GEORGIA STATE (1-1) vs. MERCER
Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 7 p.m. • GSU Convocation Center
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: WRAS-FM 88.5, Georgia State Athletics mobile app
Georgia State hosts another in-state foe as Mercer visits the GSU Convocation Center Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The game is a matchup of the two winningest Division I programs in the state over the last decade.
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Georgia State is coming off a two-point loss to Georgia Tech before a lively crowd of 4,083 at the GSU Convocation Center. Trailing by eight with three minutes left, the Panthers tied the game on Brenden Tucker's 3-point play with 26 seconds left, but Tech managed the winning basket with four seconds to play.
KEEP IT ROLLING: Georgia State has won 11 of its last 13 games, with the only losses coming to No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and then a two-point loss to Georgia Tech last time out. The Panthers won the final seven regular-season contests of 2021-22, swept three games in the Sun Belt Conference tournament and then opened 2022-23 with a win over Coastal Georgia.
HOT TAKES ON HUDSON: Sophomore forward Ja'Heim Hudson is off to a hot start, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in a pair of double-double games while shooting 73 percent from the field in the Panthers' two games last week.
> Hudson went 16-for-22 from the field, including 2-for-4 on 3-pointers, and 5-for-7 from the free throw line. Ten of his 21 rebounds were offensive, and he also contributed four blocks and three steals.
> In the Panthers' two-point loss to Georgia Tech, Hudson scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to tie his career best. He went 10-for-13 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free throw line. In a five-minute stretch of the second half, he scored 10 of GSU's 12 points to help the Panthers build a seven-point lead.
> The sophomore forward from Hinesville, Ga., opened the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Georgia State's 76-59 win over Coastal Georgia.
SERIES vs. MERCER: Mercer has a 47-39 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1963-64, but in recent years, Georgia State has enjoyed the upper hand.
> The Panthers are 19-6 vs. Mercer over the last 25 games, dating back to 1996, including a 13-game winning streak from 1996 through 2002.
> Georgia State has won 30 of the last 40 meetings, dating back to 1989.
> Mercer won last year's game, 83-77 in Macon, while GSU captured the last game in Atlanta, 88-81 on Dec. 16, 2020 at the GSU Sports Arena.
> The teams are meeting in the regular season for the fifth straight year, including a home-and-home in 2020-21, with the Panthers winning three of the five in that stretch.Â
PRIDE OF THE PEACH STATE: Georgia State is the winningest Division I college basketball team in the state of Georgia since the 2011-12 season.
> Since the start of 2011-12, Georgia State has won 64 percent of its games with a record of 225-126.
> Georgia State's 225 victories are more than Mercer, the next best team in the state with 213 wins and a .573 winning percentage during that time.
> The Panthers also easily outpace Georgia Southern (187), Georgia (176), Georgia Tech (172) and Kennesaw State (83).
> Georgia State has made four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last decade; the other five Division I programs have combined for three NCAA appearances in that time (Georgia-1, Georgia Tech-1, Mercer-1).
NEW ERA: First-year head coach Jonas Hayes takes over a Georgia State program that is coming off a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the Sun Belt Conference champion and is the winningest program in the conference and the state of Georgia over the last decade.
The Atlanta native grew up just minutes from the Georgia State campus, playing at Douglass High School and then the University of Georgia.Â
Hayes spent the last four seasons at Xavier, first as assistant coach and then as interim head coach. He was elevated on March 16, 2022 and led the Musketeers to four straight wins, defeating Florida, Vanderbilt and St. Bonaventure before a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M in the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden.
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NEW DIGS: The new home court for Panther basketball is the 7,500-seat GSU Convocation Center, an impressive multi-purpose facility that is a key addition to the Georgia State campus for hosting graduation, freshman convocation, academic programs, performances and other events as well as men's and women's basketball games.
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The Panthers earned a 76-59 win over Coastal Georgia on Nov. 7 in the first regular-season at the GSU Convocation Center. Sophomore guard Evan Johnson took the first shot and made the first basket--a 3-pointer--in the new arena.
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Located at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Fulton Street in the Summerhill neighborhood, just a few hundred yards from Center Parc Stadium, the new venue replaces the 3,854-seat GSU Sports Arena that housed the program from 1973 through last season.Â
SEASON-OPENING WIN: Georgia State opened the 2022-23 season, as well as the Jonas Hayes era and the new Convocation Center, with a 76-59 win over Coastal Georgia. Sophomore forward Ja'Heim Hudson came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points, along with 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
TRANSFER TRIO: Georgia State welcomes three highly-regarded transfers in guards Dwon Odom (Xavier), Brenden Tucker (College of Charleston) and Jamaine Mann (Vanderbilt). All three return home to the Atlanta area where they played their high school basketball.Â
> Odom, who attended St. Francis in Alpharetta, played two seasons at Xavier under Jonas Hayes. He averaged 6.4 points and 2.5 assists for his two seasons while shooting 55 percent from the field. Odom scored 18 points vs. Texas A&M to help Hayes and Xavier win the 2002 NIT title game.
> Tucker, a first-team all-state selection as a senior at Dacula High School, played three seasons at the College of Charleston. He averaged 11.3 ppg and 2.4 rpg and shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season.
> Mann was a two-time all-state prep player  who led Dutchtown High to the 2020 Class AAAAA state title. He transfers from Vanderbilt, where he averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field in 2021-22.
BIG SHOES TO FILL: Georgia State has had to replace its top six scorers from a year ago, as well as its top two rebounders, top three in assists, top five in steals and top two in blocked shots. In particular, last year's senior quartet of guards Kane Williams, Corey Allen and Justin Roberts and center Eliel Nsosome combined for 42 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists per game.
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In addition to eight returning letterwinners, led by guard Evan Johnson and forward Ja'Heim Hudson, the Panthers also welcome three highly-regarded transfers in guards Dwon Odom (Xavier), Brenden Tucker (College of Charleston) and Jamaine Mann (Vanderbilt). All three return home to the Atlanta area where they played their high school basketball. Center Edward Nnamoko, a 6-10 freshman from Lagos, Nigeria, should also make an impact.
