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Georgia State Basketball: 2018-19 preview for the Panthers

By Jason Burgess

JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 21: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers reacts against the Xavier Musketeers in the second half during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 21: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers reacts against the Xavier Musketeers in the second half during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Isaiah Williams #11 and Malik Benlevi #2 of the Georgia State Panthers react against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Isaiah Williams #11 and Malik Benlevi #2 of the Georgia State Panthers react against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

The Georgia State Panthers have been a longtime contender in the Sun Belt, and 2018-19 should be more of the same. Here is a preview of the squad.

Earlier this summer I wrote about Georgia State and their consistency in an unpredictable Sun Belt Conference, a closer look at the Panthers’ five seasons in the conference show that not only have they been consistent, they arguably have been the best team in the Sun Belt in that time frame.

Since their arrival in 2013, Ron Hunter’s squad has accumulated two first and two second-place finishes, along with an outlier sixth-place finish in 2016. In the last five seasons, they have a record of 110-57 with a conference mark of 65-29 with two regular-season and two conference tournament championships.

Last season eight players saw action in at least 34 games for the Panthers averaging at least 10 minutes per contest. Of those eight guys, six return to a team that averaged 75 points per game last season. A trademark of Hunter’s teams has been the interchangeable parts and that won’t change in 2018 with just two returning players, who averaged a combined 14 minutes per game standing 6-8 or taller.

In addition to being one of the better offensive teams in the country, averaging nearly 75 points per game and ranking 36th in three-point field goal percentage at 38.5%. They were also among the elite defensive teams in college basketball last season, giving up just 67.3 points on average, which was 50th best and ranking 6th in the country in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 39.3%. All of this means the Georgia State will undoubtedly once again be a team to contend with in the Sun Belt in 2018.