What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State will return home to face former conference foe Old Dominion on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.
* It will mark the second of four games this month against Conference USA opponents.
* The Georgia State football team, which will be playing in the AutoNation Cure Bowl next Saturday, will be honored during halftime of Saturday's game.
ATLANTA-Following a week off for final exams, Georgia State will host former conference foe Old Dominion on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena. The Panthers enter the game with a 10-game home court winning streak and are 28-1 at home over the last two-plus seasons.
Saturday’s contest can be heard live on 1340 The Fan 3 and 1230 The Fan 2 with Dave Cohen, now in his 33rd year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by former Panther Rodney “Truck” Turner and 680 The Fan’s Brandon Leak. The game will also appear on ESPN3 with Sam Crenshaw and former Panther Jihad Ali calling the action. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.
The first 200 students in attendance to sign up at the marketing table wearing GSU gear will receive a free ticket to the AutoNation Cure Bowl as the football team prepares to the Dec. 19, game in Orlando, Fla., against San Jose State. The team will be honored on the court at halftime of the game with bowl officials in attendance.
Georgia State (4-2) played its best half of the season last Friday and scored a 59-46 win at Wright State in a homecoming game for head coach Ron Hunter and senior Markus Crider who both hail from Dayton, Ohio. The Panthers made nine of their first 10 shots to open the second half, shooting 68.8 percent in the second 20 minutes to cruise to the 13 point win.
The Panthers 4-2 start is tied for the best six-game start under Hunter who is now in his fifth year at the helm of the program. The Panthers are 51-15 in their last 66 games dating back to Dec. 14, 2013 and have won 10-of-13 games dating back to last season.
The Panthers are led by redshirt-junior Jeremy Hollowell who is averaging 16.2 points per game and senior Kevin Ware, scoring 12.5 points per contest. The duo are a part of a handful of transfers on the Panthers this year as Hollowell spent two years at Indiana, while Ware won a national championship at Louisville before making his GSU debut last year.
Thru six games, Georgia State’s defense is holding opponents to just 60.3 points per game, ranked No. 18 in the NCAA. Opponents are shooting just 39.1 percent, which ranks No. 62, while forcing 16.0 turnovers per contest.
“We saw a lot of great things come out of the second half last week and it has continued into practice this week,” Hunter said. “All of the practice and extra work is starting to pay off. Old Dominion is a very good opponent and will offer us a great challenge at home. I know our fans will continue to give us a great home court advantage which we will need on Saturday.”
Hunter, in his fifth year with the Panthers, has won 91 games and could eclipse Bob Reinhart’s school-record of 107 career wins by the end of the year. Hunter owns three of the six single-season best win totals in school history.
Notes:
· Jeremy Hollowell has been a catalyst for the Panthers offense this year, scoring in double figures in all but one game. He leads the team in scoring and steals (10), while standing second in assists with 15. The redshirt-junior is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from 3-point range.
· Georgia State currently has more wins in the state of Georgia than any other Division 1 program since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Panthers have won 54 games, while Mercer (53), Georgia (45), Georgia Southern (40) and Georgia Tech (34) round out the top five.
· Senior Markus Crider, who earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Second-Team honors has played in 105 games entering Saturday and could easily break the school record (126 – Jihad Ali) by the end of the year.
Old Dominion (4-4) is led by the duo of Trey Freeman and Aaron Bacote. Freeman is averaging 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Bacote adds 14.1 points per contest. The Monarchs are ranked No. 3 in the country in scoring defense giving up just 56.5 points per game and allowing teams to shoot just 36.4 percent.
Following Saturday’s game, Georgia State will return to the road to face Southern Miss on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. ET in Hattiesburg, Miss. The game will air live on the American Sports Network.
Quick Notes:
• Georgia State renews its rivalry with former conference foe Old Dominion in the Panthers only game of the week.
• GSU will face a Conference USA opponent for the second time this year. The Panthers next three games are against C-USA schools.
• Georgia State is 4-4 against Conference USA schools in the last two-plus seasons, including a 2-0 record at home.
• Georgia State is 4-2 to start the season, tied for the best six-game start in head coach Ron Hunter’s five seasons.
• Georgia State is 28-1 in the comfy confines of the GSU Sports Arena since the 2013-14 season, with the only loss coming in double-overtime.
• The Panthers currently ride an 10-game home court winning streak, tied for third-longest in school history and tied for 22nd in the nation.
• 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 51-15 (.772) since Dec. 14, 2013.
• Last time out, Georgia State earned a 59-46 win at Wright State, the Panthers third win over a Horizon League school in the last two years.
• Georgia State, the two-time defending Sun Belt champions, was selected to finish second this year in the conference preseason poll.
• Markus Crider and T.J. Shipes have been a part of 69 wins, just 18 shy of the school-record set just last year by Ryann Green.
