven of those games. Healy had scored 367 points in his first three years in the black and gold. This season, Healy scored 422 points. He inserted himself at the leader of the team from the first game to the last, and will always be remembered on the mountain. Healy started every game this season, leading the team in scoring, rebounds, field goals made, three pointers made, blocks, steals, and free throw percentage.

Although Appalachian earned the fourth seed and a bye in the SoCon tourney, their road is difficult without upsets. Appalachian could face Davidson if the higher seeds win their games, and Davidson provides the worst matchup in the conference for Appalachian. On the flip side, no team has ever won four games in four days in the oldest conference tournament in the nation. The Mountaineers may have given themselves a tougher road to a championship, however, it is one that will require fewer games to play.

We finished 15-9 picking against the spread in Appalachian games this season to date. Appalachian was also 15-9, as there were two games where I did not take the Mountaineers, and went 1-1 in those games. Those alternating picks evened out which provided the equal records. Last season we finished 10-14 during the regular season, which is marked improvement from one year to the next. Our season review and tournament preview will be posted later this week.

Men’s Basketball edges Samford in 2OT’s

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The game between Appalachian and Samford on Thursday night in the Holmes Dome is about as big of a game that Appalachian will play this season. Elon has already wrapped up the North division crown, while Samford, Appalachian and Western Carolina will fight it out for the fourth overall seed for the SoCon tourney. Western and Appalachian play the same teams in reverse order in Samford and Chattanooga both at home, while Samford is on the road for both games. Whichever team can go 2-0 this weekend will win that fourth seed most likely, but is extremely possible that this thing gets real weird and we head to break this tie on some ridiculous rule the SoCon invented.

Samford 9-7 .563 6-3 3-4 0-0 W1 11-18 .379 7-6 4-10 0-2 W1
Appalachian State 8-8 .500 5-2 3-6 0-0 L1 12-15 .444 8-4 4-11 0-0 L1
Western Carolina 8-8 .500 3-4 5-4 0-0 L2 12-17 .414 6-5 5-11 1-1 W1

If Appalachian can go 2-0, that puts them at 10-8, and Samford could finish 10-8 at best, by beating Western, who would finish 9-7 in this scenario. Tiebreaker would go to Appalachian for beating second seeded Elon once.

If Appalachian can go 2-0, Samford goes 0-2, and Western goes 2-0, which would tie Appalachian and Western, the tiebreaker would go to Appalachian, once again for beating Elon once.

Appalachian could go 1-1 and still get the fourth seed, but it starts and begins with beating Samford. Without beating Samford, Appalachian’s seed will be out of their control.

Just for fun, if Western and Samford tie at 10-8, the tiebreaker would go to Samford for beating Charleston once.

Can the Mountaineers beat Samford. Of course, if they play to their best game and to their potential. In the first matchup, Samford played lights outs, hitting all the shots they needed to hit, quieting every Mountaineer run. The Bulldogs shot 55% from the field and 47% from three point land. Any time a shoots that well, it is going to be tough sledding beating them on the road, seven hours from your campus.

The early line is 3.5 points, favoring the Mountaineers. As has happened all year long, the line will move. Appalachian has covered in every game against North Division opponents at home this year, but has struggled recently against the South. Samford has covered the spread in twelve of its last fourteen games, with the other two games resulting in pushes. That is an incredible stretch that has to come to an end soon. We will watch the line and make our pick tomorrow.

Postgame:

In order to remain in contention for the bye, Appalachian did what it needed to do, even if it took them ten extra minutes. The Mountaineers led the entire first half, at one point by as many as twelve points, but as has been the case all season, Appalachian would relinquich that lead. After trailing by twelve points in the first half, Samford went on a long run that lasted close to twenty minutes of game time that put them ahead by eight points with 4:08 to play in the game. During that stretch, Samford outscored the Mountaineers 39-19.

