ASU to face GSU
By Steve Behr
Appalachian State coach Houston Fancher has called the Southern Conference Tournament four one-day tournaments.
So, when the Mountaineers lost 73-63 to Samford last Saturday at the Holmes Center, Fancher took immediate action. He built a snow fort with his kids during the storm that hit the area Sunday.
“On Sunday we were playing in the snow,” Fancher said. “I was building forts and snowmen with my boys.”
It was a chance for the Mountaineers to take a break from what has been a up and down season. Appal-achian State finished the season with a 12-17 record, 9-11 in the Sou-thern Conference. They take on a Georgia Southern team in the first round of the tournament that finished 8-21 overall, 5-15 in the SoCon.
“We got out and got away from it all,” Fancher said. “We were disappointed in the loss, but we have to prepare for what’s forward. (Monday), we had as spirited and enthusiastic of a practice that we’ve had in a long time. The kids worked as hard as they did all year.”
Following the Mountaineers loss Saturday, coupled with Western Carolina’s victory over Chattanooga, also on last Saturday, Appalachian State went from hoping for a bye in the first round of the SoCon Tournament to a No. 4 seed from the North Division. Waiting for the Mountaineers is Georgia Southern, the No. 5 seed from the South Division.
Had the Mountaineers beaten Samford, they would have earned the No. 3 seed and a game against No. 6 South seed Furman. Following that game, had they won, would be a rematch with The Citadel, the No. 2 seed from the South. The Mountaineers were swept by The Citadel, but lost by just two points in Boone and were beaten in overtime in Charleston, S.C.
However, as the No. 4 seed from the North, should the Mountaineers beat Georgia Southern, they’ll face Davidson, a team that stumbled a bit two weeks ago when sharpshooter Stephen Curry hurt his ankle, but beat Elon 90-78 Monday night.
“It’s easy to look at the different scenarios,” Fancher said. “Once you get past the opening game, you’re playing teams who have had really good years. The Citadel is as hot as anybody in the league. We lost Saturday, so if we win, we’ll have to play the team that set the standard for our league. There’s no sneaking into the championship game.”
ASU played Georgia Southern just once this year when the Mountaineers beat the Eagles 95-82 on Feb. 2 in Statesboro, Ga. But Fancher doesn’t want to read too much into that victory, saying it was a while ago and the tournament is an entirely different thing than the regular season.
“A lot of things can factor into it,” Fancher said. “In this point of time, it’s one and done for every team playing. Also at this point in time, you see teams that are being as competitive as they can possibly be. You’re going to have teams laying it on the line from here on out.”
Fancher would like to see his players be more consistent. Only a handful, guards Donald Sims, Eduardo Bermudez and Kellen Brand, have seen significant time during a Southern Conference Tournament game.
Ike Butts played last year, but only sparingly. A.J. Highsmith and Tyler Webb have been on the Mountaineers’ roster before in tournament games, but did not play much.
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