Week 14 Men's Basketball Preview: Georgia State

Georgia State is heading back to Atlanta for some home cooking after a not-so-fruitful road trip, dropping two games against conference opponents. The Panthers remain in heavy contention for a first-place finish in the Sun Belt, sitting only two games back with seven more conference games to go before tournament time.

Georgia State wasn’t short on heart in their back-to-back losses, mounting a comeback attempt in the final minutes in both games and coming within a point of upsetting South Alabama.

Troy at Georgia State

The conference-leading Trojans will march on Atlanta for a mid-week clash with the Panthers, both teams looking to avoid losing three games in a row. Troy has fared pretty well against conference opponents overall, with an 8-3 record in Sun Belt play, but has dropped their last two games in conference play, including a 22-point loss to App State in their previous game. This leaves the Trojans only half a game ahead of the Mountaineers in the standings.

Field goal shooting has been an issue for the Trojans, averaging 34.5% from the field as a team in their last two matchups. Sophomore guard Cooper Campbell has been lackluster over his last three starts, combining for only 17 points and shooting only 26% from the field in that span. Campbell getting back to form would be huge for the Trojans if they want to keep the top spot in the conference.

The Panthers have not been much better offensively than Troy during their two-game skid, converting only 33% of the time from the field and have not been able to be consistent from the three-point line. Malachi Brown has come to life for Georgia State over his last two starts, scoring 20+ points in back-to-back games with 13 rebounds and four assists. Brown has also been an asset for the Panthers from long range as of late, shooting 11-for-24 from downtown and becoming a player Georgia State could look to lean on during this conference tilt.

Georgia State and Troy have been facing off since the 2002-2003 season, with Troy holding the edge in all-time record at 23-22 and is on a four-game win streak against the Panthers.

Tipoff: Wednesday Feb 4. at 7:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5 (TuneIn)

Northern Illinois at Georgia State:

The second round of the MAC-SBC challenge gets underway this week, with the MAC holding a 9-4 lead over the Sun Belt Conference after the first leg of games at the start of the season. Georgia State fell to Eastern Michigan 71-49 on the road in the first installment this season. The Panthers will host the Huskies in the second of their two-game homestand.

Northern Illinois has had a rough go of it this season, sitting at 7-19 overall near the bottom of the MAC, with their most recent game ending in a loss to #24 Miami (OH) by a score of 85-61. Sophomore guard Gianni Cobb has been a top dog for the Huskies this season, scoring in double digits in each of his last four games and has the third most total points on the team. The Huskies could look to Cobb and his 44% field goal shooting to lift the team over the Panthers.

Georgia State has dominated the Mid-American Conference since the introduction of the MAC-SBC Challenge, boasting a 4-1 record against MAC teams since the creation of the series. Since his career-high 38-point performance against Arkansas State, guard Jelani Hamilton has been shooting only 17% from the field and 11% from the three-point line. Hamilton has excelled at the free throw line, shooting 80% from the charity stripe and with a game where he went 10-for-10 on free throws. The sophomore guard has also been supporting the team in other ways, leading the team in assists last game with six.

Georgia State and Northern Illinois have only faced off once, during the 2023-2024 season, where the Huskies won in Atlanta 70-64.

Tipoff: Saturday Feb 7. at 2:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: WGTJ 97.5 Glory FM (TuneIn)

Click here for information on tickets. Georgia State fans can also contact the ticket office at (404)-413-4020 or email the ticket office at tickets@gsu.edu