ATLANTA-Georgia State will head to the Caribbean for the first time in regular season history and open the Cayman Islands Classic facing St. Bonaventure on Monday at 5 p.m. The Panthers will play three games in three days at the John Gray Gymnasium in George Town.
Georgia State (2-1) could play as many as three opponents that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. It starts on Monday with St. Bonaventure (1-2) that advanced to the tournament last year. The Panthers will face either Boise State or Creighton on Tuesday. The tournament will conclude on Wednesday facing either Akron, Clemson, Georgia, or Illinois State.
Monday's contest can be heard live on WAOK-AM 1380 with Dave Cohen, now in his 36th year as the Voice of the Panthers, calling the action. The game will also air live on Stadium for free through their Facebook page with Noah Coslov, Doug Gottlieb, and Tim Scarborough calling the action. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.
Georgia State enters the tournament following a 62-60 win over in-state rival Mercer on Tuesday. Senior Jeff Thomas scored career-highs with 30 points and eight 3-pointers as the Panthers went 15-of-35 from beyond the arc.
In capped a great day for the Panthers as Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year D'Marcus Simonds earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors earlier on Tuesday. Simonds finished the game with 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers.
Simonds has moved into 12th place on Georgia State's all-time scoring list. He needs just 15 points on Monday to move ahead of Kevin Morris for 11th-place on the all-time list. Simonds is currently third in the Sun Belt Conference averaging 22.3 points per game, while Thomas is fifth at 19.3 points per contest.
“We have played three very good opponents so far and it will not get any easier in the Cayman Islands,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “However, we have a very good team and we want to compete against the best in the country. This tournament will allow us to do that with an incredible backdrop of being in the Caribbean.”
Hunter, who enters Monday 149-86 at Georgia State, will be looking to become the first coach in GSU history to reach the 150 win plateau. Over the last five-plus seasons, the Panthers have won 112 games, the most of any NCAA D1 program in Georgia.
Georgia State enters the tournament holding opponents to just 21.6 percent from 3-point range which is ranked No. 18 in the NCAA. The Panthers are also blocking 6.7 shots per game, which also ranks No. 18.
Notes:
- Senior Jordan Tyson, who is in his second year with the Panthers, played two seasons with St. Bonaventure before transferring to GSU. He graduated with a degree in journalism last May.
- The Panthers are looking to improve to 3-1 for the third time in four seasons.
- The Panthers have 13 wins over current members of the A-10, including a 1-1 mark last year with a win at UMass and an overtime loss at Dayton.
- Georgia State has posted an 11-11 record in MTE's in the first seven seasons that Ron Hunter has been the head coach of the Panthers.
- Georgia State is ranked No. 15 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Following Monday night's game, Georgia State will face either Boise State or Creighton on Tuesday. With a win over St. Bonaventure, the Panthers will play at 7:30 p.m. With a loss, the Panthers will play at 5 p.m.
Quick Notes:
• Georgia State made its second NCAA Tournament in the last four years in 2018 and returns four of five starters from the 2017-18 squad.
• Georgia State and St. Bonaventure will square off for the first time on Monday.
• The Cayman Islands Classic features four teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament and if the bracket fell correctly, the Panthers could face the other three teams in three days.
• Under Ron Hunter, the Panthers have played in six MTE's going a combined 11-11 in those events. Two years ago, GSU won the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge.
• The Panthers have 13 wins over current members of the A-10, including a 1-1 mark last year with a win at UMass and an overtime loss at Dayton.
• Georgia State is looking to improve to 3-1 for the third time in the last four years.
• Last time out, Jeff Thomas scored career-highs with 30 points and 8 3-pointers against Mercer. The 8 treys are tied for the seventh-most in school history.
• Against Mercer, Georgia State went 15-of-35 from 3-point range. The 15 treys are tied for the eighth-most in school history, while the 35 attempts are tied for the seventh-most.
• In the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, Georgia State was ranked No. 15.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Georgia State has won more games (112) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia. Only one other program has 100 wins.
• Georgia State could face as many as six 2018 NCAA Tournament teams this season. The Nov. 9 game at Montana was first on the list and Georgia State's next opponent, St. Bonaventure, is No. 2. GSU also has games at Alabama and Kansas State on the list.
• Since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14, Georgia State has finished in the top two of the final regular season conference standings four times.
• Junior D'Marcus Simonds was named the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year after earning AP All-America Honorable Mention recognition last season. He also earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.
• Jeff Thomas has made 155 3-pointers in his career, ranked No. 8 on GSU's all-time list for treys.
• GSU is one of just 13 programs in the country to feature two assistant coaches who have NCAA D1 head coach experience (McCallum - Ball State/Houston/Detroit and Williams - Tennessee State).
• GSU was one of just 13 schools in the country to win a bowl game and advance to the NCAA Tournament last year. Only three schools (GSU, Marshall and New Mexico State) are non-Power 5 programs.
