Appalachian State (8-10) @ UNCG (6-14)

When: Thursday, January 26 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

App State Athletics

Preseason Preview

12/1 - UNCG 64 @ App State 78 Recap

UNCG Stats
Last Game: Samford (W 61-60) Recap
PPG: 66.3
RPG: 34.9
APG: 11.6
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (15.9)
Leader Rebounds: Aaron Brackett (4.8)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (2.6)
FG %: 38.7
3 Pt %: 32.5
FT %: 64.4

Appalachian St. Stats
Last Game: Western Carolina (W 84-72) Recap
PPG: 67.9
RPG: 34.7
APG: 12.8
Leader Points: Omar Carter (13.2)
Leader Rebounds: Andre Williamson (6.9)
Leader Assists: Mike Neal (3.1)
FG%: 44.0
3 Pt%: 36.5
FT %: 62.8

Thoughts
The last time these two teams faced each other, "Spartan killer" Omar Carter scored 24 and ASU cruised to an easy 12 point win in Boone. The bright spot for the Spartans was Aaron Brackett. He scored17 points and had 9 rebounds. That game was also played on December 1st and at this point, it might as well be a different season. UNCG was coached by Mike Dement. They had just been thoroughly beaten by arch rival NC A&T. Their players had spent the week trashing their most loyal supporters on Twitter. They were a team in chaos that was getting ready to drift into a long losing streak.

What a difference a few months can make. Coming into this game against App, the Spartans have a new coach, a new confidence, and a shiny new winning streak on display. UNCG also has seen the recent emergence of what is looking like the best 6th man in the SoCon, Derrell Armstrong.

I expect the Greensboro Coliseum to see it's biggest crowd of the season for the "Gold Out" game. The fact that G is playing a rival with a pretty large local alumni base shouldn't hurt either.

However, let's not lose sight of the major division implications. UNCG and ASU are tied at (4-4) in the North and only 0.5 games behind Elon (4-3). Western Carolina and Elon will meet in Burlington on Thursday night. A Catamount win would catapult the ASU-UNCG winner into first place. An Elon victory would put the loser of the Spartans-Mountaineers game in a tough position to win the North title.

Even though there are quite a few conference games left to go, these in-division games are crucial. This is one that UNCG absolutely needs to win for a bunch of reasons. It's a home game in front of a lot of fans that were disheartened by the early season swoon. A win would completely re-energize the fan base and start filling up the bandwagon. Also, it would force the entire league would have to look up and say, "uh oh, those guys are still winning."

I've spent a lot of my time as a G fan watching them win more often than they lost. These last three (and a half) seasons have really hurt. I'm tired of them and ready to put them in the past. It's time to put a big nail in that coffin and move on to better times. Go Spartans !!!