ATLANTA-- After falling to James Madison in overtime on the road just eight days before, Georgia State looks to rematch the Dukes at home on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. 

THE SERIES: 

The two teams are meeting for the 23rd time in program history and the second time this season. A longstanding series that began in 1976, the Panthers trail by four wins. The Panthers look to clinch their first win against the Dukes since 2022, when James Madison joined the Sun Belt Conference. 

TOP STORYLINES: 
The Panthers come into the contest off a 66-64 win at home over rivals Georgia Southern just two days before. 

Georgia State concluded all road matches for the regular season on Feb. 14 at Old Dominion, and are slated to finish out the season on a four-game homestand. The Panthers will host Coastal Carolina on Feb. 24 before closing out the regular season with a rematch against Old Dominion on Feb. 27. 

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). 

STATE VS. THE SBC:

The Panthers are 7-8 in conference play after racking up wins against App State, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, ULM, Southern Miss, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern.  

The Panthers split the series against rivals Georgia Southern, falling to the Eagles in the conference opener on the road (Dec. 18) before protecting home court and defeating Georgia Southern at home (Feb. 19). 

Previously, Georgia State upset Southern Miss 69-62 at home on Jan. 22 to tie for second overall in th Sun Belt. The Panthers took over the No. 2 spot after an 82-81 win over Arkansas State (Jan. 24).

The Panthers defeated ULM 77-57 on the road on Jan. 17, marking the biggest road win (by point differential) since Feb. 22, 2018 against Texas State.  

After falling in an 84-80 heart breaker on the road against Marshall (Dec. 31), Georgia State evened the series against the Thundering Herd with an 81-73 win at home (Jan. 10). 

Georgia State split the series against Appalachian State, defeating the Mountaineers 70-63 on the road (Dec. 20) before falling 52-50 at home (Jan. 8).

The Panthers opened conference play with a four-game road swing, tipping off with Georgia Southern. 

Georgia State averages 71.13 points per game in conference action. The Panthers have held opponents to 71 points or fewer in 6-of-13 Sun Belt contests, including wins against Georgia Southern, App State and Coastal Carolina. 

NATIONALLY RANKED IN FREE THROWS: 

Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No.7 nationally in free throw efficiency after converting free throws at a 78.8 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 37th nationally with an 88.5 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 81.6  percentage from the line to place sixth overall against conference opponents.

TOPPING THE SUN BELT CHARTS: 

In addition to leading the Sun Belt and holding a No. 37 national ranking in free throw percentage through yet another week, Jelani Hamilton ranks fourth in the Sun Belt for points per game (17.7) and holds top 10 spots in multiple categories.  

Hamilton is  also second in the conference for steals per game with 1.87. His 43 total steals ranks third in the conference. Hamilton's 138 total free throws ranks fourth in the Sun Belt. 

UP NEXT: 
The Panthers continue their homestand hosting Coastal Carolina (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 27) to close out the season.