App State enters Sun Belt Tournament after ‘surreal’ finish to historic regular season
In Bryant Greene’s words, it was a storybook finish to Appalachian State men’s basketball’s regular season.
The graduate student grew up in Boone and has played his entire college career for the Mountaineers, who recently claimed their first outright regular-season conference championship since 1978-79.
App State (26-5), which set its program record for wins, plays Georgia Southern at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament. Its historic season has included a perfect 15-0 record at home after setting the school’s attendance record.
“It’s been very surreal,” Greene, a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship for his fifth year, said recently. “Especially for me and Don(ovan Gregory), getting here freshman year and coming to games and seeing like 400 people in the gym. And now, getting to senior night, our fifth year, and there’s 7,000 people and we’re playing for a regular season title.
“It’s just very special to be able to do it in front of the home crowd — especially for me, being from Watauga County, growing up here. It’s special to be able to do it in front of your friends and family, fellow students. It’s just a storybook ending for us.”
App State earned the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and is receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today coaches’ polls. The Mountaineers will face ninth-seeded Georgia Southern in the first of four quarterfinal matchups on Saturday in Pensacola, Florida, as the Eagles defeated South Alabama on Thursday.
There were 7,047 fans on hand inside the Holmes Center last Friday as App State made history after a 23-point win, and they watched the Mountaineers cut down the nets following their first perfect campaign at home since 1966-67.
“When you’re fighting with 14 dogs for one bone, it’s a hard thing to do over 18 games,” said head coach Dustin Kerns, with the net still wrapped around him like a necklace. “For us to come out here, 16-2 in a tremendous league — the Sun Belt’s a tremendous league, especially with so many quality teams, players and coaches. That’s a big deal. And a big moment for our university and our program to stand atop after the regular season.”
How to watch the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament
When: 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local) on Saturday
Where: Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, Florida)
Streaming: ESPN+
What’s at stake: Semifinal matchup would be at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+, and the Sun Belt Conference title game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN2.