When Samford grabbed their largest lead of the game with 4:08 to play in the second half, at 59-51, it was the last points they would score in regulation. Appalachian went on a 8-0 run themselves. Jamaal Trice scored five of his team leading 18 points during that stretch.

The first overtime period was an awful five minutes of basketball to watch. The two teams combined to shoot 1/9 in the period, with Appalachian’s two points coming on the free throw line by the most unlikely of players in Michael Obacha. The second overtime saw Appalachian score nine points in the first three minutes, and held on to win down the stretch as Samford failed to score in the final 2:18 of the game.

Appalchian improves its record against the spread to 14-9, which is our record as well. Saturday could bring about an interesting number consider the nature of how the first game between Appalachian and Chattanooga went down. Appalachian will be in a situation where they can win the game and secure the fourth seed and final bye heading into the SoCon tournament.

 

Men’s Basketball 77 The Citadel 80

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The Citadel is not your average six win team. Even though three of their wins came in 2012, the Bulldogs have knocked off three SoCon teams this season. All of those SoCon opponents came from the weak South Division, and by using the transitive property, all of teams Citadel has beaten, Appalachian has also defeated. Of their SoCon wins, Georgia Southern is athletic, but a poor team overall, Wofford is terribly young, and Furman is about as untalented as it gets in the conference. The Bulldogs are also 2-10 on the road this season, with two of those wins coming in Statesboro and Greenville. In fact the Bulldogs have not won a game this season played north of the NC/SC border.

Although the Bulldogs are a tough team to scout, they do stick to a zone defense and like to get the ball inside. Rarely do you see a strategy in college basketball, where on one side of the court, you try to slow the game down, and on the other, try to lenghthen the game by drawing fouls in the frontcourt. Three Citadel players average in double figures, led by Mike Groselle, scoring 15.1 points per game, while also pulling in 7.3 rebounds. PJ Horgan pours in 11.1 points per game while adding 6.4 rebounds per game. Matt Van Scyoc adds 10.9 points per game.

The key for Appalachian of late has been the play of Michael Obacha. He is easily the most improved player on the team this season. Obacha has improved his presence in the post, getting open for easy layups, and has avoided foul trouble for the most part. Add to that, Obacha was shooting well under 50% from the free throw line earlier in the season, and has improved to 50%. It does not seem like much, but his efficiency has increased and he just looks more confident on the line.

We will update the spread in the morning. Our feeling is that Appalachian will be favored, and it could be close to ten points.

1:04 PM UPDATE: Appalachian is favored by 9.5 points. This is a really tough one. App has had trouble a couple times this season covering at home to South Division foes. I am really feeling taking Citadel in this one. Only some serious line movement will point me towards Appalachian on this one.

7:37 PM UPDATE: Holy bonkers the spread moved to 10.5. This is shocking. I just don’t feel it. App may lead by more than 10 before the game is over, but I don’t think they hold it. I am taking The Citadel to cover 10.5.

Postgame:

We are going to make this short and sweet because complaining is not going to change the result. Appalachian led by nine points in the first half, playing against a glorified intramural team, and squandered the lead and was forced to tie the game at halftime on a 75 foot, one-handed heave by Tevin Baskin that hit off the backboard and found the bottom of the net as time expired. Once again that tied the game at 34 at halftime.

Without some three pointers by Mike Neal and Tab Hamilton late in the game, Appalachian would have never found themselves in contention for overtime. The Mountaineers hit eight threes in the second half, which accounted for 24 of their 34 second half points. Even though Michael Obacha has played better of late, he has yet to play against a player like Mike Groselle, who plays a different style of center than any player in the league. He is their point guard in the post and their entire offense goes through him. Appalachian’s post players never make the pass back out of the post to an open shooter while The Citadel lives on it.

Somehow, Appalachian still finds itself in position to secure the bye in the SoCon Tourney that they should not want, nor deserve. The bye will come down to the game next weekend, starting with Samford on Thursday night. Appalachian trails Samford by one game in the North standings. Appalachian and Western Carolina are tied for fifth overall, and working out the tiebreaker scenarios will be futile until after Thursday’s results. This is much is certain, if Appalachian wants the fourth seed and the bye that comes with it, beating Samford comes first.

