# 2019–20 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Rob Lanier, who was coaching his first 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. They finished the season 19–13, 12–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, where they lost to Georgia Southern.

## Previous season

The Panthers finished the season 24–10, 13–5 in the Sun Belt, claiming the title of SBC regular season champions. The Panthers also went on to defeat Texas State and UT Arlington to become back-to-back champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 14 seed in the Midwest region, they lost to Houston in the first round. After losing in the NCAA tournament, it was reported that head coach Ron Hunter had been offered the head coaching position at Tulane, to which he responded that he was going to take 48 hours to think about the future. On March 24, Tulane officially announced Hunter as head coach. It was later reported Hunter opted to leave Georgia State due to a disagreement between the university and Hunter over contract details regarding performance bonuses, tying them to his team's GPA, which was purported by the university to be declining year after year. On 5 April 2019, Georgia State announced the selection of Rob Lanier, associate head coach for the Tennessee Vols, to head the program at GSU.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Malik Benlevi | 2 | F | 6'6" | 225 | Senior | Savannah, GA | Graduated |
| D'Marcus Simonds | 15 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Gainesville, GA | Declared for NBA draft |
| James Wall | 21 | F | 6'8" | 190 | Freshman | Canton, GA | Walk-on; did not return |
| Devin Mitchell | 24 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Senior | Lawrenceville, GA | Graduated |
| Jeff Thomas | 30 | F | 6'5" | 190 | Senior | Norwalk, OH | Graduated |
| Matt Chism | 35 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Sophomore | Dawsonville, GA | Walk-on; did not return |
| Jordan Tyson | 50 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Senior | Cincinnati, OH | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| JoJo Toppin | 4 | G | 6'5" | 175 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, NY | Georgia. Under NCAA transfer rules, Toppin will have to sit out for the 2019–20 season, using a redshirt, leaving three years of eligibility remaining. |
| Eliel Nsoseme | NA | F | 6'9" | 225 | Junior | Kinshasa, Congo | Cincinnati. Under NCAA transfer rules, Nsoseme will have to sit out for the 2019–20 season, using a redshirt, leaving two years of eligibility remaining. |
| Ryan Boyce | 32 | G | 6'6" | 190 | RS Freshman | Memphis, TN | Memphis. Under NCAA transfer rules, Boyce will have to sit out for the remainder of the 2019–20 season, leaving three years of eligibility remaining. |

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kalik Brooks G | Alpharetta, GA | Alpharetta | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Walk-on |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NA ||||||
| Joe Jones III C | Buffalo, NY | The Park School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Jun 2, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Jalen Thomas F | Detroit, MI | University of Detroit Jesuit | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 24, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 106 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 Commit List for 2019". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019. "Georgia State Panthers". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019. ||||||

