ATLANTA-- After finishing out all road games for the regular season, Georgia State men's basketball returns home to tip off a four-game homestead, beginning with rivals Georgia Southern on Thursday, Feb 19. at 8:00 p.m.. 

THE SERIES: 
A rivalry that started back in 1971, the two are meeting for the 75th time in program history and the second time this season. This matchup marks the 34th time on Panthers Territory. Georgia State is 33-42 in the series overall, and 21-13 when playing on home court against Georgia Southern. 

The series has been tight in the last few years with the rivals going back and forth on taking control since 2024. The Panthers look to secure a win over Southern after losing in their first match of the season back in December.

TOP STORYLINES: 
Georgia State will continue at home with three conference contests against James Madison (Feb. 21), Coastal Carolina (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 27) to close out the season.

The Sun Belt conference tournament is slated for March 3-7. With the Panthers currently standing in a three-way tie for 10th, Georgia State is slated to begin conference championship action on Thursday, March 4th. 

The Panthers went on a four-game winning streak in January, recording wins over Marshall, ULM, Southern Miss and Arkansas State. 

Two Panthers have beaten career-highs this season, both records that were previously held for at least a year. Jelani Hamilton notched a Sun Belt-high 38 points in the Panthers upset over Arkansas State (Jan. 24) and Malachi Brown led the team with 25 points at Louisiana (Jan. 29).

NATIONALLY RANKED IN FREE THROWS: 

Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No.11 nationally in free throw efficiency after converting free throws at a 78.3 percent clip.

Helping the Panthers to a national ranking in free throw percentage is Redshirt sophomore Jelani Hamilton, who leads the Sun Belt and ranks 39th nationally with an 88.2 free throw average.  

Hamilton went on a 22-free-throws-made streak from Dec. 20-Jan. 10. His 22 consecutive free throws made ranks eighth in program history, 17 shots away from the record of 38.  

Tucker also tops the Sun Belt rankings in free throw percentage after notching an 81.5  percentage from the line to place seventh overall against conference opponents.

TOPPING THE SUN BELT CHARTS: 

In addition to leading the Sun Belt and holding a No. 39 national ranking in free throw percentage through yet another week, Jelani Hamilton tops Sun Belt rankings in points per game and holds top 10 spots in multiple categories. 

Hamilton's 18.0 ppg leads the Sun Belt and ranks top 100 in the NCAA. 

He is  also second in the conference for steals per game with 1.86. His 41 total steals ranks fifth in the conference. 

Hamilton's 135 total free throws ranks fourth in the Sun Belt. 

SHOOTERS SHOOT: 

Georgia State averages 70.5 points per game, shooting 38.0 percent from the field.

Georgia State has connected 8.7 three-pointers per game while shooting 32.4 percent from behind the arc. 

The Panthers have recorded seven games of 80 or more points, including a season-high 110 points vs. Columbia College (Dec. 28).

The Panthers average 22.31 ppg off the bench, accounting for 31.4 percent of Georgia State's Overall offensive productivity. The team ranks fifth overall in the conference for bench points per game.  

UP NEXT: 

The Panthers continue their homestand hosting James Madison on Saturday Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m., before facing Coastal Carolina (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 27) to close out the season.