Men's Basketball 2/27/2023 10:26:00 AM

Panthers Open Sun Belt Tourney vs. Texas State Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

#14 GEORGIA STATE (10-20, 3-15) vs. #10 TEXAS STATE (13-18, 6-12)
Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship, Round 1
Tuesday, Feb. 28 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center

WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: Georgia State Radio Network on WRAS-FM 88.5 and GSU athletics mobile app

THE TIPOFF: Georgia State, the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Champions, opens play in the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship Tuesday against Texas State, the one team that the Panthers did not face in the regular season. GSU, the No. 14 seed, and the No. 10 seed Bobcats tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center.

> Last season, the No. 3 seeded Panthers downed Arkansas State, App State and Louisiana en route to the title.

> Georgia State returned no starters and only three players who saw any action in last year's Sun Belt Championship game victory over Louisiana. Ja'Heim Hudson, Evan Johnson and Collin Moore totaled eight points, six rebounds and four assists in the title game.

> Georgia State has won six conference tournament titles, including four Sun Belt Conference Championships since 2015, winning in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

> The Panthers have won three of the last five Sun Belt tournament titles, posting a 10-2 record in tournament play since 2018.

MORE ON THE PANTHERS
> After missing the first 18 games due to a thumb injury, sophomore guards Collin Moore has made a huge impact, averaging a team-high 13.3 points, along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 12 games. He had a then-career high 17 points with five rebounds at Georgia Southern in his second game, and then in the home win over the Eagles, he grabbed a career high 11 rebounds and four steals.

> Moore scored a career-high 28 points against Marshall as he went 12-for-18 from the field, including three 3-pointers, for the highest scoring output for any Panther this season. He also snagged a career-high five steals. Other top games include 15 points, five rebounds and four assists vs. Southern Miss, and 18 points and seven rebounds at Arkansas State.

> Moore's 28 steals are tied for the team lead, after just 12 games.

> Over the last 10 games, Jamaine Mann is averaging 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, compared with his season averages of 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. He began this stretch with five straight double-figure scoring games, including 18 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot in the win over Georgia Southern, as well as a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) vs. Southern Miss. He just missed a double-double with 18 points, one off his career high, and nine rebounds against Coastal Carolina.

> Ja'Heim Hudson averages 10.2 points on the season and leads GSU in rebounding (6.9/13th in Sun Belt) and blocked shots (22) and is second in steals (27).

> Junior guard Brenden Tucker averaged a team-high 14.0 ppg in Sun Belt play (13.0 overall), including two 20-point games. He recorded season highs with 25 points and six rebounds at ULM, including 10-of-13 free throws. Other top games include 21 points vs. Troy, 20 vs. Georgia Southern, 19 vs. Coastal Carolina and App State, 18 vs. Arkansas State and 17 vs. Southern Miss.

> Sophomore guard Dwon Odom leads the Panthers in assists (4.0 pg/No. 7 in Sun Belt) while ranking third on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (4.6 pg), steals (26) and blocked shots (18).

> Odom has reached 20 points four times, including a career-high 27 in the win over UNC Asheville and 24 vs. Belmont. He handed out a career-high 11 assists vs. Coastal Carolina.

> Backup post player Kaleb Scott has seen increased minutes off the bench the last four games, in which he has averaged 8.3 points while making 13-of-18 field goal attempts. He scored 12 points at Coastal Carolina and 11 points at Arkansas State, his two best games in Sun Belt play.

> Georgia State has made at least one 3-point field goal in 860 straight games, dating back to the 1994-95 season. The last team to hold the Panthers without a trey was Stetson on Feb. 18, 1995. The streak is among the top 25 in the nation.

SERIES NOTES: Georgia State leads the series with Texas State 11-6, including 11-4 in the Sun Belt era.

> Georgia State and Texas State are playing for the first time in more than three years. The last meeting was an 86-76 win by the Bobcats in San Marcos on Feb. 22, 2020.

> The teams are meeting in the Sun Belt Championship for the third time. In 2019, Georgia State downed the Bobcats 59-46 in the quarterfinals and went on to win its second straight title. Texas State eliminated the Panthers 63-61 in 2016.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Ja'Heim Hudson: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

#0 Evan Johnson: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#24 Collin Moore: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#30 Kaleb Scott: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#1 Dwon Odom: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#5 Brenden Tucker: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#2 Jamaine Mann: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#15 Ja'Heim Hudson
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#0 Evan Johnson
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

#24 Collin Moore
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G

#30 Kaleb Scott
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#1 Dwon Odom
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#5 Brenden Tucker
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#2 Jamaine Mann
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G