Georgia State Weekly Basketball Preview (Week 13)
Georgia State continues rolling through the conference play portion of the season, holding a record of 6-3 so far against their Sun Belt opponents and owners of a four-game win streak. Junior guard Jelani Hamilton is scorching hot, coming off a career-high 38-point game against Arkansas State and is ranked 12th in all of Division 1 basketball for free throw percentage with 93.5%.
Georgia State at Louisiana
The Cajuns are looking to bounce back after a blowout loss against Appalachian State and gain some ground in the conference standings, sitting at 3-6 against Sun Belt opponents.
The Panthers have won the last two matchups against Louisiana, their previous contest ending 94-70, a 24-point runaway win for Georgia State.
Junior guard Dorian Finster has been Mr. Reliable for the Ragin’ Cajuns, starting all 21 games this season and averaging 13.9 points per game in those starts. Dorian leads the team with 101 rebounds so far on the year, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game.
Louisiana is the place to be for a block party with seven players having at least five blocks on the year, three players with double-digit blocks and a team total of 73.
Sophomore forward Todd Jones Jr. has been a menace in the paint for opposing teams, leading the Louisiana roster with 22 blocks in 21 games, averaging slightly more than one block per game.
The Cajuns average almost ten free throw opportunities a game and are shooting 67.7% the line, ranking near the bottom of all Division I with their best player shooting 74.7% from charity stripe. Georgia State is shooting 78.5% on free throws as a team and with the Cajuns giving up 15 free-throw attempts per game, things could be decided quickly from the charity stripe.
Tip-Off: Thursday Jan. 29 at 8:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5 (TuneIn)
Georgia State at South Alabama
Only one game separates the two schools in the Sun Belt standings, South Alabama sporting a 5-3 conference record and is 3-1 in its last four games against conference opponents. Coming off a road victory against James Madison, the Panthers will be the second game of a two-game homestand for the Jaguars.
Last time the two schools faced off, South Alabama dominated Georgia State in Atlanta, beating the Panthers by 26 points with a score of 77-51. However, Georgia State holds a 19-7 record against South Alabama and has not lost in Mobile since the 2021-2022 season.
Senior guard Chaze Harris has been a workhorse for the Jaguars, playing the second-most minutes on the team and averaging 18 points per game, which leads the team. Harris is also averaging a team-leading 4.6 assists per game, putting him in the top-100 players in all Division I for assists per game at 97th.
Opponents turn the ball over 12.9 times per game against South Alabama, with 8.3 of those turnovers a result of steals for an average of 15 points off turnovers for the Panthers. On the flip side, the Jaguars only turn the ball over 9.3 times per game and are only allowing 10 points off of their own turnovers. This may tip the scales in South Alabama’s favor, with Georgia State averaging 11.8 turnovers per game and allowing 11.8 points off those turnovers.
Tip-Off: Saturday Jan. 31 8:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5 (TuneIn)
Click here for information on tickets. Georgia State fans can also contact the ticket office at (404)-413-4020 or email the ticket office at tickets@gsu.edu
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