# 2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter, who coached his eighth and final season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Finishing with a 13–5 conference record, GSU won its third Sun Belt regular season championship in the last six years. The Panthers defeated Texas State, and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost to Houston in the first round.

## Previous season

The Panthers finished the season 24–11, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish the regular season in second place. The Panthers defeated Troy, Georgia Southern, and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 15 seed in the West region, they lost to Cincinnati in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Nile Felton | 0 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Sophomore | Atlanta, GA | Left team |
| Denis Alibegovic | 10 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Freshman | Downers Grove, IL | Transferred out |
| Isaiah Williams | 11 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Senior | Buford, GA | Graduated |
| Jordan Session | 23 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Senior | McDonough, GA | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Corey Allen | NA | G | 6'2" | 215 | Junior | Ypsilanti, MI | Detroit. Under NCAA transfer rules, Allen will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season, using a redshirt, leaving two years of eligibility remaining. |
| Justin Roberts | NA | G | 5'10" | 165 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | DePaul. Under NCAA transfer rules, Roberts will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season, using a redshirt, leaving three years of eligibility remaining. |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kavonte Ivery F | Stockbridge, GA | Stockbridge | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Sep 19, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Nelson Phillips G | Warner Robins, GA | Warner Robins | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| James Wall F | Canton, GA | Creekview | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 8, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 93 Rivals: NA ESPN: NA ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Georgia State Panthers". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018. ||||||

## Roster

Source

## Preseason

* Junior D'Marcus Simonds named to Preseason Mid-Major All-American first team by NBC Sports.
* Georgia State was unanimously picked as conference preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference, receiving votes from all Sun Belt schools.
* D'Marcus Simonds was chosen as Preseason Player of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference.
* D'Marcus Simonds was chosen to the Sun Belt All-Conference Preseason First Team.
* Senior, Devin Mitchell, was chosen to the Sun Belt All-Conference Preseason Second Team.

## Regular season

* The Panthers placed third in the Cayman Islands Classic after routing in-state rival Georgia by a score of 91–67.
* GSU rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, 83–80, in Tuscaloosa during non-conference play. As of February 22, 2019, GSU owns more SEC wins than UGA (1) and Vanderbilt (0) and as many as Missouri (2).
* Against Troy on February 13, Simonds became Georgia State's all-time leader in career made field goals.
* Seniors, Jeff Thomas and Devin Mitchell each hit their career 200th 3-pointers in the same game at Appalachian State on February 21.
* On March 9, Georgia State completed a season sweep of in-state rival Georgia Southern, marking the rivalry's first away win since 1996. With the victory, the Panthers clinched their third Sun Belt regular season championship in six years.
* Junior, D'Marcus Simonds was selected as All-Conference First Team.

