ATLANTA-Having already knocked off two Power 5 opponents this year, Georgia State will look to top a top 25 foe when the Panthers travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face No. 24/25 Kansas State on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Bramlage Coliseum.
Georgia State (7-3) has won four of its last five games, including wins over Georgia and Alabama. The Panthers have started 7-3 for the fourth time in the last five years, including a pair of seasons that led to NCAA Tournament appearances.
Kansas State (6-2) returns home following two-straight losses on the road dropping the Wildcats from as high as No. 15 in the country. K-State advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament last year and will be the fifth 2018 NCAA Tournament opponent Georgia State faces in its first 11 games.
Saturday's contest can be heard live on WAOK-AM 1380 and WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 36th year as the Voice of the Panthers, calling the action. The game will also air live on Fox Sports Kansas City, the Fox Sports Mobile App, and ESPN3 with Ben Boyle, Stan Weber, and Bridget Howard calling the action. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.
“After a week of final exams, our guys were excited to get back on the court on Wednesday night and it showed,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “It was good to get a game under our belts before heading back out on the road. Our team is truly road-tested this season, but we will be facing arguably our stiffest test on Saturday. Kansas State is an extremely talented team, but I believe we are pretty good ourselves and this should make for a great match-up of NCAA Tournament teams.”
Junior D'Marcus Simonds continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference averaging 22.0 points per game which also ranks No. 23 in the NCAA. He stands in into sixth-place on Georgia State's all-time scoring list with 1,350 points, just 25 shy of Chavelo Holmes for fifth on the all-time scoring list. He is currently on pace to break R.J. Hunter's school record of 1,819 career points by the end of the season.
Despite being just a junior, Simonds is either in the top 10 or on the verge of the top 10 in Georgia State history in points, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, free throws attempted, assists, and steals.
Seniors Malik Benlevi and Jeff Thomas are also averaging in double figures. Benlevi, who has knocked down a team-high 24 3-pointers, is averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Thomas is adding 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest and currently stands seventh in program history with 163 3-pointers.
Sophomore Kane Williams and redshirt-junior Damon Wilson round out the starting line-up. Williams is averaging 11.2 points per game to go along with 34 assists, while Wilson is shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from 3-point range.
Georgia State enters play averaging 8.0 steals per game, No. 2 in the Sun Belt and 59th in the NCAA. Benlevi, along with Williams rank among the top four in the conference in steals. The Panthers 4.9 blocks per game average is also second in the league and No. 45 in the nation.
Notes:
- Head coach Ron Hunter is 0-1 in his career against Kansas State while Georgia State is 0-2.
- Georgia State is looking to defeat three Power 5 opponents for the first time in program history.
- The last time Georgia State even played three Power 5 opponents in the same season was 2013-14 when the Panthers took on Vanderbilt and Alabama during the regular season along with Clemson in the Postseason NIT.
- Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won more games (117) than any other NCAA Division I team in the state of Georgia.
Following Saturday's game, Georgia State will return home to face UNC Wilmington on Wednesday in the GSU Sports Arena at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix or calling 404-413-4020.
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 is facing its fifth 2018 NCAA Tournament opponent in the first 11 games of this season. GSU has already faced Montana, St. Bonaventure, Creighton, and Alabama leading into tonight.
• The Panthers are looking for their first regular season win against a Big 12 opponent. GSU's lone win over the league came against Baylor in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
• GSU has four all-time wins over teams ranked in the top 25. The last came against No. 16 Baylor in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The last ranked opponent GSU faced was No. 6/10 Cincinnati in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• Last time out, GSU earned a 95-88 win over Chattanooga on Wednesday night. Four Panthers finished in double figures while the team shot 57.7 percent from the floor and 10-of-23 from 3-point range.
• GSU has beaten two Power 5 opponents in one season for the second time in program history (Georgia and Alabama). In the 2000-01 season, GSU topped Georgia to open the season then defeated Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Those wins are the only two P5 wins for Sun Belt schools this season.
• Georgia State's 21-point halftime comeback over Alabama (Dec. 4) is tied for the 12th-largest halftime comeback in NCAA history.
• GSU won five games in November for just the third time in program history. The previous two Novembers (2014 & 2017) found the Panthers playing in the NCAA Tournament the following March.
• Over the last 10 months, three Panthers have made at least eight 3-pointers in a game. Malik Benlevi knocked down eight against UGA last week, while Jeff Thomas did it against Mercer earlier this year. Last season, Devin Mitchell made 10 3-pointers at Little Rock.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Georgia State has won more games (117) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.
• Since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14 (5 seasons), Georgia State has finished in the top two of the final regular season conference standings four times.
• D'Marcus Simonds was named the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year after earning AP All-America Honorable Mention last season. He earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on Nov. 12.
• Jeff Thomas has made 163 3-pointers in his career, seventh on GSU's all-time.
• 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).
• Head coach Ron Hunter, Georgia State's all-time leader in wins, earned the 150th win of his career at GSU in the opening game of the Cayman Islands Classic against St. Bonaventure.
• Hunter has led the Panthers to four of the seven most successful seasons in program history, including a pair of 25-win seasons and 24 wins last year.
