ATLANTA-- Georgia State hits the road for a road contest at Auburn on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET, beofre starting conference play on Saturday afternoon.

Georgia State and Auburn are meeting for the eighth time in program history. The Panthers are 1-6 on the series after falling 72-64 on the road during the 2022-23 season.

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PANTHERS IN THE SUN BELT

> Led by Nick McMullen, who leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in rebounds per-game, the Panthers rank fourth overall in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game with 39.40. 

> Georgia State also ranks top ten in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (5th/ 34.1), rebound margin (4th/ 5.2),  scoring offense (6th/ 74.3) and free throws made per game (5th/ 14.7).  

> Nick McMullen leads the Sun Belt in almost every rebounding category, leading the conference in total rebounds (99, ranks 18th nationally)and rebounds per-game (9.9, ranks 15th nationally). He is second in the conference and 23rd nationally defensive rebounds per-game , averaging 6.90. 

> The Panthers also have two other Panthers who lead the conference in their respective categories. Toneari Lane leads the conference in minutes per game (34:45), while Zarique Nutter leads the Sun Belt is top 50 in the nation for free throws with 52. 

KEY RETURNERS: In a rebuild off-season for the Panthers' basketball team, head coach Jonas Hayes retained five returners from the 2023-24 squad, including Toneari Lane, Malik Ferguson, DK Dut, Brevyn Coleman and Aaron Oh

> The Panthers key returner Toneari Lane is the Panthers' second-leading scorer with 17.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 10 assists.

> The Veteran Guard is third in the Sun Belt in three pointers per-game with 3.0, and is fifth in the nation for points per-game. 

> The guard also ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt for total 3-pointers made (3rd/ 30, ranked 54th nationally) and three-point percentage (8th/ 34.1). 
 

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 17.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 24 assists,. 

> Nutter leads the conference and is top 50 in the nation for free throws with 52. He is also fourth in the conference for total points with 161, and second for points per-game with 17.9. 

> Senior Cesare Edwards is third on the Panthers' leaderboard with 11.8 ppg, and is second in rebounding with 7.1 rpg. He totals 11 assists and five steals on the season.  

> Edwards ranks second in the conference after tallying three 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). 

> The forward ranks  top ten in the Sun Belt in rebounding (6th/7.1 rpg), blocks (8th/ 1.00 pg) and field goal percentage (6th/ 47.2). 

> Senior Nick McMullen leads the Panthers defensively, totaling 99 rebounds so far this season. His 10.3 rebounds per game leads the Sun Belt and ranks 15th nationally. 

> McMullen averages 10.0 ppg. 

> McMullen leads the conference and ranks 19th nationally in double-doubles, totaling four. He grabbed his first in the Panthers' season-opner against Ball State (Nov. 4). He recorded his second against North Carolina Central (Nov. 22). His third came in the Panthers' win against Tulsa (Nov. 27). His third happened in the Panthers Contest agaisnt Kennesaw State (Dec. 6), when the forward put up 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Georgia State travels to Troy on Dec. 21 to tip off Sun Belt Conference play.