We knew this was a game that could get ugly, as Missouri was ranked 16th in the nation, and it appears we did not miss much from the Mountaineer hoopers while most of the Appalachian fan base was focused on playoff football. The Mountaineers continue to look for their first Division I, and Mountaineer fans are waiting ever so patiently.
There was a bright spot, that Jay Canty is as good as advertised. Even though Canty appeared to be the only Mountaineer that could score with any consistency, as he managed to score over half the team’s points. Missouri took care of the rest the of the Appalachian squad, holding them to ten made field goals. Canty finished with 29 points and six rebounds. No other Mountaineer scored in double figures. Besides Canty, the rest of the Mountaineers shot 25% from the field.
Even though Appalachian can’t figure out how to win, neither can Vegas odds makers. We knew a big spread was coming this game, as the Mountaineers were 25.5 point underdogs. As long as Appalachian is covering the big road spreads, we will continue to ride the momentum. Appalachian covered for the fourth straight time this season. For some perspective into how interesting these covers have been, one must look back. Virginia Tech is 7-0 and has covered every spread this season, except against Appalachian. Duquesne has covered each time they were underdogs, and lost each time they were favorites. East Carolina is 5-1 and has only covered one spread all year long. It is becoming super interesting as we move to 3-1 on the season.
Upcoming is Western Carolina on Saturday, who I would imagine would be favored by a few points, maybe as many six or so. The Catamounts are 3-5 on the season, with some really tough losses to Howard, Austin Peay, and UNC-Asheville. Western has covered two straight, their only two covers on the season. The Cats have Illinois on Tuesday before coming home this weekend against their hated rival for only their second home game of the season.