Appalachian did not cover the spread, and did not cover in a very lopsided manner. The Mountaineers were nearly 11 point favorites and perhaps turned that into the worst loss in school history. I went with The Citadel, the first time I had taken the opponent since East Carolina. Now Appalachian and myself are 14-8 against the spread this season. After starting 10-0 to start the season, App is 4-8 since.

Men’s Basketball 76 UNCG 68

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With every team winning yesterday in the SoCon that was expected to, the pressure is on Appalachian to go on the road and win its third conference game of the season. The Mountaineers have played well on the road this season in stretches, but way too many games have been lost when Appalachian struggles to score for several minutes at a time. The list of those games gets longer each week, with Elon being the newest member. Appalachian would be in real good shape if they could have won just one of the games against Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Elon and Samford; all games where they had leads in the second half before letting the game slip away.

North
Elon 11-3 .786 6-1 5-2 0-0 W3 18-8 .692 11-2 7-6 0-0 W3
Samford 8-6 .571 5-2 3-4 0-0 W2 10-17 .370 6-5 4-10 0-2 W2
Western Carolina 8-7 .533 3-3 5-4 0-0 L1 11-16 .407 5-4 5-11 1-1 L1
Appalachian State 7-7 .500 5-1 2-6 0-0 L1 11-14 .440 8-3 3-11 0-0 L1
Chattanooga 6-8 .429 4-3 2-5 0-0 L1 11-16 .407 8-8 3-8 0-0 L1
UNCG 5-8 .385 4-3 1-5 0-0 L2 7-17 .292 6-7 1-10 0-0 L2

 The standings above are of the SoCon North Division, which will most likely make up the 3-8 seeds in the SoCon Tourney. The difference between the second third and fourth seeds are quite amazing. The second seed in the north gets a first round bye. The third seed in the North, now likely the fifth seed will fall into the Davidson bracket, and play mostly afternoon games. The six seed will likely land in the Charleston bracket, and play mostly night games.

Greensboro is one of the trickiest teams in the league. They have arguably two of the best players and can be very streaky at times The Spartans are favored by 4.5 points today which is a larger spread than the 4 points we saw yesterday. This is a really tough one to call. Can Appalachian finally figure out how to close a game on the road? Is Greensboro that much better than Appalachian at home on a Sunday, where the building will be basically empty?

 Postgame:

Appalachian jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes, but slowly allowed the Spartans to climb back into the game. Greensboro led by one point at the 5:52 mark of the first half, but that would be their largest lead of the game. Appalachian looked to take a six point lead into the halftime break before Nathan Healy appeared to have the ball poked out of his possession near half court. The official who was out of position and did not see the ball deflect off the Greensboro defender called a back court violation. It was on obvious missed call. On the ensuing possession, Healy fouled while trying to set an aggressive trap at halfcourt. Healy then quickly earned a technical foul for what appeared to choice words directed at the official. Suddenly, Healy had three fouls, and Greensboro converted four free throws to pull the lead to two at halftime.

I can understand Healy being frustrated over a missed call, and can certainly see the frustration foul coming, but a senior needs to set a better example, and not allow his temper to get the better of himself. That was a huge turning point, putting the Spartans on the line for two technical free throws and the one and one, which turned a six point lead to two without the clock rolling. I could see myself being equally upset, but the technical foul was unnecessary.

In the second half, the Mountaineers fought off several Spartan attempts for a rally. Five times the Mountaineers only led by a point in the second half and three times the scored was tied in the game’s final frame. The scored was tied at 53 all with just 6:22 to play, and the Mountaineers outscored the Spartans 23-15 in those final minutes. Over half of the Mountaineers 44 second half points came in the final third of the second half. That is something we have seen all season. Appalachian can go several minutes without a point or score close to four points a minute during certain runs. This up and down scoring will eventually lead to their demise in the SoCon tournament.

