Fresh off their resounding victory over a solid Old Dominion team, the Hokies return to Cassell Coliseum on Sunday to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers. This should be another win for Tech, but the Mountaineers aren't a team that can be overlooked.

Appalachian State is a solid Southern Conference team that enters the game sporting a 5-2 record. They lost 79-49 to the Clemson Tigers and 88-78 to Wake Forest, so their two losses came against good competition, and they managed to compete very well with the Demon Deacons.

Like most teams from small conferences, Appalachian State will use a three-guard lineup for most of the game. The Mountaineers feature the most experienced backcourt in the conference, and one of its most dynamic players as well.

D.J. Thompson obviously lacks height, but that doesn't stop him from scoring. He averaged 19.1 points per game last year and is a First Team All-SoCon player. Even more impressive than his scoring is the fact that he averages five rebounds per game, which ranks second on the Appalachian State team.

Thompson also averages 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game, both tops on his team. He scored 25 points against Wake Forest earlier this season, so he is capable of putting up points against top competition. The Hokies need to play a physical defensive game against Thompson with their big, veteran guards Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell.

Appalachian State starts two other seniors in the backcourt, Nathan Cranford and Demetrius Scott. Scott is the only other player on the team that averages double figures in scoring.

Overall, this is a very experienced group. They will also bring sophomore Eduardo Bermudez off the bench. Bermudez averages 9.3 points per game, and he has actually started two games this season.

Forward Jeremy Clayton is Appalachian State's most physical player on the inside. He is 6-7, 215, and has the body of a small forward, but he is the best Mountaineer rebounder. He has attempted just one three-point shot on the season, so his game is best suited for inside play. Davis Bowne is the tallest player in the Appalachian State lineup, but he hasn't been all that productive.

Appalachian State looks to be one of the better Southern Conference teams this year, but they don't match up well with the Hokies. They have a major size disadvantage, and simply don't have the athletes.

The Mountaineers have played two ACC teams this year, Clemson and Wake Forest, and have shot just 35.1% against those two teams. They probably won't do much better against the Hokies, and their backcourt will be bothered by Gordon and Dowdell, who rank first and fourth respectively in the ACC in steals.

This should be a relatively easy win for the Hokies. Then they'll have a week off to prepare for Wake Forest's visit to Cassell on Sunday, December 17.

In a return to our very own sporting past, our Hokies host Southern Conference member Appalachian State this weekend in the Cassell. The Appy State Mountaineers are expected to be a bit improved as Southern Conference hoops teams go this year, led by a strong backcourt tandem of mighty-mite 5-8 Sr. D.J. Thompson and his diminutive sidekick, 6-1 backcourt mate Demetrius Scott.

It is rather interesting to see that the Mountaineers are 22nd in the nation in offensive rebounding, despite the fact that they only field one baller who is taller than 6-3 in their top six scorers -- that would be the 3rd leading rebounder in the Southern Conference, Small-Forward Jeremy Clayton.

The Mountaineers return all five starters off of a 14 win team a year ago, and have only been beaten by two ACC big-names this year (Wake and Clemson). Appy State goes four deep into their bench on a routine basis, as nine different Mountaineers are logging double-digit minutes.

In the national stats rankings, our Hokies have nearly a 100 spot edge in defensive FG%, a 256 spot edge in offensive FG%, and a minor edge in rebounding margin (which was boosted by a +9 rebounding margin edge last time out vs. ODU). That's what I need to see more of, getting after it on the glass at both ends of the court, a surefire sign of intensity.