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Appalachian State meets Norfolk State in First Four with winner advancing to face Gonzaga

Appalachian State’s Donovan Gregory goes up for two during the Sun Belt Conference Championship game against Georgia State, Monday, March 8, 2021, at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. Appalachian State beat Georgia State 80-73. (Associated Press)
Associated Press

No. 16 seed Appalachian State (17-11) vs. No. 16 seed Norfolk State (16-7)

NCAA Tournament First Four, Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana; Thursday, 5:40 p.m.

BOTTOM LINE: App State and Norfolk State will take the floor in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Norfolk State earned a 71-63 win over Morgan State on Saturday, while App State won 80-73 against Georgia State on March 3.

SUPER SENIORS: App State’s Michael Almonacy, Justin Forrest and James Lewis Jr. have combined to score 45 percent of the team’s points this season, including 55 percent of all Mountaineers scoring over the last five games.

KEY FACILITATOR: Almonacy has either made or assisted on 48 percent of all App State field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has accounted for 24 field goals and eight assists in those games.

PERFECT WHEN: Norfolk State is a perfect 9-0 when the team makes at least 75% of its free throws. The Spartans are 7-7 when they shoot below 75% from the line.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Spartans have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Mountaineers. Norfolk State has an assist on 43 of 80 field goals (53.8 percent) over its past three contests while App State has assists on 35 of 67 field goals (52.2 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Norfolk State is ranked second among MEAC teams with an average of 75.2 points per game.