MBB: Troy Trojans @ App, 1.1.2021 (New Year's Day), 6 PM, ESPN+

[asu66]

2020 is finally over with! Now, will the real and original Justin Forrest make it to the HCC scorer's table tomorrow?

For those of us who have followed our team's player personnel closely through all of the zillions of rags and the miniscule riches (so far), it's clear that our HC is spending a lot of time attempting to communicate with JForrest. What's not so clear is whether JF has his WI-FI logged in to the correct network.

We'll get chances to see if JF has begun to receive official communications on Fri evening and Sat afternoon.

As for the competition, Troy looks like all Scott Cross teams on paper...loaded with JuCo guys and a couple of D-I transfers looking for some/any PT they can get. Troy's first team under Cross (2019-20) won just 9 games--this for a coach who averaged 19 wins per season in his 12 seasons as the head coach at UTA.

Cross will place high hopes on two Tyler, TX JuCos to help him right the ship...6-4 junior Kieffer Punt (The Bronx, NYC) was a 46% shooter from behind the arc at Tyler...while 6-9 junior Rory Pantophlet, a forward from the Caribbean isle of Saint Maarten, led Tyler in rebounding at 9.1 boards per game and ironically also averaged 9.1 points per game.

Cross can't afford to put too much pressure on his new guys in the early season; but he absolutely has to hit the double-digit win column by season's end.

For the record, Troy is predicted to finish dead last in the SBC's Eastern Div. Scott Cross is most unaccustomed to such embarrassing publicity.

East
Georgia State 131 (1)
South Alabama 98
Coastal Carolina 86
App State 79
Georgia Southern 55
Troy 22

[Stonewall]

It's time to get serious . and put the hammer down on the Trojans.

[APPdiesel]

Interesting format this year playing the same team back to back days. Troy is 5-4. Their best win so far is an 8 point W vs Samford.

Go get 2 dubs and put Troy in the L column.

[Cro-Magnon App]

Thank you for the pre-game recap, asu66.

[asu66]

Thank you for the pre-game recap, asu66.

There's a much more in-depth preview here. https://247sports.com/college/appalachian-state/ 40 minutes 'til tip-off
and then we'll begin to get some answers about the Apps' readiness for Sun Belt competition.

[PhillyApp1]

Names on jerseys = cups with ice

Happy New Year

[HurricaneYosef]

We should start off the new year 2-0 in conference play, no excuses

[asu66]

Forrest is getting the start in Troy Gm 1

[asu66]

Kendall Lewis missing from lineup...announced by radio crew as being for "personal reasons." Sounded as if a question hangs in the air about his return.

[mountaineerman]

Bad basketball right here.

[BUTCH1991]

Still making a lot of poor decisions with the ball

[NoLongerLurking]

Were the stairs iced over?

[pop5app]

Team has regressed since the beginning of the year.

[WataugaMan]

"For the record, Troy is predicted to finish dead last in the SBC's Eastern Div."

APParently not any more.

[JohnnyBurrito]

Troy beat Western by 2.

[ah59396]

I hope this was just a bad day and not a trend. We looked awful.

[asu66]

App State fans, meet Scott Cross and a lot more MBB adversity.

[hapapp]

We have a win over one decent team. If this finishes as it appears it could, we will be 2-4 against D1 competition. Not sure all the games against unknown teams has done much to prepare us for the season.

[AppStateMtneer]

We really need this program to get better.....

[HurricaneYosef]

Kendall Lewis being out obviously hurt us big time, but hes not a 18 point difference maker (Vegas had App -8).

Shot too poorly, didn't play great defense, and got outrebounded 35-29.

Luckily we get a chance to redeem ourselves tomorrow night