Jay Canty had an amazing game with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Canty was able to use his size advantage against the smaller wings from UNCG to get in the post for several easy buckets. Mike Neal had another awful game shooting, but battled through it for 10 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Michael Obacha hit all of his field goal attempts and was solid again from the free throw line hitting five of eight attempts for 11 points and 8 rebounds.

It was a big win for the final road game of the regular season. The fourth seed and bye in the SoCon tourney is still up for grabs. However it may be more beneficial for Appalachian to avoid Davidson in the SoCon Tourney. We believe their chances of winning the tournament are higher by avoiding Davidson, even if it means playing an extra game. However, you may wonder how Appalachian’s short bench could handle playing four games in as many days. The Mountaineers are certainly going to need some help. In the meantime, Appalachian closes with Citadel, Samford and Chattanooga all at home in the next two weeks. Those teams are a combined 7-30 on the road this season. The Samford game will most likely decide whether Appalachian can jump up and grab the fourth seed.

North
Elon 11-3 .786 6-1 5-2 0-0 W3 18-8 .692 11-2 7-6 0-0 W3
Samford 8-6 .571 5-2 3-4 0-0 W2 10-17 .370 6-5 4-10 0-2 W2
Appalachian State 8-7 .533 5-1 3-6 0-0 W1 12-14 .462 8-3 4-11 0-0 W1
Western Carolina 8-7 .533 3-3 5-4 0-0 L1 11-16 .407 5-4 5-11 1-1 L1
Chattanooga 6-8 .429 4-3 2-5 0-0 L1 11-16 .407 8-8 3-8 0-0 L1
UNCG 5-9 .357 4-4 1-5 0-0 L3 7-18 .280 6-8 1-10 0-0 L3

 

Men’s Basketball 58 Elon 61

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Coaches like to tell their teams that the next basketball game, is the biggest one of our season. Appalachian’s game against Elon will be the biggest game to date, as a win or loss in either direction has big implications as far as tournament seeding and bye possibilities. Elon holds a 2.5 game lead over Appalachian and if the Mountaineers could cut the lead to 1.5 games, the pressure would be on Elon, as Appalachian would also hold the tiebreaker over Elon, going 2-0 against the Phoenix this season. A loss would all but end Appalachian’s chances to win the North Division. Who would have thought the Mountaineers would be in this position after the way they started the season?

Elon is fresh off of beating Furman by four points last Saturday. Elon’s big man, Lucas Troutman hurt his ankle in the win, only playing five minutes and is considered questionable for Thursday. Troutman was the team’s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. Troutman scored fourteen against Appalachian earlier this season. Sharp shooter Jack Isenbarger is putting up 14.1 points per game, but only scored nine points in the first meeting. Isengarger has only been held to single digit scoring seven times this season. Tab Hamilton did a great job defensively against Isenbarger in the first game.

The defensive end is where Appalachian is going to have to win this game. Elon has shot 50% or better only four times this season, winning every games except against Appalachian. After losing to Appalachian, Elon secured seven straight wins, but has cooled off of late, losing by ten at Wofford prior to their win over Furman. The key will be keeping Elon from shooting threes, as three players have hit 40 or more threes this season. Samson Tanner has also been a huge spark plug for Elon lately. Tanner did not score against Appalachian in the first game, but has scored 82 points in his last nine games. Tanner averaged 5.4 points prior to going scoreless against Appalachian, but has averaged 9.1 points per game in his last nine games. Elon is 0-3 this season when Tanner does not score.

Appalachian only has three road wins this season, two in conference play. Last year, Elon barnstormed the Mountaineers in Burlington. Alumni Gym is not exactly what I would call a tough place to play, but it is very cozy and their students are annoying to listen to. Nathan Healy and Tevin Baskin both had big games the last time out against Elon as they forced Lucas Troutman into four fouls and only 25 minutes played. The Apps must attack the rim and challenge Elon in the paint. Appalachian does not have what it takes to get into a jump shooting contest against Elon.

