The last time the Panthers were on the court, they were finishing up their participation in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, losing 81-62 to the Georgia Southern Eagles.
What may be more memorable was what happened after the Panthers’ season ended. Just a few days after Georgia State played, the NCAA announced that they would be suspending all tournament play due to the coronavirus.
Georgia State’s men’s basketball might look a little bit different this season in terms of scheduling. However, a strong court presence that saw just two seniors leave the program leaves the team in a position to win.
Second-year head coach Rob Lainer looks to keep the wins coming as he led the Panthers to a 19-13 season in 2020.
Georgia State Associate Athletic Director Mike Holmes praised Lainer for his work in 2019.
“Coach Lanier was great last year; he continued a winning tradition,” Holmes said.
Lainer came to the program following an exciting 2018-19 year where the Panthers went 24-10, picking up wins against power-5 schools, such as the Georgia Bulldogs. The 2019 season may have ended with an SBC tournament loss, but Lainer may be as promising a coach as the Panthers have ever seen.
Just last week, the Sun Belt conference schedule for men’s basketball was released, giving the Panthers four road games before finishing in February at home.
While everyone waits for the announcement of non-conference schedules, let’s look at some of the most intriguing matchups for the Panthers that we know will happen this season.
For starters, Georgia State will open conference play with four straight road games. The first game will come at Appalachian State, followed by Coastal Carolina, the University of Louisiana and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The four-game road stretch may have mixed reactions, but returning all-conference guards Kane Williams and Justin Roberts are back for round two together. Another bright spot: the team only lost two seniors from a year ago.
“It’s huge,” Holmes said when addressing Georgia State’s familiar roster. “It allows there to be more continuity, the guys know each other, the guys play together.”
The Panthers will finish up January with games against South Alabama, Troy and rival Georgia Southern, before playing six of their final eight games at home. The Panthers will mostly play the final stretch at home as a result of their early road games, something that could impact their overall record significantly.
Last season, Georgia State won their first meeting against Southern 82-77 but failed to win their final meeting, losing 70-79. A new season will provide plenty of opportunities for the Panthers to redeem themselves, and an emphatic win against Southern would undoubtedly help.
The Panthers will stop Texas to face the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas State before finishing conference play against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27.
With the non-conference games yet to be released, there remains some uncertainty about who the Panthers will play first. However, the SBC schedule gives us a good glimpse of what is to come and reminds us that things are starting to get back to normal.
