For Chad Sherwood’s recap of the Delaware-Delaware State rivalry – CLICK HERE
Appalachian State (6-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (6-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN+)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Mobile, Alabama for the conference opener between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the South Alabama Jaguars. App State comes into the game with their record bloated with a pair of non-D1 wins, but there does seem to be a renewed energy with the program under first-year head coach Dustin Kerns. The Mountaineers have won three of their last four games that include a non-D1 win, a win against Charlotte and a win at Howard in their last outing. Isaac Johnson averages 11.1 points a game and 9 rebounds a game.
South Alabama comes into the game with the highest preseason expectations in the Sun Belt, and like Appalachian State they come into tonight with a 4-4 record against D1 competition. The Jags did finish 2nd in the Gulf Coast Showcase with wins against Northeastern and Miami University before losing to La Salle in the title game. They also missed on opportunities in preseason to get wins against teams like Auburn and Richmond, and therefore are going to have to win the Sun Belt tournament crown if they wish to culminate their season with an NCAA Tournament bid. Josh Ajayi leads South Alabama with 16.0 points a game and 7.5 rebounds a game.