It will be a battle between Sun Belt opponents when the Georgia State Panthers (13-11) welcome the Arkansas State Red Wolves (11-15) to GSU Sports Arena. The game starts at 2:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on ES3.
The Panthers fell to Little Rock 57-49 on Thursday. Jeremy Hollowell finished with 12 points to lead the team. The Red Wolves, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their ugly 90-59 loss at the hands of Georgia Southern on Thursday. Devin Carter had a game-high 22 points.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-paced Red Wolves (ranked 34th in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the half-court oriented Panthers (320th).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Red Wolves won the first game 75-69. Anthony Livingston put up a double-double in the victory with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
The Panthers have gone 13-11 Straight Up (SU) and 6-16 Against The Spread (ATS). Georgia State has averaged 70.3 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 64.8. Transitioning to the Georgia State defense, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Panthers. The 64.2 points that Georgia State’s defense allows per game makes them the 17th-ranked defense in the country. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Panthers, who allow a field goal percentage of only .404.
On the other side, Arkansas State has a SU record of 11-15 and an ATS record of 10-11. Recently, opponents have figured out how to slow down Arkansas State. Over the past 10 matchups, Arkansas State has not been able to cover any of its spreads (0-10 ATS). During the last 10 games, they averaged 62.0 PPG, below their 74.3 PPG season average. The Red Wolves get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 48th in the nation with 451 made (17.0 per game). Arkansas State is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Red Wolves average 40.3 rebounds per game, making them the 29th-best team in the country for that category. The Arkansas State defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .386 shooting from the field to its opponents. They average 4.9 blocks per game, good for 41st in the nation.
Following the Red Wolves’ latest win over Georgia State, Arkansas State moved closer to evening up its record against Georgia State. It now stands at 1-5 SU over their most recent meetings. Furthermore, with a 4-2 record, Georgia State has the advantage ATS. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – ArkSt, ATS Winner – ArkSt
Notes
“Georgia State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Georgia State is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Georgia State’s last 6 games “.
“Georgia State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Georgia State is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games at home”.
“Georgia State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Arkansas State”.
“Georgia State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arkansas State”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Georgia State’s last 6 games when playing Arkansas State”.
Arkansas State scores an average of just 74.3 points per game (ranked 123rd). Georgia State ranks 17th in points allowed, giving up 64.2 points per game.
Arkansas State lost its last game by a 31-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Georgia State is 3-2. Arkansas State is 3-4 in blowouts this season.
Arkansas State beats Georgia State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Red Wolves average 73.1 possessions and 1.017 points per possession, while the Panthers average 65.7 possessions with .987 points per possession.
Georgia State has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.9%. Arkansas State is an underachieving 1-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Georgia State attempts 14.0 three pointers and Arkansas State attempts 18.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Georgia State Panthers have a winning 3-1 record while the Arkansas State Red Wolves have a losing 3-7 record.
Arkansas State, the 29th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.3 rebounds per game. Georgia State does worse, ranked 337th with 31.2.
Georgia State makes an average of 6.7 steals per game. When Arkansas State gives up 6 or more steals, the team has an even 8-8 record.
