The Hokies have a quick return to action after a win over Liberty Wednesday. Tech (2-0, 0-0) hosts Appalachian State Saturday as part of the Cancun Challenge at 1 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.
Appalachian State comes in searching for its first win after an 0-2 start. The Mountaineers are entering the program's first season in the Sun Belt Conference after the school joined last June for all sports except field hockey and wrestling.
Head coach Jim Fox enters his first season as the head coach at Appalachian State after Jason Capel was let go following last season. Fox served as an assistant on Bob McKillop's staff at Davidson for thirteen seasons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Head Coach Jim Fox of <a href="https://twitter.com/AppStateBball">@AppStateBball</a> is ready for his team to kickoff their first season in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FunBelt?src=hash">#FunBelt</a>! <a href="http://t.co/K0kXvNUYPZ">pic.twitter.com/K0kXvNUYPZ</a></p>— Sun Belt Conference (@SunBelt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SunBelt/status/527479581305880577">October 29, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Similar to Liberty, the Mountaineers come into Blacksburg featuring a lineup with some good depth in the front court.
6'7" senior forward Tommy Spagnolo leads the way with 13 points and 9.5 rebounds. Most of the scoring however comes from the backcourt.
6'2" junior Frank Eaves has put up 13 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while junior Chris Burgess adds 10 points and 3 rebounds himself.
Despite the balanced scoring, the Mountaineers have dropped games at Ohio and Furman by an average of 22.5 points per contest. That's a tough start and the Hokies will present quite a challenge for the visitors.
This is a good game for the youthful Hokies to continue to gain experience and learn on the job. It will be important to improve in the areas of concern, primarily free throw shooting and rebounding before a step up in competition Tuesday against Northern Iowa.
Of note, Virginia Tech's football game (which starts at 12:30 p.m.) will be shown live on televisions in the Cassell Coliseum concourse so you can watch a few plays while scrambling for nachos.