What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State will begin its final road trip of the regular season on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET at UL Lafayette.
* It will mark the eighth time since Georgia State has returned to the Sun Belt that the two teams will play.
* The game will air live on 1340 The Fan 3 along with the GSU Mobile App for fans who cannot make the game.
ATLANTA-Georgia State will begin its final road trip of the regular season at UL Lafayette in the Cajundome on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET. March Madness has been good to the Panthers the last two years as Georgia State has gone 9-3 during the month of March since joining the Sun Belt.
Thursday’s contest can be heard live on 1340 The Fan 3 and WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 33rd year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by 680 The Fan’s Brandon Leak. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.
Georgia State (15-12, 8-10 Sun Belt) is coming off an 83-70 win over Appalachian State on Senior Day last Saturday as the Panthers scored their most points in a game this year. Four Panthers scored in double figures, led by Jeremy Hollowell who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
This will mark the eight time in less than three seasons the Panthers and Ragin’ Cajuns have met on the hardwood and could be setting up for a ninth meeting in New Orleans during the Sun Belt tournament next week.
“There is no doubt that in our short time in the league, this has become a rivalry,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “We have had a lot of meaningful games and played a lot of times in such a short period. Both teams are looking to build some momentum heading into the conference tournament and I expect nothing less than a great game on Thursday night.”
With the win on Saturday, Georgia State improved to 40-16 in conference games since their return to the Sun Belt, a stretch that has included two-straight conference titles. The Panthers are also 62-25 in their last 87 games dating back to Dec. 14, 2013.
Georgia State has kept themselves in games this year with its defense. The Panthers are allowing opponents to score just 64.0 points per game, second in the Sun Belt and No. 20 in the country. Teams are shooting just 39.8 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from 3-point range against the Panthers this year, both among the top 40 marks in the NCAA.
The Panthers are led by Hollowell who is averaging 14.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Over the last six games, he has improved those averages to 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Senior Kevin Ware is scoring 12.2 points and adding 3.8 rebounds per contest, while leading the team with 82 assists and 33 steals this season.
Senior Markus Crider has stepped up as of late and is now averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He stands eighth on Georgia State’s all-time rebounding list with 577, just six behind Keven Davis for seventh. He will play in his 127th career game on Thursday, breaking Jihad Ali’s school record of 126.
Redshirt-sophomore Isaiah Williams has also stepped up after moving to the two-guard position and is now averaging 9.2 points and 2.5 assists per game. He is averaging 17.7 points per game over the last three.
UL Lafayette (15-12, 11-7 Sun Belt) is led by conference player of the year favorite Shawn Long who is averaging 19.4 points and 13.2 rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. After a strong start to Sun Belt play, the Ragin’ Cajuns have lost four of their last five entering Thursday.
Following Thursday’s game, Georgia State close out the regular season at UL Monroe on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET in a game that will air live on ESPN3.
Quick Notes:
• With the results from games on Tuesday night, Georgia State has clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament for the third-straight year.
• With two games to play in the season, the Panthers could be anywhere from a No. 5 seed to No. 8 seed in New Orleans next week.
• GSU will face UL Lafayette for the eight time since the start of the 2013-14 season, having met in each of the last two SBC tournaments.
• In the Ragin’ Cajuns win over the Panthere earlier this year, Kevin Ware just missed a double-double with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
• By playing on Thursday, senior Markus Crider will set a new school record with 127 career games played.
• Markus Crider and T.J. Shipes have been a part of 80 wins, just eight shy of the school-record set just last year by Ryann Green.
• In the last six games, Jeremy Hollowell is averaging 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
• Head coach Ron Hunter (102 wins) needs just six more wins to become the all-time winningest coach in program history.
• At 8-10 in the Sun Belt, the Panthers enter play Thursday tied for sixth place.
• Since returning to the league, GSU is 40-16 in Sun Belt regular season games, going 17-1 (2013-14), 15-5 (2014-15) and 8-10 (2015-16).
• Georgia State’s 7-2 non-conference record is the third-best in program history.
• Defensively, GSU is giving up just 64.0 points per game, No. 20 in the NCAA.
• Georgia State was one of just 20 programs in the country to have won 25 or more games in each of the last two seasons.
• Georgia State is 62-25 (.712) since Dec. 14, 2013.
• Georgia State, the two-time defending Sun Belt champions, was selected to finish second this year in the conference preseason poll.
