Georgia Southern vs App State Odds, Spreads and Prediction (Jan. 12)

• Appalachian State and Georgia Southern meet in a Sun Belt Conference game Thursday, January 12.
• Appalachian State is a 3.5-point home favorite over the Eagles at the Holmes Convocation Center.
• Read below for Georgia Southern vs App State odds, analysis and prediction.

Appalachian State (9-8, 2-2 Sun  Belt) is a 3.5-point home favorite over Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt game at 6:30 pm Thursday on ESPN+ at Holmes Convocation Center. The Mountaineers have lost six of their last nine games.

Georgia Southern (10-7, 3-1 Sun Belt) has won six of its last nine games to move into a four-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt. The Eagles open a stretch in which they play six of their next eight games on the road.

Georgia Southern vs App State Odds

Odds from FanDuel on Jan. 11. Claim a FanDuel Sportsbook bonus code. 

Appalachian State is a 3.5-point home favorite over long-time rival Georgia Southern in a series the Mountaineers have dominated in recent seasons.

App State is 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings, including a 73-60 victory as a 5.5-point favorite in the second round of the 2022 Sun Belt tournament. The teams played four times in Covid-affected 2020-21 season, with App State going 3-1 SU and ATS. The Mountaineers are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in the last four in Boone.

The Mountaineers are 7-7 ATS this season and are 1-3 SU and ATS in the last four. The game has gone under the total in four of their last five games. Georgia Southern is also 7-7 ATS and is 4-2 SU and ATS in its last six. The total has gone over in its last three games.

Appalachian State Regroups

Appalachian State lost four starters including top scorer Adrian Delph from the team that finished second in the league last season and has rebuilt around the senior Donovan Gregory, the only returning starter, and  fifth-year senior guard Tyree Boykin, a transfer from NCAA Division II Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

Boykin was the 2022 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year when averaged 19.3 points per game and made 103 three-pointers.

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘.

Through three dates of #SunBeltMBB play, depth and competitiveness have been on full display.

🏀 Games have been decided by an average of 8.2 ppg.
🏀 8 games decided by 5 or fewer.
🏀 3 one-point games.

pic.twitter.com/2YbiXBr9Ad

— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) January 6, 2023

The Mountaineers are 2-2 since 6’1 Boykin (11.9 points, 2,2 threes per game) returned to the starting lineup. He has 62 points and 13 threes in the last four games. Forward 6’5 Gregory, named to the preseason all-Sun Belt team, is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 4.3 assists.

Returning post 6’11 CJ Huntley is averaging 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, and with freshman 6’9 Justin Abson (33 blocked shots in 345 minutes) provide rim protection. Huntley’s put-back in the final seconds beat Coastal Carolina 63-62 the last time out Thursday.

Appalachian State does the peripherals — it is holding opponents to 39.8 percent shooting from the field, among the top 40 in Division I. The Mountaineers take the ball away (7.5 steals per) and limit turnovers (12.0) while playing an ambitious schedule that includes a one-point victory over Louisville and a one-point loss to Wake Forest.

Georgia Southern: Balanced, Veteran Group

The Eagles’ leading returning scorer, 6’7 Andrei Savrasov (12.9 points, 6.5 points) is one of the five senior starters, although two arrived via the transfer portal as coach Brian Burg attempted to invigorate a team that finished in the lower sixth of Division I in offensive efficiency, turnover rate and three-point shooting accuracy while winning five Sun Belt games a year ago.

Best Offenses in SBC 🏀🔥 Where is your team at?? pic.twitter.com/rbJtREXYNA

— Fun Belt Sports (@sunbelt_sports) January 10, 2023

Jacksonville State transfer guard Jalen Finch (10.4 points, 3.8 assists), returning wing reserve Kaden Archie (10.1 points), Temple transfer guard Tai Strickland (8.8 points) and returning post reserve Carlos Curry (8.2 points, 7.4 rebounds) fall in line behind Savrasov, a member of the 2019 Russian national team. Seven Eagles average at least 7.7 points a game, six different players have led the team in scoring and Savrasov is the only player averaging as many as nine field goal attempts per game.

Georgia State vs Appalachian State Prediction

Each team has benefitted from the transfer portal, but none more than the other. And this from the deep-stat file — Appalachian State has 21 victories after trailing at halftime during coach Dustin Kerns’ three-plus seasons, and five have come against Georgia State. That is another reason to ride the Mountaineers’ train in a series that they have had no difficulty in winning (and covering) recently.

• Pick: Appalachian State -3.5 (-118)
• Season CBK: 17-9 ATS