ATLANTA-- Georgia State tips off conference play on the road at Troy on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Georgia State and Troy are meting for the 45th time in program history. The Panthers and Trojans are tied at 22 in the series after Georgia State fell 78-74 at home last year.
PANTHERS IN THE SUN BELT
> Led by Nick McMullen, who leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in rebounds per-game, the Panthers rank fourth overall in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game with 38.91.
> Georgia State also ranks top ten in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (6th/ 32.6), rebound margin (5th/ 4.7), scoring offense (7th/ 72.9) and free throws made per game (5th/ 14.5).
> Nick McMullen leads the Sun Belt in almost every rebounding category, leading the conference in total rebounds (115, ranks 10th nationally) and rebounds per-game (10.5, ranks 9th nationally). He is second in the conference and 16th nationally for defensive rebounds per-game , averaging 7.27. He is also second in the conference for offensive rebounds with 3.18.
> The Panthers also have two other athletes who lead the conference in their respective categories. Toneari Lane leads the conference in minutes per game (34:10), while Zarique Nutter leads the Sun Belt and is top 50 in the nation for free throws with 52.
KEY RETURNERS: In a rebuild off-season for the Panthers' basketball team, head coach Jonas Hayes retained five returners from the 2023-24 squad, including Toneari Lane, Malik Ferguson, DK Dut, Brevyn Coleman and Aaron Oh
> The Panthers key returner Toneari Lane is the Panthers' second-leading scorer with 13.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 11 assists.
> The Veteran Guard is fourth in the Sun Belt in three pointers per-game with 2.73.
> The guard also ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt for total 3-pointers made (5th/ 30) and three-point percentage (6th/ 31.9).
VETERAN TRANSFER SQUAD: Head coach Jonas Hayes and his staff have rebuilt the GSU roster with addition of seven transfers and four freshmen.
> The transfer squad brings experienced veteran players including Justin Archer (graduate, Radford), Cesare Edwards (senior, Missouri State), Zarique Nutter (senior, Northern Illinois), Darnell Evans (senior, Caldwell) and Nick McMullen (senior, UNC-Asheville).
> Northern Illinois transfer Zarique Nutter is the Panthers' leading scorer with 16.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 24 assists,.
> Nutter leads the conference and is top 50 in the nation for free throws with 52. He is also fourth in the conference for total points with 163, and second for points per-game with 16.3.
> Senior Cesare Edwards is third on the Panthers' leaderboard with 12.1 ppg, and is second in rebounding with 7.1 rpg. He totals 12 assists and five steals on the season.
> Edwards ranks third in the conference after tallying three double-doubles so far. He scored his double-doubles in the Panthers' wins against Ball State (Nov. 4) and Tulsa (Nov. 27). His most recent double-double came in the Panthers' contest against Kennesaw State (Dec. 6).
> The forward ranks top ten in the Sun Belt in rebounding (6th/7.1 rpg), blocks (10th/ 0.91 pg) and field goal percentage (4th/ 46.2).
> Senior Nick McMullen leads the Panthers defensively, totaling 115 rebounds so far this season. His 10.5 rebounds per game leads the Sun Belt and ranks eighth nationally.
> McMullen averages 10.5 ppg.
> McMullen leads the conference and ranks 19th nationally in double-doubles, totaling four. He grabbed his first in the Panthers' season-opner against Ball State (Nov. 4). He recorded his second against North Carolina Central (Nov. 22). His third came in the Panthers' win against Tulsa (Nov. 27). His third happened in the Panthers Contest agaisnt Kennesaw State (Dec. 6), when the forward put up 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Georgia State hosts Mercer for the last non-conference matchup on Dec. 28 at 2:00 p.m.