10:14 AM UPDATE: Elon is currently favored by 8.5 points. This line is going to move today at some point, and I don’t think we will see 9. I think this will settle at 8. I am leaning Elon tonight, based on last year’s game.

6:56 PM UPDATE: Elon has to cover nine big ones. I just don’t think they will do it. I think it’s possible, but this game means too much for Appalachian to come out flat. One more time for the Apps.

Postgame:

It happened again. Appalachian led by seven points with 4:23 to play in the second half. From that point on, Elon outscored Appalachian 14-4 to all but clinch a first round bye in the SoCon tournament. Appalachian now must chase down Western Carolina, who defeated UNCG 70-68. In fact, Appalachian fell from second place to fourth in the North. That is how fragile the standings in the division are right now. Every win is big, and every loss is devastating. If App is not careful, a loss to Greensboro on Sunday could put them in fifth place, with every other team in the North playing a winnable game.

Elon started the game quickly and ran out to an early lead, but Appalachian countered with a 13-4 run in the first half to take a 21-14 lead. Elon battled back to tie the game at 23 thanks to Jack Isenbarger scoring four points before Appalachian called a timeout. Isenbarger would hit a three with just under a minute left in the first half to give Elon a 31-26 lead at halftime. Appalachian only scored 5 points in the last 7:47 of the first half. If you add the last few moments of each half together, Appalachian combined to score 9 points in the final twelve minutes and change of each half.

The game was one where several Mountaineer players did not show up, and this team cannot afford not to have everyone playing well and expect to win. Tab Hamilton was scoreless. Mike Neal was 3/10. Nathan Healy was in borderline foul trouble parts of the game and could not play as aggressive as he would like to. The team shot under 40% for the game, and only hit 3/16 from behind the arc. The real difference, App recorded seven assists, while Elon assisted on fourteen of their twenty-two made baskets.

Appalachian did manage to cover the spread, which would have been much sweeter if they could have held on for the win. They move to 13-7 on the year while our picks lag behind one game, as has been the case the entire season. Greensboro will bring a challenge, as Appalachian can be better than UNCG when they want to be, but the Spartans have one of the best one-two punches in the conference in Armstrong and Simpkins. Should be an interesting line tomorrow.

Appalachian Men & Women Sweep Furman

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Women’s:

Appalachian needs to get respond quickly to its first home loss of the season. The best way to do that might be by playing the Furman Paladins. Surprisingly, Furman has won two games in a row over Western Carolina and Samford, and has been playing a bunch of close games of late. Furman only lost by three to conference leading Chattanooga, which represents their only loss in their past five games. Appalachian made rather easy work of the Paladins earlier this season in a fourteen point win. Furman (10-12, 6-7) is playing for seeding down the stretch. They are only 2.5 games behind Appalachian and 1.5 games behind fifth place Samford. If they could finish around 10-10 in conference play, that could sneak them into the sixth seed, and perhaps into the fifth seed, depending on Samford and other tiebreakers.

Appalachian is a much more skilled team than Furman, and I fully expect the Mountaineers to respond to their poor performance on Saturday. Furman is always a game team, and they beat Appalachian two years ago in Boone in one of the final homes games of the season. The game had no impact on conference standings, but it was a gloomy loss.

Postgame:

It was a big night for the stars of the women’s team. Appalachian had to fight to keep Furman at bay for the entire game, but their efforts were good enough for a ten point win. Anna Freeman got behind the defense for several easy layups that led to her shooting 9/15 from the field for 24 points. Anna also was big on the glass, pulling down 12 rebounds. Maryah Sydnor was also effective scoring 19 points and Kelsey Sharkey continued her strong play with 10 points and seven rebounds.

