Georgia State’s defense is playing so well, it has ventured into uncharted territory.
Using myriad zone defenses, the Panthers have held six consecutive opponents to less than 30-percent shooting. Only one team, Kentucky, has come close to doing that, according to STATS Inc. research, which goes back to 1996-97. The Wildcats did it five consecutive games this season. No other team has done it four times during that span.
“I love that,” Georgia State coach Ron Hunter said.
The Panthers (19-8, 12-4 Sun Belt) have won five of those six games and moved into a tie for first in the Sun Belt Conference with four games remaining before the conference tournament.
Georgia State will play at Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday and at Troy on Saturday. before back-to-back games against the other teams tied for first: at Louisiana-Monroe on March 5 and then home to face Georgia Southern in the finale on March 7.
The top two seeds in the tournament receive byes to the semifinals, underscoring the need for a strong finish.
GSU’s improved defense can be traced back to a loss, the maturation of several players new to Hunter’s systems and the re-emergence of a veteran. On Jan. 17, the Panthers were beaten by Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., the Mountaineers hitting 12-of-29 3-pointers in a 74-69 win.
Georgia State bounced back to defeat Arkansas State 60-54 in the next game and although the Panthers dominated the game statistically, they couldn’t put away the Red Wolves until the final minutes. That inability to finish had been a problem all year, mostly because the defense couldn’t protect leads.
Hunter got his assistants together to make a subtle change in how they defend ball-screens. He said the team had been getting “killed” by the plays and the adjustment enabled the Panthers to better defend 3-pointers.
They held Louisiana-Lafayette to 33.9 percent shooting in the next game, a 75-64 win. They weren’t as suffocating in the next game, allowing Texas-Arlington to shoot 46.7 percent in an 88-74 win.
The streak began by holding Arkansas State to 20.4 percent shooting in a 74-43 win. Over the next five games, the Panthers held opponents to an average 29 percent from the field with margin of victory in four of those games of almost 24 points.
For the season, Georgia State’s opponents are shooting 37.5 percent, lowest in the Sun Belt.
“All the guy are really locked in,” Hunter said.
Along with the change, Hunter said bench players Isaiah Dennis, Kevin Ware, Jordan Session and former starter T.J. Shipes have gained an understanding of where they need to be and what they need to do, allowing them to play more and bring more energy. Hunter said it annually takes until late January before new players begin to trust themselves.
Because of their maturation, Hunter said it’s the strongest, deepest bench he has enjoyed since coming to Georgia State before the 2011 season.
“When we bring guys in off the bench, we get better,” Hunter said.
Lastly, moving Shipes to the bench and returning senior center Curtis Washington to the starting lineup four games ago has added a shot-blocking element.
To keep the good defense going, Hunter said, will take pride and his players have that. After South Alabama had the audacity to shoot 38 percent in the first half in a recent game, Hunter said his players were livid in the locker room.
“I told the assistants, ‘That’s crazy,’” he said.
The Jaguars shot 20 percent in the second half and the Panthers won by 28.
“For us to win Sun Belt tournament, we have to be great on defense,” Hunter said. “We were the best on offense last year and didn’t win it. That’s the sell. They understand that and are taking pride in it.”
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