Week 11 Men’s Basketball Preview: App State Mountaineers

Dominick Crosetto January 15, 2026 3 minutes read

The App State Mountaineers men’s basketball team entered conference play with a 7-5 overall record. The team has alternated wins and loss ever since. With their conference record sitting at 3-3, this week’s two game homestand could help the Mountaineers get headed in the right direction.

James Madison at App State

Since joining the Sun Belt, JMU is just 1-5 against the Mountaineers. That bolds well for a team looking to find a rhythm. The Mountaineers lean on a strong defensive game but struggle to score a lot of points.

JMU comes in at 223 in KenPom while App State follows closely at 237. In the NET rankings, App actually edges out JMU at 225 with the Dukes following closely at 228. These metrics are a deeper dive than what’s needed at this point in the season for the average fan but it does show how close these two teams are statistically.

For stand out players to watch, former Oklahoma State Cowboy and Nevada Wolf Pack forward, Justin McBride is the second leading point scorer per game in the conference. The 6’7″ forward from Plano, TX currently averages 17.7 points per game. Kasen Jennings leads the Mountaineers in points per game with 14.2. Like McBride, Jennings is also a two time transfer (Kennesaw State and South Florida). It’s not surprise that some of the older more experienced players lead both teams. Both coaching staffs are proving that the new world of NIL and transfer portal can be a benefit when adding players of this caliber.

Only the Mountaineers have a player listed as a center on their roster and 6’9″ Luke Wilson certainly plays like one. Wilson is currently 5th in the conference in blocked shots per game. On the Dukes side, Justin McBride actually averages as many blocked shots per game as their 6’8″ forward Eli Wilborn.

With the teams so close statistically this one could be a battle down the stretch. Expect the battle with set plays and positioning between Dustin Kerns and Preston Spradlin to play a large part in this one.

App State plays well at home (5-2) while JMU has struggled on the road (2-7). The Mountaineers are coming off a loss while the Dukes beat ODU their last time out.