Published Jan 9, 2019
Staff Pix: UT-Arlington-App State
ASI Admin  •  MountaineerIllustrated
Staff

Appalachian State will host its home opener in Sun Belt Conference play against struggling Texas-Arlington.

Both teams have lost three straight games with App dropping five of its last six and UTA having lost 10 of its last 11 games after starting the season 3-1.

UTA is 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the Belt, while App is 5-10 and 0-2.

Here are our picks:


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Deana King

App State will be glad to be home in the Holmes Center on Thursday night. The Mountaineers should get good games from Ronshad Shabazz and Justin Forrest to get that first Sun Belt Win. Prediction: App State 79, UTA 72.

Tyler Rash

App will happily return to Boone for its Sun Belt home opener as the team looks to rebound after a tough road stretch. The team comes in with several factors going in its favor including improved free throw shooting, better play from Shabazz, and of course being undefeated at home. Prediction: App State 76, UTA 67.


John Gwaltney

A winnable game comes at the right time for Appalachian State when UT-Arlington comes to Boone on Thursday night. The road has not been kind to the Mountaineers so returning to Holmes Convocation Center has to be a welcome sight. The Mountaineers need to force the tempo and get the game going up and down to put pressure on the Mavericks who prefer to keep the score in 60s. Prediction: App State 82, UTA 71.

ASi Admin

The Mountaineers will open their home part of the Sun Belt Conference schedule by hosting a struggling UT-Arlington team that comes in having lost 10 of its last 11 games. It does have a win over Northern Iowa, but otherwise this is not a good team and the Apps should take care of business at Holmes Center. Prediction: App State 75, UTA 57


Average ASI prediction: App State 78, UTA 69.