Appalachian State has only only played one Power Five Conference opponent, but the Mountaineers have been tested.

Michigan topped Appalachian State in the season opener, and the Mountaineers have also lost to Montana State, at North Carolina-Greensboro and at East Tennessee State.

Appalachian State has won its first two Sun Belt games with victories at South Alabama and at Troy. The Mountaineers have played six games on the road.

Appalachian State (8-4) travels to NC State (9-3) at 4 p.m. Sunday on the ACC Network.

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Appalachian State head coach Dustin Kearns is starting four upperclassmen, who are battle-tested.

Junior wing Justin Forrest has transformed into becoming a star, and recently had 32 points in a 81-71 win over South Alabama on Dec. 19. He’s bounced back after a brutal two-game stretch where he shot a combined 3 of 28 at UNCG and vs. Charlotte before Thanksgiving.

Freshman Donovan Gregory from Charlotte is an athletic wing, but has only played in five games due to injury.

Rankings

In the NET rankings done by the NCAA, Appalachian State is currently No. 107 (through Dec. 25) in the country. KenPom.com has Appalachian State at No. 138, and ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Mountaineers at No. 132.

The Mountaineers are ranked No. 142 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Shooting

Appalachian State is shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 31.1 percent on three-pointers. However, the Mountaineers have struggled at the line at 63.9 percent.

Four of the five starters have hit at least 11 three-pointers, with sophomore wing Adrian Delph leading the way at 38.5 percent. Three of the starters, including Depth, are shooting less than 60 percent from the line.

Rebounding

The Mountaineers are averaging 37.6 rebounds and 10 offensive boards per game this season. Senior Isaac Johnson leads the way with nine rebounds a contest, and he grabbed 15 boards in a 78-69 loss at East Tennessee State, and he had 14 against North Carolina-Greensboro.

Delph is only 6-3 and 185 pounds, but he is chipping in five rebounds a game. He has grabbed at least eight rebounds in four games.

Defense

Opponents are shooting just 38.4 percent from the field and 32.5 percent on three-pointers en route to 62 points a game. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.3 steals per game and 2.6 blocks a contest. Michigan has scored the most points in a 79-71 win to open the season Nov. 5.

Senior Hunter Seacat has 10 blocks and Kendall Lewis has added nine blocks. Four players have at least 15 steals with O’Showen Williams leading the way with 23.

Depth

Appalachian State usually plays three guys off the bench. Sophomore post player James Lewis Jr. and freshman forward Kendall Lewis give the frontcourt some relief. Junior Michael Bibby Jr. comes off the bench at guard.

The 6-7 Kendall Lewis is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game. The 6-8 James Lewis is chipping in 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.4 minutes a game. Bibby is just 6 of 26 on three-pointers and is averaging 3.4 points per game.

It didn’t take long for junior wing Justin Forrest to show that he was an absolute steal for Appalachian State in recruiting.

Unlike his father, James Forrest, Justin was a relative sleeper coming out of Greenforest Christian Academy in Decatur, Ga., where he played with center Ike Obiagu, who started off at Florida State and is now at Seton Hall. James Forrest was a 6-8 power forward, who was top 10 coming out of high school and stayed home to attend Georgia Tech. He averaged 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during his four-year stint with the Yellow Jackets.

Justin Forrest had 32 points and five three-pointers in just 25 minutes of action in a 104-98 loss vs. Iowa State in just his third game of his college career. He then showed that was a fluke, pouring in 36 points and seven three-pointers in a 105-99 double-overtime loss at James Madison in his sixth game of his Mountaineers career.

Forrest has scored over 30 points in a game five times, including a 32-point effort against South Alabama on Dec. 19. He also had 27 points in the opener against Michigan, so he is more than capable when good teams zero in on him. Forrest is averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game and shooting 30.7 percent from the field and is second on the team with 71.2 percent at the free-throw line (among players with at least 10 attempts).

The 6-2, 195-pounder isn’t going to rack up a lot of assists or rebounds, and he is still shooting at 39.9 percent from the field, which isn’t ideal.

NC State

PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Sr., 13.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.9 spg)

SG — C.J. Bryce (6-5, 210, 5th-Sr., 16.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg) or 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, R-Jr., 11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg)

G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Jr., 8.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.7 apg)

PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Soph., 10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.0 spg)

C — 15 Manny Bates (6-11, 230, R-Fr., 6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 3.2 bpg)

Appalachian State

PG — 4 O’Showen Williams (5-11, 190, Sr., 9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.9 spg)

SG — 1 Justin Forrest (6-2, 195, Jr., 17.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg)

G — 20 Adrian Delph (6-3, 185, Soph., 9.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)

F — 50 Hunter Seacat (6-9, 235, Sr., 5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)

C — 0 Isaac Johnson (6-9, 212, Sr., 11.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg)

33 Career games where Appalachian State senior post player Isaac Johnson has grabbed at least 10 rebounds.

58 Career games junior guard Justin Forrest has scored at least 10 points in a games.

100 Seasons Appalachian State has had, which the Mountaineer are celebrating this season. The Mountaineers have reached NCAA Tournament twice (1979, 2000) and the NIT once in 2007 in 100 years.

Isaac Johnson was part of a star-studded Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day squad that included current Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams, Kansas sophomore point guard Devon Dotson and Santa Clara sophomore wing Trey Wertz. Johnson was part of 103 wins on the varsity and a 2016 NCIHSAA 3A state title.

The 6-9, 212-pounder, whose father Ronnie played for the Chicago Bears, had nine points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench at NC State his freshman year. The Wolfpack rolled 97-64 behind 22 points from Dennis Smith Jr. and four other players in double figures. Since then, Johnson should crack 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds in his college career at some point this season.

Johnson has steadily improved and is averaging career highs in points (11.8 per game), rebounds (9.0), assists (2.3) and steals (1.8). He isn’t much of a shotblocker, with just five this season. Johnson has four double-doubles this season for points and rebounds, including having 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a 81-59 win over Howard on Dec. 14.

NC State sophomore forward Jericole Hellems is averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, but has been off a bit since suffering a tough fall against Wake Forest on Dec. 7. He has gone a combined 7 of 21 from the field for 18 points in the three games since the injury.

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