As a team, Appalachian only attempted three shots from behind the arc, but went to the free throw line often. The Mountaineers were 19/25 from the line, outscoring Furman by twelve points at the charity stripe. Appalachian also outrebounded Furman by nine and actually hit the offensive boards for one of the first times all season. The Mountaineers had been getting killed on the offensive glass, but grabbed eleven on Monday evening. Next up for the Mountaineers is Wofford on Saturday for the annual Play4Kay charity game.

C-Note: Anna Freeman scored her 1700th point in the first half, and her 24 points for the game took her to 1,710 points for her career. Anna grabbed her 900th rebound three games ago against Georgia Southern and currently has 918 career rebounds.

Men:

Appalachian and Furman will face off for the first and only time this season in the regular season. Furman has had a rough year, but has been playing better of late as well. The Paladins(6-16, 3-8) are in the midst of a three game losing streak. Their three conference wins are over UNCG, Georgia Southern and Wofford, all since January 14th. The Paladins are 1-9 on the road this year overall, that only win coming at UNCG.

Colin Reddick is the only Paladin averaging in double figures at 12.9 points per game. Charlie Reddick adds 9.8 points per game and Stephen Croone adds 9.3 points per game. Both Reddick’s lead Furman in rebounding, combining for almost twelve rebounds per game. Furman is fresh off of a four game homestand and will be playing their first road game since January 24th.

Appalachian remains in contention for the fourth seed in the conference tournament. Appalachian is in a tie for fifth with Western Carolina at 6-6, sitting only a half game behind Samford, who sits at 6-5, having played one fewer game. Appalachian has already split with Western this season, and will play Samford in a couple of weeks at home. This game is one that the Mountaineers need in order to stay in contention. It is a game that should be considered a must-win, especially with a big game at Elon on Thursday looming. The remainder of the schedule for Appalachian stay in the state of North Carolina. Three home games follow the road games at Elon, and Greensboro on Sunday.

The spread has opened up at 7.5 points. Furman has covered some games recently, and that is a shaky number. If it goes higher, I will be highly tempted to take Furman.

2:13 UPDATE: Line has dropped to 6.5, which I fully expected. I believe that is a great 50/50 number. Furman is bad, but can Appalachian respond after the whooping at Davidson? We will ride the Apps.

Postgame:

Another game, another long stretch without scoring points, allowing the visiting team to get back in the game. Appalachian led by 18 points in the first half, at 34-16 with 4:13 remaining in the first half. It appeared Appalachian was going to cruise to an easy victory, until the Mountaineers decided to go to the locker room with time still remaining. Not only did Appalachian not hit a field goal in the final four minutes of the first half, they could not even get to the free throw line. They went scorless in the final minutes of the first half.

Furman pulled to within six points at halftime and slowly chipped away at the Mountaineer lead. With 1:31 to play, Furman cut the deficit to one point after hitting a three. Appalachian would outscore Furman 8-3 in the final ninety seconds to hold onto second place in the SoCon North. Chattanooga knocked off Samford to give the Bulldogs their sixth conference loss, one half game behind Appalachian and Western who are tied for second, 2,5 games behind first place Elon. Appalachian vists Elon on Thursday night, which will basically eliminate the Mountaineers from SoCon North contention if they lose.

Nathan Healy had a double-double for the Mountaineers with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Obacha scored a season high 14 points, by going 6/6 from the free throw line. Obacha has been shooting 50% from the free throw line prior to the Furman game.

Appalachian fell one point shy of covering the spread in heartbreaking fashion. That is the second time this season Appalachian lost a huge lead at home with a manageable spread and lost the cover. The other was Georgia Southern. We expect Appalachian to be underdogs to Elon on Thursday night.

