ATLANTA-- Georgia State heads north for a two-game road swing at James Madison (Jan. 12) and Old Dominion (Feb. 14) before closing out the season with a four-game homestand.
SERIES vs. JMU:
Georgia State and James Madison are meeting for the 22nd time in program history and for the first of two games this season. The Panthers are 9-12 in the series and 0-6 in Sun Belt Conference Play.
A series that started in 1976, the series has gone back and forth, with Georgia State controlling the series 8-1 from 2009-13. Since joining the Sun Belt in 2022, the Dukes have dominated the series, winning all six of their last matchups.
SERIES vs. OLD DOMINION:
The Panthers and Dukes are meeting for the 29th time in program history and the first of two games this season, which concludes at home to close out the regialr season (Feb. 27). The Panthers are 9-19 in the series and 4-2 since 2022, when Old Dominion joined the Sun Belt.
TOP STORYLINES:
On a four-game losing streak, the Panthers look to rebound in the last six contests of the regular season to break the four-way tie for seventh headed into conference tournament action.
The Panthers have had a strong showing on home court, securing six wins overall and three in Sun Belt action, including victories against Marshall, Southern Miss and Arkansas State on home territory.
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).
Coming into conference play ranking 13th in the Sun Belt, Georgia State racked up wins in seven of its last 11 games to tie for seventh in the Sun Belt.
Georgia State will stay at home to finish the season with four-straight contests, tipping off with a rivalry contest against Georgia Southern on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8:00 p.m. before capping off the regular season hosting James Madison (Feb. 21), Coastal Carolina (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 27).
NATIONALLY RANKED IN FREE THROWS:
Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No.9 nationally in free throw efficiency after converting free throws at a 78.5 percent clip.
Helping the Panthers to a national ranking in free throw percentage is Redshirt sophomore Jelani Hamilton, who has a near-prefect 90.0 free throw average after going 126-for-140 at the free-throw line. His free throw average leads the Sun Belt and ranks 20th nationally in free throw efficiency. 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 83.0 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. 20 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 and ranks No. 59 in the nation for steals per game with 1.95. His 39 total steals ranks fifth in the conference. Hamilton's 126 total free throws ranks third in the Sun Belt.
LEADING THE PACK:
Jelani Hamilton leads the Panthers in two scoring categories, averaging 18.0 ppg while shooting 30.0 percent (97-for-249) from the floor, and 90.0 percent (126-140) at the free-throw line. He is second on the Panthers leaderboard in three-point scoring, averaging 34.5 percent (40-for-116) from 3-point range. Hamilton scored a career-high 38 points against Arkansas State, tying for the the best single-game performance by any Sun Belt men's basketball player this season (tied with Chaze Harris, South Alabama).
Despite missing five contests due to an injury early in the season, Hamilton leads the Panthers in total points (360). He has hit double-digit points in 14 straight games and 17 of 20 games played.
Malachi Brown leads the team in three-point scoring, knocking down 48 treys and connecting at a 36.6 percent clip. He scored a career-high 25 points against Louisiana (Jan. 29).
Brown recorded a career-first points/rebounds double-double against Southern Miss (Jan. 22), posting 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Trey Scott III is shooting 34.0 percent from three-point range and is averaging 5.6 points per game. Scott scored a career-high 22 points at Coastal Carolina (Jan. 3), going a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range.
THE STANDOUT FRESHMAN:
Freshman Micah Tucker ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg while also being second in minutes played (30.4 pg)for the Panthers.
Tucker has reached double figures in 16 games, including a career-high 24 points against Columbia College (Dec. 28).
UP NEXT:
After closing out road games for the regular season, the Panthers return home ot close out the season with a four-game homestead beginning with Georgia Southern on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
