MOBILE, Ala. – Fresh off three straight wins, South Alabama men's basketball heads to the high country Wednesday night for a pivotal Sun Belt Conference matchup at App State. The Jaguars and Mountaineers will square off in the Sun Belt Game of the Week on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. CT inside Holmes Convocation Center.

Game Information

South Alabama (16–6, 7–3 SBC) at  App State (15-9, 8-4)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 31
Tip-off: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Mobile, Ala. | Mitchell Center
Listen: Jags Radio Network
Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out

• South Alabama held off Georgia State with a late defensive stand to secure a 69–67 victory Saturday night at the Mitchell Center.

• The Jaguars shot 51.9 percent from the floor and dominated the paint, scoring 50 points inside and building a double-digit second-half lead.

• Georgia State trimmed the margin to one with a late three, but South Alabama closed it out at the free-throw line and forced a contested look at the buzzer.

• The Jags outscored Georgia State 50–12 in the paint.

• Chaze Harris led South Alabama with 15 points, six assists, and four steals.

• Jayden Cooper added 11 points, while Adam Olsen posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

• South Alabama held Georgia State to 35.0 percent shooting overall despite 15 made three-pointers.

• The Jaguars recorded 15 assists on 28 made field goals.

Scouting the Mountaineers

• Like South Alabama, App State boasts one of the league's top defensive units, limiting opponents to 64.5 points per game and a 30.0 field-goal percentage — both among the best marks in the Sun Belt.
   

• The Mountaineers are led by Sun Belt Player of the Week Kasen Jennings, who averages 15.5 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

• Jennings is coming off a 33-point performance in a 66–44 road win at Troy, shooting 11-of-18 from the field with seven three-pointers.

• Forward Luke Wilson ranks second in the conference in blocks per game at nearly 1.8 per contest.

• Head coach Dustin Kerns is in his seventh season at App State and has recorded 15 or more wins in each of his seasons at the helm.

Series History

• South Alabama leads the all-time series, 14–6, and has won two of the last three meetings.

• App State claimed the most recent matchup in 2024 with a 91–82 overtime win at the Mitchell Center.

• The Jaguars will visit Boone for the first time since Feb. 19, 2022.

• Head coach Richie Riley owns a 10–5 career record against the Mountaineers.

Notables

• South Alabama is 12–4 this season in games decided by 10 points or fewer, including a 5–3 record in games decided on the final possession.

• Since 2018–19, Riley's teams own a 40–18 record in the month of February.

• The Jaguars have delivered back-to-back elite defensive performances, holding Coastal Carolina to 28.8 percent shooting and Georgia State to 35.0 percent.

• South Alabama ranks fifth nationally in turnovers committed per game (8.9) and owns the 22nd-best turnover margin in the country (+3.8).

• The Jaguars have outscored opponents 804–424 in the paint this season and lead the Sun Belt in both field-goal percentage (46.5%) and field-goal percentage defense (37.6%).

• Chaze Harris ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring (17.7 ppg) and leads the league in conference-only scoring at 21.2 ppg.

• Jayden Cooper has scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the floor during that stretch.

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