ATLANTA-- After falling to Texas State on Wednesday, the Panthers look to bounce back at Arkansas State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at First National Bank Arena.
Georgia State and Arkansas State are meeting for the 19th time in program history. The Panthers are 13-5 in the series after defeating the Red Wolves 91-90 at home on Dec. 30, 2023.
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: WGTJ-FM 97.5, GSU athletics app
PANTHERS IN THE SUN BELT
> Led by Nick McMullen, who is second in the conference and ranks 17th nationally in rebounds per-game, the Panthers' 38.67 rebounds per-game ranks third in the Sun Belt.
> Nick McMullen is second in the Sun Belt in every rebounding category, including total rebounds (178, ranks 10th nationally), rebounds per-game (9.9, ranks 17th nationally), defensive rebounds per-game (6.39, ranks 36th nationally) and offensive rebounds (3.50, ranks 17th nationally).
KEY RETURNER: Toneari Lane is Georgia State's second-leading scorer with 14.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 30 assists.
> The Veteran Guard is third in the Sun Belt in three pointers per-game with 2.78.
> The guard also ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt for total 3-pointers made (5th/ 50) and three-point percentage (6th/ 31.4).
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 15.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 38 assists.
> Nutter's 15.3 oog ranks sixth in the conference.
> Nutter is also sixth in the conference for free throws with 68.
> Senior Cesare Edwards is third on the Panthers' leaderboard with 14.3 ppg, and is second in rebounding with 6.6 rpg. He totals 17 assists, 22 blocks and 11 steals on the season.
> Edwards ranks third in the conference in double-doubles after tallying four 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).
> Senior Nick McMullen leads the Panthers defensively, totaling 178 rebounds so far this season, which is second in the Sun Belt. His 9.9 rebounds per game is also second in the Sun Belt and ranks 17th nationally.
> McMullen averages 9.4 ppg.
> McMullen is also second in the conference and ranks 34th nationally in double-doubles, totaling six. He grabbed his first in the Panthers' season-opener against Ball State (Nov. 4). He recorded his second against North Carolina Central (Nov. 22). Most notably, McMullen put up 22 points and 14 rebounds in the Panthers' first conference win over Louisiana (Jan. 4).
Georgia State returns home for matchups against Marshall (Jan. 23) and James Madison (Jan. 25) before hitting the road to Marshall on Jan. 30.
