The App State Mountaineers enter the 2025–26 season looking to build off another solid campaign under head coach Dustin Kerns
The App State Mountaineers enter the 2025–26 season looking to build off another solid campaign under head coach Dustin Kerns. With a challenging schedule that features both regional matchups and national opponents, App State will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself ahead of, and in Sun Belt play
For more on this year’s retooled roster, click here.
Non-Conference
The Mountaineers open the season on Nov. 3 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, taking on Central Michigan as part of the MAC–SBC Challenge. They return home two days later for their home opener against Carolina University (NAIA) and then host NC Central on Nov. 9 to complete their first homestand.
App State faces one of its toughest early tests when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 11 to face Big Ten opponent Ohio State. It will be just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The road trip continues on Nov. 16 when the Mountaineers visit Dartmouth, their first ever matchup with the Ivy League program
After a pair of road contests, App State returns to Boone for two in-state battles. Charlotte visits on Nov. 21, followed by Elon on Nov. 24, marking the first meeting between the two since 2014.
The Mountaineers then close out November with back-to-back road games, travelling to Mercer on Nov. 26 and then staying in-state to face UNC Asheville on Nov. 30.
December gets kicked off with a home matchup against Virginia–Lynchburg on Dec. 3 before an eight-day break leading up to a road test at East Carolina. The Hickory Hoops Classic caps off the non-conference slate, for a long time, as App State faces High Point at a neutral-site.
App State will also participate in the home leg of the MAC–Sun Belt Challenge on Feb. 7, with the opponent yet to be announced
Conference
App State begins Sun Belt play at home with two December matchups, first against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 18 and then Georgia State on Dec. 20
After the holiday break, the Mountaineers face their longest road stretch of the season, beginning with Old Dominion on New Year’s Eve. They remain on the road for contests at Marshall (Jan. 3), Georgia State (Jan. 8), and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 10).
The Mountaineers then return to Boone for their longest homestand of the year. James Madison, the preseason pick to win the conference, comes to town on Jan. 15, followed by Old Dominion later that week. The two Louisiana schools — Louisiana and ULM — make the trip to Boone the following week for their only regular-season meetings, as they are “west division” matchups.
App State ends January with a pair of road games at Southern Miss on Jan. 29 and defending conference tournament champion Troy on Jan. 31. The Mountaineers open February by hosting South Alabama before stepping away from league play for the home leg of the MAC–SBC Challenge.
A difficult road trip follows, as App State travels south to Georgia Southern, and then all the way north to James Madison. The Mountaineers close out the regular season with home games against Marshall and Georgia Southern on Feb. 19 and 21, before finishing the season at Texas State on Feb. 27.
The Sun Belt Tournament tips off on March 3 and runs through March 9. With a deep and balanced conference this season, App State will look to stay near the top of the standings and make a March run once again under Kerns.
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