The Signal spoke with The George-Anne, the student newspaper at Georgia Southern University about the men’s basketball matchup between Georgia State and Georgia Southern. Sports editor at The George-Anne, McClain Baxley gives his thoughts on how the Feb. 16 game will unravel in a Q&A.
The Signal: With the Panthers losing their first game of the 2018 calendar year last Saturday, how do the Eagles look to capitalize?
Baxley: Georgia Southern probably isn’t even concerned with State’s one loss. They’re more interested in the 10 wins in a row. Racking up 10 in a row in any conference is impressive, but one of those wins against the conference leader just makes the feat that more unheard of. The Eagles have been preparing for the Panthers to come out just as hungry for a win, but perhaps even more hungry because of Saturday’s loss.
The Signal: Why has Georgia Southern dropped their last three games and how do they return to winning basketball?
Baxley: Well the most recent loss to Louisiana is excusable given they were coming off their first loss since mid-December and with all of their powerful transfers. The other two losses can be attributed to both a lack of inspiration and reliance on the three-pointer. The Eagles are without a doubt better than both Arkansas State and ULM, but they went in with too much confidence that proved to be their downfall. Using the crutch from behind the arc has been a pitiful weakness for the Eagles, especially in those two contests.
The Signal: What should Georgia State expect the atmosphere inside Hanner Fieldhouse to be like?
Boisterous and foreign. I was in Atlanta for round one and I believe that Hanner will be louder solely because of the intimacy. Both arenas seat about 4,000, but because Hanner is actually smaller in size, sound is more amplified. With the game being on ESPN2, expect more media as well. For the Louisiana game, the sidelines were packed and the Ragin’ Cajuns felt a little claustrophobic. That will just be doubled Friday night.
The Signal: Tookie Brown missed the first matchup against Georgia State. How will his presence affect this game?
Baxley: His unannounced absence was huge for both teams. For GS there was no game controller or a voice to calm down the team on court. Tookie has this aura around him of just knowing what he’s doing and several times throughout his time, head coach Mark Byington has given Brown full reigns. Even if State starts to run away with the score, Tookie has proven that he has the means to reel it back in and make the game competitive to the last second.
The Signal: Who stops D’Marcus Simonds?
Baxley: Montae Glenn is the obvious defensive threat to battle Simonds and he did a decent job of containing him last game. If Glenn can force Simonds away from the point, that should be the best strategy. B.J. Gladden is a force from the bench who has been able to create solid defense as well as David-Lee Jones Jr. Jones is small, but has a way of creating unrest on the defensive side of the game.
The Signal: What will be some of the biggest determining factors for who will leave Hanner with a win?
Baxley: The best answer is the fans and the rebounding. In Atlanta, the fans gave GSU at least 10 points just based off the noise and hostility they created. If the Hanner Hooligans and the supporters can get behind the Eagles in the same way they have in past games, that will be huge. And then obviously rebounds. The battle between Simonds and Glenn will be big because more rebounds means more possessions. The intangible factor is the want of the teams. As cliche as it is, whoever wants it more should win. There are gonna be more than just the people in Hanner that want so desperately for the Eagles to win. After the way the game against State in football ended, a win Friday night would be huge for the morale and support of Eagle Nation and GS Athletics as a whole.