Men’s Basketball 52 Davidson 87

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If this game is anything like the last matchup between Appalachian and Davidson, it will be over before it starts. Davidson executed a brilliant game, hitting over 50% of their shots for the game, and Appalachian played one of its poorest games of the season. This does not suggest that is the sole reason Davidson won two weeks ago. Davidson is a better team, but they have not been as good this season as they have been in the past. It is a beatable team, but only one team in conference play has been able to beat them this season. Somehow, Georgia Southern beat Davidson in Statesboro, while Appalachian is fresh off of a sweep of the Eagles on Saturday night.

The scheduling gods were not kind to Appalachian this season when they have had to face Davidson. Appalachian was in Statesboro on Thursday night for an overtime game, and luckily had the sense to fly to Statesboro for the game. Earlier this season, Appalachian was just a few days removed from the western swing of Samford and Chattanooga.

In their first meeting this season, Appalachian was concerned over the status of two of their starters. Jay Canty re-aggravated a thumb injury two days before Davidson and was basically ineffective. Mike Neal turned his ankle two days prior and was also equally unproductive. This time around, Neal and Canty appear to be healthy and Nathan Healy has played two great games in a row. Oddly enough, Appalachian always played Davidson tighter in Belk Arena versus in Boone. No team has beaten Davidson more times in the past few years in Mecklenburg County than Appalachian.

Davidson has now moved to a 17 point favorite over Appalachian, after opening at 16. The Wildcats have never been good against the spread, and that notion holds true this season as they are 8-11. Since beating Appalachian, Davidson has shot under 30% from three point land in every game. The ‘Cats are 3-3-1 in conference games against the spread, but I get this feeling that 17 is just way to big of a number. The first time around, these two teams played on the opposite end of the spectrum. I seriously doubt it happens again in the same matter. It will not take much for me to take Davidson, but I believe this line gets bigger before gametime, and my feeling, once again is that Appalachian will cover.

Postgame:

Our feeling was this game was perhaps going to a lot closer than the first meeting between the two rivals. We could not have been more wrong. Davidson buried Appalachian early and often en route to a thirty-five point win. There is no secret, Davidson is much better, and on defense, Appalachian remains terrible. Davidson had more assists than Appalachian had made field goals.  The Wildcats shot 65% in the first half. The score was never tied, and Davidson led the entire way.

Nathan Healy led the Mountaineers in scoring with 13 points but was only 4/11 from the field. Tevin Baskin chipped in twelve points in nineteen minutes. Mike Neal scored nine points, but was 3/12 from the field. Jay Canty also scored only four points, and was 1/10 from the field. The Mountaineers shot 30% from the field for the entire game.

Due to the nature of the game, Brian Okam was able to get a few minutes late and made the most of them. Okam played ten minutes, but had 4 rebounds and two blocked shots in the limited action. Normally one would insert a joke that says something about, you know the Mountaineers are in trouble when Brian Okam is a bright spot. Right now, I personally believe that Okam might be a better play than Michael Obacha right now. I have not seen much improvement in Obacha all season, and he and Okam are basically the same player. They are both foul prone and offensively limited. So why not start the guy who is four inches taller and three years older? Okam may be a better option in the short term as the season may have grown long on the freshman. Now is the time to use Okam more if there are any intentions of using him in the conference tournament.

Appalachian did not cover the spread, their worst ATS loss in over 40 games. There is not much more to talk about. Appalachian is 12-6 ATS the spread this season and our picks are 11-7.

Men’s Basketball 91 Georgia Southern 86

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It was just two weeks ago when Appalachian ran off to a big lead over Georgia Southern at home, and then melted down, and allowed the Eagles to force overtime. The Mountaineers went on to win that game, but the result was more of a relief than anything. I was asked tonight by a big Mountaineer fan to sprinkle some magic ferry dust over the team to get them playing better, on a more consistent basis. We both agreed, this team looks really good when they play well, and really bad when they play bad. There is not a middle ground with this team.

