Sun Belt foes will lock horns when the Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-22) take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves (11-19) at Holmes Convocation Center. Action starts at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5 and can be seen on ES3.
The Mountaineers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Little Rock 69-63 on Thursday. Ronshad Shabazz led all scorers on the team with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting. The Red Wolves are coming off an 89-80 loss against that same Little Rock squad on Tuesday. Anthony Livingston played well, registering his 14th double-double of the season with 18 points and 22 rebounds.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Mountaineers won the first game 86-72. Livingston had a double-double in the loss with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The Mountaineers enter the game with records of 8-22 Straight Up (SU) and 15-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Appalachian State in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 12.7 offensive boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Mountaineers prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 50th in the nation with 181 total three-pointers allowed (6.0 per game).
Across the court, Arkansas State has a SU record of 11-19 and an ATS record of 12-12-1. The Red Wolves get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 27th in the nation with 537 made (17.0 per game). The Red Wolves have controlled the glass with an average of 40.1 rebounds per game, 29th in the country. Moving on to the Arkansas State defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Red Wolves, who are the 22nd-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .398.
Appalachian State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 2-1 over the Red Wolves. The Mountaineers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – App, ATS Winner – App
Notes
Arkansas State beats Appalachian State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Red Wolves average 72.6 possessions and 1.014 points per possession, while the Mountaineers average 69.9 possessions with 1.004 points per possession.
Appalachian State has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.1%. Arkansas State is an underachieving 1-16 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Appalachian State Mountaineers attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Arkansas State Red Wolves attempt 18.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, both teams have losing records; Appalachian State is 6-17 and Arkansas State is 3-8.
Arkansas State, the 29th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.1 rebounds per game. Appalachian State does worse, ranked 137th with 36.8.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves average 5.1 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have a subpar record (6-19) this season.