## Post-season

* Senior, Malik Benveli was named Most Outstanding Player in the Sun Belt tournament.
* D'Marcus Simonds and Kane Williams were both named to the SBC All-Tournament Team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2018* 7:00 pm | | Georgia College | W 78–58 | | 26 – Benlevi | 9 – Thomas | 5 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, GA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | ETSU | W 74–68 | 1–0 | 26 – Thomas | 11 – Wilson | 3 – Thomas | GSU Sports Arena (1,688) Atlanta, GA |
| November 9, 2018* 9:00 pm | | at Montana | L 74–81 | 1–1 | 30 – Simonds | 7 – Tied | 5 – Williams | Dahlberg Arena (4,321) Missoula, MT |
| November 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Mercer | W 62–60 | 2–1 | 30 – Thomas | 6 – Simonds | 5 – Thomas | GSU Sports Arena (1,579) Atlanta, GA |
| November 19, 2018* 5:00 pm, Stadium | | vs. St. Bonaventure Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals | W 62–60 | 3–1 | 25 – Simonds | 9 – Phillips | 6 – Williams | John Gray Gymnasium (780) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 20, 2018* 7:30pm, Stadium | | vs. Creighton Cayman Islands Classic semifinals | L 68–93 | 3–2 | 21 – Simonds | 6 – Tied | 2 – Thomas | John Gray Gymnasium (1,558) Georgetown, Cayman Islands |
| November 21, 2018* 4:00pm, Stadium | | vs. Georgia Cayman Islands Classic 3rd place game | W 91–67 | 4–2 | 24 – Benlevi | 7 – Benlevi | 8 – Simonds | John Gray Gymnasium (781) Georgetown, Cayman Islands |
| November 28, 2018* 1:00 pm | | at Tulane | W 80–76 | 5–2 | 25 – Benlevi | 7 – Thomas | 5 – Tied | Devlin Fieldhouse (1,450) New Orleans, LA |
| December 1, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Liberty | L 52–78 | 5-3 | 22 – Simonds | 6 – Wilson | 5 – Simonds | Vines Center (2,966) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 4, 2018* 8:00 pm, SEC+ | | at Alabama | W 83–80 | 6–3 | 23 – Simonds | 8 – Benlevi | 5 – Williams | Coleman Coliseum (9,076) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 12, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Chattanooga | W 95–88 | 7–3 | 24 – Simonds | 6 – Simonds | 5 – Simonds | GSU Sports Arena (3,854) Atlanta, GA |
| December 15, 2018* 8:00 PM, FSN | | at No. 25 Kansas State | L 59–71 | 7–4 | 13 – Thomas | 6 – Tyson | 3 – Simonds | Bramlage Coliseum (9,563) Manhattan, KS |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UNCW | W 86–71 | 8–4 | 23 – Mitchell | 9 – Simonds | 7 – Simonds | GSU Sports Arena (1,324) Atlanta, GA |
| December 29, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Middle Georgia State | W 117–69 | 9–4 | 21 – Mitchell | 7 – Thomas | 6 – Thomas | GSU Sports Arena (1,373) Atlanta, GA |
| Sun Belt Conference regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Arlington | W 63–58 | 10–4 (1–0) | 15 – Simonds | 6 – Thomas | 4 – Williams | College Park Center (1,425) Arlington, TX |
| January 5, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas State | W 73–69 | 11–4 (2–0) | 22 – Benlevi | 12 – Simonds | 4 – Tied | Strahan Coliseum (1,437) San Marcos, TX |
| January 10, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Louisiana | W 89–76 | 12–4 (3–0) | 21 – Simonds | 9 – Benlevi | 6 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (1,211) Atlanta, GA |
| January 12, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | ULM | W 74–73 | 13–4 (4–0) | 24 – Simonds | 8 – Phillips | 5 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,566) Atlanta, GA |
| January 17, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at South Alabama | W 69–66 | 14–4 (5–0) | 18 – Simonds | 9 – Tied | 6 – Simonds | Mitchell Center (1,985) Mobile, AL |
| January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Troy | L 75–77 | 14–5 (5–1) | 28 – Simonds | 9 – Simonds | 4 – Simonds | Trojan Arena (3,117) Troy, AL |
| January 24, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas State | L 68–81 | 14–6 (5–2) | 20 – Mitchell | 7 – Thomas | 5 – Simonds | GSU Sports Arena (1,984) Atlanta, GA |
| January 26, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UT Arlington | W 77–71 | 15–6 (6–2) | 27 – Thomas | 7 – Wilson | 5 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,669) Atlanta, GA |
| February 2, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate | W 81–71 | 16–6 (7–2) | 29 – Simonds | 8 – Tyson | 4 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (3,854) Atlanta, GA |
| February 6, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at ULM | L 76–82 | 16–7 (7–3) | 18 – Simonds | 6 – Benlevi | 6 – Simonds | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,391) Monroe, LA |
| February 8, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Louisiana | L 72–76 | 16–8 (7–4) | 21 – Mitchell | 6 – Tied | 4 – Williams | Cajundome (4,814) Lafayette, LA |
| February 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Troy | W 77–63 | 17–8 (8–4) | 27 – Simonds | 7 – Tied | 6 – Simonds | GSU Sports Arena (1,426) Atlanta, GA |
| February 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | South Alabama | W 90–81 | 18–8 (9–4) | 26 – Benlevi | 7 – Tied | 6 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,531) Atlanta, GA |
| February 21, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Appalachian State | W 80–75 | 19–8 (10–4) | 20 – Benlevi | 9 – Benlevi | 4 – Simonds | Holmes Convocation Center (1,653) Boone, NC |
| February 23, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Coastal Carolina | L 82–95 | 19–9 (10–5) | 31 – Simonds | 6 – Wilson | 5 – Williams | HTC Center (1,469) Conway, SC |
| February 28, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Arkansas State | W 76–60 | 20–9 (11–5) | 15 – Thomas | 6 – Benlevi | 5 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,615) Atlanta, GA |
| March 2, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Little Rock | W 83–70 | 21–9 (12–5) | 17 – Williams | 9 – Tyson | 5 – Simonds | GSU Sports Arena (2,004) Atlanta, GA |
| March 9, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate | W 90–85 | 22–9 (13–5) | 23 – Williams | 11 – Wilson | 6 – Wilson | Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897) Statesboro, GA |
| Sun Belt tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (4) Texas State Semifinals | W 59–46 | 23–9 | 15 – Benlevi | 10 – Benlevi | 5 – Simonds | Lakefront Arena (1,344) New Orleans, LA |
| March 17, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (2) UT Arlington Championship | W 73–64 | 24–9 | 16 – Benlevi | 11 – Benlevi | 5 – Williams | Lakefront Arena (1,473) New Orleans, LA |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2019* 7:20 pm, TBS | (14 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Houston First Round | L 55–84 | 24–10 | 18 – Simonds | 7 – Wilson | 2 – Simonds | BOK Center (12,443) Tulsa, OK |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||