With the teams playing so recently, there really is not a lot to talk about. Appalachian has a higher ceiling, meaning their best is better than Georgia Southern, but the Eagles hold the wild card. They are a team that is much better at home, where they have beaten Davidson and Charleston. At the same time, the Eagles lost to The Citadel at home and most recently, and snuck by Chattanooga by two points. This game all depends on which team is hot at the right time. For whatever reason, Appalachian has had a tough time in Hanner Fieldhouse and a road win would be big for their SoCon seeding situation.

Line opened up at +3 this morning for Appalachian and has since bumped to +4. The way the line moves have gone this season, means that Georgia Southern is definitely favored in this matchup. We thought the spread would be lower. This is a tough call, as even some of the better Appalachian teams over the years have had a tough time in Statesboro. I am going to hold my official pick until this afternoon, but I am currently leaning toward Ga. Southern. This could potentially be the first time I have picked against Appalachian since their first game of the season.

6:20 Line is consistent, this is a very tough call. I don’t like it, but I am gonna take App to cover. Maybe they will come through.

Postgame:

This is an example of another game that was not pretty, and provided more Maalox moments than any fan would like to see. Appalachian was down by ten points at halftime, surged ahead in the closing minutes, before allowing Georgia Southern to force overtime in the closing seconds for the second time this season.  Applachian held a seven point lead with 2:40 to play in regulation, but Southern went on a 11-4 run to erase the deficit. Mike Neal attempted four three throws in the final 0:37 that would have extended the Mountaineer lead and made it more difficult for Southern to tie. The Eagles also had a chance with three seconds to play to take the lead, but could only connect on one free throw, which sent the game into overtime.

Appalachian caught fire in the second half and overtime. The Mountaineers scored 27 points in the first twenty minutes of the game. In the second half, Appalachian exploded for 46 points and scored 18 in the five minute overtime period. In overtime, Appalachian made every shot they took, three from the field and twelve on the charity stripe. essentially that was the difference in the game. Even though Appalachian could have iced the game in regulation with free throws, they took advantage in overtime, and for the most part of the game. Appalachian did not finish with a great percentage on the line, but were able to get there enough to make it count. Forty-three free throw attempts has got to be the most attempted this season.

Nathan Healy tied his career high for the second straight game with 24 points and 11 rebounds, including two blocks and two steals. Mike Neal finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds, but did commit eight of App’s fifteen turnovers. Jay Canty scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Tab Hamilton added 16 points, and hit two of App’s three field goals in overtime. Tevin Baskin fouled out, but scored 15 points in twenty five minutes of action.

Appalachian is now 12-5 against the spread this season, after starting the season with ten straight covers, losing five in a row, and now have won in back to back game. We continue to be one game behind the Mountaineers at 11-6. The early line for the Davidson game stands at 16, and this will probably move tomorrow with a late tipoff. The Mountaineers secured a huge win, almost a must win, in the SoCon standings. Western Carolina and Samford are slumping right now with four straight losses. Elon also lost last night, which puts Appalachian two game out of first place with seven to play. App and Elon have the same opponents down the stretch for the most part. Elon has the entire North Division remaining, along with Furman and Davidson, while App has played Western twice, and gets The Citadel, Davidson and Furman along with their remaining North Division opponents.

SoCon Men’s Basketball SoCon Overall
Team Record Pct Home Away Neutral Streak Record Pct Home Away Neutral Streak
North
Elon 8-3 .727 4-1 4-2 0-0 L1 15-8 .652 9-2 6-6 0-0 L1
Appalachian State 6-5 .545 4-1 2-4 0-0 W2 10-12 .455 7-3 3-9 0-0 W2
Samford 5-5 .500 3-2 2-3 0-0 L4 7-16 .304 4-5 3-9 0-2 L4
Western Carolina 5-6 .455 2-3 3-3 0-0 L4 8-15 .348 4-4 3-10 1-1 L4
UNCG 5-6 .455 4-2 1-4 0-0 W1 7-15 .318 6-6 1-9 0-0 W1
Chattanooga 4-6 .400 2-2 2-4 0-0 W1 9-14 .391 6-7 3-7 0-0 W1