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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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NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 14: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers reacts to a call while his team took on the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns during the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Championship Semifinals at the UNO Lakefront Arena on March 14, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 14: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers reacts to a call while his team took on the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns during the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Championship Semifinals at the UNO Lakefront Arena on March 14, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

The outlook for 2018-19

In addition to a Sun Belt slate which includes home-and-home series with the other three teams in the conference that won at least 20 games last season, Louisiana, Texas-Arlington, and Georgia Southern, their non-conference schedule will give them tests as well.

They take part in the Cayman Islands Classic which includes a matchup with St. Bonaventure and either Boise State or Creighton. The other teams competing in that tournament include Illinois State, Georgia, Clemson, and Akron. The remaining non-conference games that have been announced give Hunter’s team a good mix of challenges and some winnable games against power-five conference teams. They host East Tennessee State, UNC-Wilmington, and Chattanooga, while going on the road to face Kansas State, Alabama, Tulane, Liberty, and Montana.

The Panthers have a solid starting five they can rely on but if the likes of Wilson and Phillips can make contributions right away, that will make getting by the conference’s most consistent team even more difficult.

Next. Predicting all 32 regular season conference champs for 2018-19. dark

The Sun Belt may be once again hotly contested, as seven of the conference’s 12 teams finished with a .500 or better in the conference but the road to the conference title will likely run through Atlanta again.