## Regular season

* The Panthers won the regional championship of the 2K Empire Classic.
* Kane Williams and Justin Roberts were named to the All-Tournament Team of the Empire Classic. Williams was also named the regional MVP.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Point | W 101–66 | | 20 – Allen | 10 – Wilson | 5 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (824) Atlanta, GA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Brewton–Parker | W 104–35 | 1–0 | 22 – Wilson | 9 – Jones III | 6 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,644) Atlanta, GA |
| November 9, 2019* 2:00 pm, FloHoops | | at College of Charleston | L 80–84 | 1–1 | 22 – Roberts | 12 – Linder | 3 – Roberts | TD Arena (3,853) Charleston, SC |
| November 15, 2019* 7:00 pm, ACC Network | | at No. 2 Duke 2K Empire Classic campus-site game | L 63–74 | 1–2 | 20 – Allen | 7 – Wilson | 7 – Williams | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| November 17, 2019* 7:30 pm, FS1 | | at Georgetown 2K Empire Classic campus-site game | L 83–91 | 1–3 | 21 – Allen | 11 – Linder | 4 – Roberts | Capital One Arena (4,118) Washington, D.C. |
| November 22, 2019* 8:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Prairie View A&M 2K Empire Classic subregional semifinals | W 83–72 | 2–3 | 18 – Allen | 6 – Tied | 6 – Wilson | CBU Events Center (234) Riverside, CA |
| November 23, 2019* 10:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Cal Baptist 2K Empire Classic subregional finals | W 69–60 | 3–3 | 14 – Tied | 8 – Wilson | 5 – Williams | CBU Events Center (1,946) Riverside, CA |
| November 27, 2019* 2:00 pm | | Charlotte | W 81–78 $^{OT}$ | 4–3 | 17 – Allen | 6 – Williams | 7 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,468) Atlanta, GA |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Dartmouth | W 83–80 $^{OT}$ | 5–3 | 28 – Allen | 8 – Williams | 4 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (1,340) Atlanta, GA |
| December 7, 2019* 4:30 pm | | at Mercer | W 73–64 | 6–3 | 16 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 6 – Roberts | Hawkins Arena (1,564) Macon, GA |
| December 19, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UT Arlington | W 83–77 | 7–3 (1–0) | 22 – Wilson | 9 – Williams | 6 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (1,057) Atlanta, GA |
| December 21, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas State | W 81–69 | 8–3 (2–0) | 17 – Tied | 11 – Jones III | 4 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (1,531) Atlanta, GA |
| December 23, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at SMU | L 76–85 | 8–4 | 22 – Williams | 5 – Linder | 3 – Tied | Moody Coliseum (4,085) Dallas, TX |
| December 30, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Middle Georgia State | W 83–53 | 9–4 | 22 – Roberts | 9 – Roberts | 7 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (1,400) Atlanta, GA |
| January 2, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Appalachian State | W 69–60 | 10–4 (3–0) | 14 – Thomas | 7 – Phillips | 9 – Williams | George M. Holmes Convocation Center (1,253) Boone, NC |
| January 4, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Coastal Carolina | L 72–74 | 10–5 (3–1) | 16 – Roberts | 10 – Jones III | 7 – Williams | HTC Center (937) Conway, SC |
| January 6, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Arkansas State | L 87–90 | 10–6 (3–2) | 19 – Wilson | 8 – Wilson | 7 – Roberts | First National Bank Arena (1,105) Jonesboro, AR |
| January 9, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Louisiana | W 90–52 | 11–6 (4–2) | 24 – Allen | 5 – Clerkley | 8 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,336) Atlanta, GA |
| January 11, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 84–62 | 12–6 (5–2) | 23 – Roberts | 5 – Allen | 5 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (1,954) Atlanta, GA |
| January 16, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at South Alabama | W 72–63 | 13–6 (6–2) | 20 – Roberts | 11 – Wilson | 5 – Wilson | Mitchell Center (1,744) Mobile, AL |
| February 1, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Troy | L 65–75 | 13–7 (6–3) | 15 – Roberts | 7 – Wilson | 7 – Roberts | Trojan Arena (2,282) Troy, AL |
| January 25, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate | W 82–77 | 14–7 (7–3) | 15 – Williams | 8 – Phillips | 3 – Tied | Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897) Statesboro, GA |
| January 30, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | South Alabama | W 76–73 | 15–7 (8–3) | 19 – Allen | 7 – Tied | 5 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,829) Atlanta, GA |
| February 1, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Troy | L 78–84 | 15–8 (8–4) | 25 – Allen | 9 – Williams | 4 – Wilson | GSU Sports Arena (2,543) Atlanta, GA |
| February 6, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Louisiana | L 78–80 | 15–9 (8–5) | 17 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Williams | Cajundome (3,537) Lafayette, LA |
| February 8, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 77–69 | 16–9 (9–5) | 19 – Williams | 7 – Jones III | 7 – Roberts | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,381) Monroe, LA |
| February 13, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Appalachian State | W 76–65 | 17–9 (10–5) | 17 – Roberts | 7 – Williams | 5 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (2,273) Atlanta, GA |
| February 15, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Coastal Carolina | W 92–80 | 18–9 (11–5) | 20 – Tied | 7 – Williams | 6 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (2,282) Atlanta, GA |
| February 20, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Arlington | L 62–70 | 18–10 (11–6) | 21 – Williams | 9 – Wilson | 5 – Williams | College Park Center (1,671) Arlington, TX |
| February 22, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas State | L 76–86 | 18–11 (11–7) | 23 – Williams | 7 – Williams | 6 – Williams | Strahan Arena (2,718) San Marcos, TX |
| February 29, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate | W 79–70 | 18–12 (11–8) | 21 – Roberts | 7 – Phillips | 4 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (3,854) Atlanta, GA |
| March 3, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Little Rock | W 89–70 | 19–12 (12–8) | 21 – Williams | 6 – Tied | 7 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,855) Atlanta, GA |
| Sun Belt tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (4) | (5) Georgia Southern Quarterfinals/Modern Day Hate | L 62–81 | 19–13 | 20 – Williams | 5 – Williams | 4 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (2,843) Atlanta, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||