# 2021–22 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by third-year head coach Rob Lanier, played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 18–11, 9–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place. They defeated Arkansas State, Appalachian State, and Louisiana to win the Sun Belt tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the West region. They lost in the first round to overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
The season marked the Panthers' final season at the GSU Sports Arena, with the new GSU Convocation Center set to open for the 2022–23 season.
On March 27, 2022, head coach Rob Lanier left the school to take the head coaching position at SMU. On April 6, the school named Xavier assistant and former Georgia State player Jonas Hayes the team's new basketball coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Panthers finished the 2020–21 season 16–6, 8–4 in Sun Belt play to finish win the East division (divisions were created to cut down on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic). As the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Arkansas State and Louisiana before losing to Appalachian State in the championship game.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition Matches |||||||||
| November 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Clayton State | W 101–56 | | 22 – Allen | 5 – Tied | 5 – Tied | GSU Sports Arena (732) Atlanta, GA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Brewton–Parker | W 97–37 | 1–0 | 20 – Allen | 6 – Thomas | 7 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,839) Atlanta, GA |
| November 12, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northeastern | W 83–64 | 2–0 | 25 – Allen | 7 – Phillips | 6 – Allen | GSU Sports Arena (1,008) Atlanta, GA |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Richmond | L 78–94 | 2–1 | 17 – Williams | 6 – Thomas | 5 – Johnson | Robins Center (5,521) Richmond, VA |
| November 20, 2021* 5:00 p.m. | | vs. William & Mary Legends Classic at High Point | W 77–59 | 3–1 | 23 – Williams | 11 – Thomas | 6 – Williams | Quebin Center (1,570) High Point, NC |
| November 21, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at High Point Legends Classic at High Point | W 74–66 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | 25 – Roberts | 11 – Williams | 4 – Williams | Qubein Center (3,112) High Point, NC |
| November 27, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Rhode Island | L 59–94 | 4–2 | 19 – Williams | 8 – Brooks | 7 – Williams | Ryan Center (4,132) Kingston, RI |
| December 1, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tennessee State | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols | GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, GA |
| December 4, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Mercer | L 77–83 | 4–3 | 19 – Phillips | 6 – Williams | 3 – Williams | Hawkins Arena (901) Macon, GA |
| December 6, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Voorhees | W 80–51 | 5–3 | 12 – Thomas | 13 – Allen | 8 – Allen | GSU Sports Arena (913) Atlanta, GA |
| December 14, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | at Mississippi State | L 50–79 | 5–4 | 13 – Allen | 5 – Allen | 5 – Williams | Humphrey Coliseum (5,953) Starkville, MS |
| December 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Toccoa Falls | W 92–44 | 6–4 | 23 – Allen | 12 – Thomas | 8 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (846) Atlanta, GA |
| December 21, 2021* 9:00 p.m., RSN/BSSE | | at Georgia Tech | L 62–72 $^{OT}$ | 6–5 | 15 – Allen | 8 – Thomas | 4 – Johnson | McCamish Pavilion (4,228) Atlanta, GA |
| Conference regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Arkansas State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | First National Bank Arena Jonesboro, AR |
| January 1, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Little Rock | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Jack Stephens Center Little Rock, AR |
| January 6, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UT Arlington | L 63–70 | 6–6 (0–1) | 15 – Allen | 12 – Thomas | 7 – Allen | GSU Sports Arena (732) Atlanta, GA |
| January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, GA |
| January 13, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at South Alabama | L 65–74 | 6–7 (0–2) | 12 – Williams | 4 – 3 Tied | 3 – Allen | Mitchell Center (2,354) Mobile, AL |
| January 15, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Troy | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Trojan Arena Troy, AL |
| January 20, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Appalachian State | L 60–61 | 6–8 (0–3) | 16 – Allen | 11 – 2 Tied | 5 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (1,196) Atlanta, GA |
| January 22, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Coastal Carolina | L 68–72 $^{OT}$ | 6–9 (0–4) | 19 – Nsoseme | 15 – Nsoseme | 5 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (1,034) Atlanta, GA |
| January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Louisiana | W 68–64 | 7–9 (1–4) | 14 – 2 Tied | 10 – Nsoseme | 6 – Roberts | Cajundome (2,580) Lafayette, LA |
| January 29, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Louisiana–Monroe | W 73–62 | 8–9 (2–4) | 18 – 2 Tied | 13 – Nsoseme | 6 – Williams | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,007) Monroe, LA |
| February 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Troy | L 63–67 | 8–10 (2–5) | 17 – Roberts | 13 – Nsoseme | 2 – Allen | GSU Sports Arena (1,038) Atlanta, GA |
| February 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Alabama | W 69–62 | 9–10 (3–5) | 17 – Williams | 9 – Nsoseme | 6 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,377) Atlanta, GA |
| February 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Coastal Carolina | W 61–50 | 10–10 (4–5) | 18 – Williams | 13 – Thomas | 5 – Roberts | HTC Center (1,041) Conway, SC |
| February 12, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Appalachian State | W 58–49 | 11–10 (5–5) | 16 – Thomas | 12 – Nsoseme | 4 – Allen | Holmes Center (3,008) Boone, NC |
| February 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Georgia Southern | W 79–63 | 12–10 (6–5) | 21 – Williams | 11 – Nsoseme | 5 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (3,339) Atlanta, GA |
| February 19, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Georgia Southern | W 58–49 | 13–10 (7–5) | 14 – Roberts | 9 – Hudson | 6 – Williams | Hanner Fieldhouse (3,353) Statesboro, GA |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 82–70 | 14–10 (8–5) | 15 – Roberts | 10 – Thomas | 6 – Williams | GSU Sports Arena (1,006) Atlanta, GA |
| February 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Louisiana | W 65–58 | 15–10 (9–5) | 16 – Thomas | 8 – Thomas | 6 – Roberts | GSU Sports Arena (1,445) Atlanta, GA |
| Sun Belt tournament |||||||||
| March 5, 2022 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (6) Arkansas State Quarterfinals | W 65–62 | 16–10 | 23 – Williams | 12 – Nsoseme | 2 – Tied | Pensacola Bay Center (2,452) Pensacola, FL |
| March 6, 2022 8:30 pm, ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (2) Appalachian State Semifinals | W 71–66 | 17–10 | 29 – Allen | 10 – Nsoseme | 8 – Allen | Pensacola Bay Center (1,289) Pensacola, FL |
| March 7, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (8) Louisiana Championship | W 80–71 | 18–10 | 24 – Allen | 13 – Nsoseme | 6 – Allen | Pensacola Bay Center Pensacola, FL |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022* 4:15 pm, TNT | (16 W) | vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga First Round | L 72–93 | 18–11 | 16 – Allen | 8 – Thomas | 5 – Roberts | Moda Center (14,343) Portland, OR |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||