Last Updated on August 14, 2023 1:37 pm
BOONE, N.C. – In conjunction with the Sun Belt Conference, App State Men’s Basketball announced its 2023-24 season schedule Wednesday.
The upcoming slate is highlighted by a home clash against the Auburn Tigers on Sunday, Dec. 3, marking the first time the Mountaineers have hosted an autonomy five opponent since they faced off with No. 6 North Carolina in the first game ever played in the Holmes Convocation Center on Nov. 17, 2000.
Season ticket renewals will be available on Thursday, Aug. 10, along with unallocated new season tickets. The renewal deadline will be Aug. 31. Single-game ticket sales will be announced in September. Game times for the 2023-24 campaign will be announced at a later date.
“This is one of the best and most challenging overall schedules we have put together,” head coach Dustin Kerns said. “We have a top-25 and recent Final Four program in Auburn coming to the Holmes Center. Also, we are facing several top-level regional mid-major programs here in Boone and on the road. Our game in Hickory will be the first of its kind and will be exciting for our alumni and fans.
“Two opponents in the MAC Challenge also bring something new and intriguing for our fans and students. We always strive to be intentional in our scheduling, and playing in areas where our players are from and near their families is always strategic. We feel this schedule will prepare us for the always demanding Sun Belt Conference.”
The first time to see the Mountaineers in action is Tuesday, Nov. 7, when they tip off the season at home against Oakland City.
Another highlight to the nonconference schedule is a matchup with UNC Asheville in App State’s Hickory Hoops Classic at Catawba Valley Community College's Tarlton Complex on Dec. 21. The contest marks the first of a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs. Tickets for App State’s Hickory Hoops Classic go on sale Thursday.
As was announced in June, the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference will debut a scheduling alliance that will pit the Mountaineers against Northern Illinois on Nov. 11 in Dekalb, Ill. Following that matchup, the Mountaineers will continue west to take on Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., on Nov. 14, where they will face the Beavers for the first time since 2000, when the two teams met up in Hilo, Hawaii.
The Mountaineers will spend Thanksgiving week in Fort Myers, Fla., where they will face off with UNC Wilmington and Murray State.
App State will wrap up the month of November at home, facing Austin Peay for the first time in program history on Nov. 26. Three days later, the Black and Gold will renew its long-standing rivalry with ETSU, facing off with the Bucs in the 79th all-time meeting.
The conference schedule features nine home and nine away games against Sun Belt opponents, including 12 matchups against East Division foes. The conference opener for the Mountaineers is set for Dec. 30 at home against ULM.
Three weeks later, the Mountaineers begin a stretch of four consecutive conference home games as they host Georgia State and Coastal Carolina on Jan. 17 and 20, before welcoming Georgia Southern and James Madison to the Holmes Center on Jan. 25 and 27, respectively.
On Feb. 10, the Mountaineers host the second leg of the SBC-MAC challenge. The opponent for the contest will be set based on real-time NET rankings and announced in January. The Mountaineers most recently defeated MAC member Akron at the Gulf Coast Showcase in 2021.
One week later the Black and Gold will host Marshall and Louisiana, before closing out the regular season with home contests against Old Dominion and Arkansas State.
The 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Tournament will take place March 5-11 in Pensacola, Fla., with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
A complete game-by-game schedule is listed below.
| Date | Location | Opponent | Note |
| November 7, 2023 (Tuesday) | Home | Oakland City | |
| November 11, 2023 (Saturday) | Away | Northern Illinois | |
| November 14, 2023 (Tuesday) | Away | Oregon State | |
| November 21, 2023 (Tuesday) | Neutral | UNC Wilmington | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| November 22, 2023 (Wednesday) | Neutral | Murray State | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| November 26, 2023 (Sunday) | Home | Austin Peay | |
| November 29, 2023 (Wednesday) | Home | ETSU | |
| December 3, 2023 (Sunday) | Home | Auburn | |
| December 5, 2023 (Tuesday) | Home | Central Penn | |
| December 13, 2023 (Wednesday) | Away | Queens | |
| December 16, 2023 (Saturday) | Gardner-Webb | Location TBD | |
| December 21, 2023 (Thursday) | Home | UNC Asheville | Hickory, N.C. |
| December 30, 2023 (Saturday) | Home | ULM* | |
| January 4, 2024 (Thursday) | Away | South Alabama* | |
| January 6, 2024 (Saturday) | Away | Troy* | |
| January 11, 2024 (Thursday) | Away | Coastal Carolina* | |
| January 13, 2024 (Saturday) | Away | James Madison* | |
| January 17, 2024 (Wednesday) | Home | Georgia State* | |
| January 20, 2024 (Saturday) | Home | Coastal Carolina* | |
| January 25, 2024 (Thursday) | Home | Georgia Southern* | |
| January 27, 2024 (Saturday) | Home | James Madison* | |
| February 1, 2024 (Thursday) | Away | Georgia State* | |
| February 3, 2024 (Saturday) | Away | Georgia Southern* | |
| February 7, 2024 (Wednesday) | Away | Texas State* | |
| February 10, 2024 (Saturday) | Home | SBC-MAC Challenge | Opponent TBD |
| February 15, 2024 (Thursday) | Home | Marshall* | |
| February 17, 2024 (Saturday) | Home | Louisiana | |
| February 22, 2024 (Thursday) | Away | Old Dominion | |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | Away | Marshall | |
| February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | Home | Old Dominion | |
| March 1, 2024 (Friday) | Home | Arkansas State | |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | Neutral | Sun Belt Tournament | Pensacola, Fla. |
