Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE
The Georgia State Panthers have announced their final mens’ basketball non-conference schedule as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. And, the Panthers will probably be able to go out with a bang.
Head coach Ron Hunter and company will definitely be seeing some lackluster opponents this winter, but only after they faceoff against a national powerhouse in their season opener. The Panthers will travel to Cameron, North Carolina to take on perennial national contender Duke on November 9. If the Panthers want to advance to any postseason play this season, they must be able to secure an at-large bid as they have been ruled ineligible for this year’s CAA Tournament. The club can make a big step towards accomplishing that goal by upsetting the Blue Devils on their home court.
If they can’t, then the Panthers will have plenty of opportunity to dominate their non-conference foes. Following their matchup against Duke, the team will travel across the country to take on the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah on November 13th. The Cougars are far from their days of Jimmer Fredete-led success, and they shouldn’t provide a particularly difficult challenge for the Panthers.
Next, the GSU opens up a 5-game homestead against non-conference opponents from November 19-30. The team will host Monmouth, Tennessee State, South Alabama, East Carolina and Louisiana Tech in Atlanta, GA. All should be winnable matchups for the boys in blue, white and red.
After that home stand, the Panthers will travel north to Virginia to take on Liberty in their building on December 2. The will then play 3 more non-conference road games against Troy, Rhode Island and Georgia Southern. They will also take on Southern Poly and Southern Mississippi at home in the month of December.
The Panthers may have a practical road to receiving an at-large bid after all.
Jake Fischer is the CAA Correspondent for Rant Sports-NCAA Basketball. Make sure to follow Jake on Twitter @fischsportsline.
