PREVIEW: Eagles Open Sun Belt Conference Play with Georgia State and James Madison

Thursday, December 18

Statesboro, GA

8 PM

Georgia Southern University

Georgia State

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PREVIEW: Eagles Open Sun Belt Conference Play with Georgia State and James Madison

12/17/2025 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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STATESBORO – Georgia Southern men's basketball returns home to the friendly confines of the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center to open the 2025-26 Sun Belt Conference slate. The Eagles host Georgia State on Thursday at 8 p.m. and James Madison on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

THE OPENING TIP

Georgia Southern men's basketball extended its winning streak to five games on Saturday, defeating West Georgia 91-85 on the road in Carrollton. The Eagles were led by four double-digit scorers, including 20 points from Tyren Moore and Spudd Webb, a career-high 16 by Andres Burney, and 10 from Shainen Carter. Moore's 20-point performance marked the second consecutive contest that he produced 20-plus points, while adding his 10th double-digit scoring effort in the win.
The Southern Not State rivalry returns to the hardwood on Thursday evening, as the two sides meet for the 77th time in program history. Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 47-29 but dropped the last meeting between the two sides in the Sun Belt Tournament, 80-71.
The Eagles are one of six programs in the country to have their men's and women's basketball teams on at least a five-game winning streak entering the weekend. They are joined by Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Iowa State, and UConn.
Georgia Southern has now made 130 total three-pointers on the season, posting the most made in the Sun Belt Conference. The Blue and White are averaging 10.0 made three-pointers per game, with a high of 15 made against Florida Gulf Coast on the road. Graduate guard Tyren Moore leads the Eagles and the league with 40 made threes.
Georgia Southern's offensive production jumped above 80-plus points per game again this season, following a strong four-game winning streak. The Eagles have produced 1,074 total points this season (82.6 ppg) and are second in the league in scoring. Ahead of Georgia Southern is Troy (89.0). Last week, the Blue and White scored 100 points, the most in head coach Charlie Henry's tenure.
The Eagles have been the strongest inside the friendly confines of the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, posting an all-time record of 13-3. In those 16 contests, the Eagles are averaging just over 80 points per game (80.4) and enter Thursday with an eight-game winning streak in Statesboro. During that stretch, the Eagles have tallied the most points scored during the Charlie Henry era, tallying 100 against Coastal Georgia last time out. This season, Georgia Southern has posted a 5-0 record inside The Hill averaging 89.6 points per game, while allowing 71.6 points per game.
Since joining the league during the 2014-15 season, Georgia Southern men's basketball has been one of the more prolific scoring teams in the conference. In the 12 years since the Eagles' arrival, Georgia Southern has posted a 40-3 record when scoring 90-plus points in a game. For the 2025-26 season, the Eagles have secured a 5-0 record when tallying 90-plus points per game.