What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State will face Middle Tennessee on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
* Redshirt-sophomore Devin Mitchell has scored in double figures in three-straight games for the first time in his career entering Wednesday's game.
* The last time Georgia State faced a team in the top 10 in the NCAA RPI, the Panthers came away with a 72-48 win over Green Bay during the 2014-15 season.
ATLANTA-Looking to bounce back from a tough loss on Sunday, Georgia State will travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Charles M. Murphy Center.
Wednesday’s contest can be heard live on 1340 The Fan 3, 1230 The Fan 2 and WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 34th 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 (6-4) will be looking for a win over a top 10 RPI program for the second time in three seasons. Middle Tennessee (10-2) is currently receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and is ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA RPI. The Panthers topped Green Bay 72-48 on Dec. 4, 2014, when the Phoenix were ranked No. 1 in the country.
Last season, a pair of free throws by Isaiah Williams with 3.6 seconds to play gave the Panthers a 64-62 win in the GSU Sports Arena. Williams, who scored 13 points and dished out five assists, finished as one of four Panthers in double figures for the third-straight game.
During the last three-plus seasons, head coach Ron Hunter has matched the Panthers up with schools from Conference USA 12 times. Georgia State has compiled a 7-5 mark during that stretch, including a 3-1 mark last year. The Panthers lost at Old Dominion 58-46 on Sunday in the first of two games against C-USA schools this year.
“There is no doubt that Sunday was a tough loss for us,” Hunter said. “Now the question is how to do respond from it. We had a good practice on Monday. I believe this team is resilient and can learn from losses like that so that it hopefully does not happen again.”
Senior Jeremy Hollowell continues to lead the Panthers averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He is one of six Panthers to be scoring 6.0 or more points per game, as 11 members of the team average double figure minutes. He has scored 20 or more points in a game four times this year.
Senior Willie Clayton has picked up two double-doubles already this season and has 19 for this career. Clayton, who is averaging 8.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, leads the Sun Belt with a 66.7 field goal percentage and is second with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game.
Redshirt-sophomore Devin Mitchell is arguably the hottest Panther over the last three games, scoring in double figures in each game for the first time in his career. During that stretch he is averaging 11.3 points and has knocked down eight 3-pointers.
Freshman D’Marcus Simonds continues to impress. Arguably the highest-rated freshman to ever sign with Georgia State, he is averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 57.2 percent from the floor, fifth-best in the Sun Belt. He was named tournament MVP of the Cancun Challenge.
Notes:
· Georgia State is second in the Sun Belt and No. 33 in the NCAA averaging 8.9 steals per game.
· Despite several players in their first year at Georgia State, the Panthers starting line-up doesn’t lack experience. Three players reached their 100th career game during non-conference play. Willie Clayton (106), Jeremy Hollowell (102) and Justin Seymour (100) have each eclipsed the 100-game barrier.
· Georgia State is No. 25 in the NCAA forcing 16.8 turnovers per game.
· Senior Justin Seymour (53.8) and junior Isaiah Williams (50.0) are both shooting better than 50.0 percent from 3-point range this season.
Middle Tennessee is off to a great start to the season after the shocking upset of Michigan State in the NCAA tournament last year. The Blue Raiders already have wins over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt this season. Middle Tennessee is led by JaCorey Williams who is averaging 18.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Following Wednesday’s game, Georgia State will close out non-conference play hosting UMass on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena. Half-priced tickets can be purchased by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix and entering the promo code “Holiday”.
Quick Notes:
• Georgia State will face Middle Tennessee for the 12th time on Wednesday in the second game of a home-and-home series.
• Georgia State is 7-5 against Conference USA schools in the last three-plus seasons, including a 3-1 mark last year.
• The last time GSU faced a program in the top 10 in the RPI (MT is No. 7), the Panthers came away with a 72-48 win over Green Bay.
• Ron Hunter enters play with 109 wins at GSU, the most in program history.
• Ron Hunter is one of just seven coaches to be the all-time winningest coach at multiple NCAA D1 schools.
• Senior Willie Clayton is currently No. 3 in the Sun Belt and No. 73 in the NCAA in rebounds averaging 8.4 per game.
• Willie Clayton also leads the Sun Belt with a 66.7 field goal percentage.
• Senior Jeremy Hollowell has scored 20 or more points in a game four times this year and is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game.
• Willie Clayton has two double-doubles this year and has 19 for his career.
• Sophomore Malik Benlevi scored a career-high in points in back-to-back games, including 17 vs. Alabama A&M on last Wednesday.
• Georgia State won the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge earlier this year
• GSU has three players with 100 or more career games played. Willie Clayton (106), Jeremy Hollowell (102) and Justin Seymour (100).
• Freshman D’Marcus Simonds (MVP) and senior Justin Seymour were both named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team.
• Georgia State was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll behind UT Arlington and defending champion Little Rock.
• Georgia State is 69-31 (.690) since Dec. 14, 2013.
