By Brent Zell
The death march continues for the No. 13 Lady Bulldogs at 7 pm EST tonight when they host Appalachian State, the third of 12 straight teams with winning records they’ll play before the end of January. Time to meet the colder-weather ASU.
APPALACHIAN STATE
Record: 8-1
Coming In: Beat College of Charleston 71-52 Tuesday at home in Boone, N.C., for its eighth straight win and fifth straight by double digits.
Mascot: The Mountaineer. Oh, women can’t be mountaineers? Don’t say that to her. If there’s one thing that six years of college in the upper Midwest taught me, it’s that you should never upset a woman wielding a musket.
Well, This Is Interesting: ASU steals. Like, a whole lot. That contrasts nicely with the Lady Bulldogs, who are top-40 in turnovers committed and top-10 in turnover margin per NCAA.com. Additionally, the Mountaineers are 2-0 in games played in the Peach State this season.
But Here’s The Thing: ASU’s slate of opponents so far has been, shall we say, somewhat lacking in a few areas. Per RealTimeRPI.com, the Mountaineers have the 337th ranked strength of schedule, which is seventh-weakest in the country. The one game ASU played against a winning team this season was an 80-48 loss at Virginia.
Watch This Player: Junior forward Anna Freeman certainly gets it done on both ends of the floor for ASU. Last year’s Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year was tied for seventh in the country in steals per game as of Dec. 18 per NCAA.com and is averaging 3.8 swipes to go with 2.2 blocks. She also leads the team in scoring with 17 points per contest.
Coverage: Comcast Sports Southeast (TV); Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network (Affiliate List); GeorgiaDogs.com (Live Chat)
(Thanks to goasu.com for statistical information)