Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Men's Basketball Preview: Eagles host James Madison on Thursday

The contest is set to tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Georgia Southern Sports Network
untitled-design-2023-01-18t103222724-1024x576
Men's Basketball Preview: Eagles host James Madison on Thursday

Setting the Scene

Date: Feb. 9, 2023
Site: Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897)
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Series: GS trails 1-0 | Division I Series History
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: GS Sports Network
Promos:

  • Equality and Inclusion Night - Coaches will wear all black to display unity and an equal sign lapel pin to symbolize equality
  • Synovus Scholarship Shot - One lucky student will have a chance at a half-court short for $1,000
  • Putt for a Car presented by Jarrard Pre-Owned Vehicles - One lucky fan will have a chance to win $10,000 towards the purchase of a vehicle by sinking a putt on the court

Probable Starters:
0 - Kaden Archie
2 - Jalen Finch
3 - Tyren Moore
10 - Carlos Curry
12 - Andrei Savrasov

Game Notes

  • Georgia Southern opens a two-game homestand Thursday when the Eagles play host to James Madison. The contest is set to tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Georgia Southern Sports Network. It's the Eagles' first home game since Jan. 21.
  • It's Equality and Inclusion Night, and the Eagle coaching staff will wear all black to display unity and an equal sign lapel pin to symbolize equality.
  • The Eagles finish the regular season with four of six contests at home. GS just completed a stretch of six of eight on the road, including the last four contests. The Eagles went 2-4 during that stint and lost the last four road games by an average of five points. GS is coming off a 64-58 setback at Old Dominion Saturday night.
  • It's the second meeting between James Madison and Georgia Southern this season. JMU won the first meeting 83-71 Jan. 14 in Harrisonburg. The Dukes are tied for second in the Sun Belt standings, while the Eagles are tied for ninth.
  • James Madison head coach Mark Byington, in his third season with the Dukes, coached at Georgia Southern from 2013-20, amassing a record of 131-97. JMU assistant coach Jon Cremins was on Byington's GS staff in 2019-20, and graduate assistant Jacob Sowers walked on at Georgia Southern and played 11 games for the Eagles from 2019-21.
  • Redshirt junior Johnny McFatten is the only player on the Eagle roster who was recruited by Byington. McFatten redshirted the 2019-20 season, Byington's last in Statesboro.
  • Eagle guard Tai Strickland's younger brother, Terrell, plays for James Madison. It's the second time the brothers have faced each other in their college careers.
  • Seven Eagles are scoring seven or more points a game, and only leading scorer Andrei Savrasov takes more than 10 shots a game (10.9/gm). Six different Eagles have led the team in scoring in a game this season.
  • The Eagles have notched single-digit turnovers in nine games. GS ranks sixth in the Sun Belt in turnover margin (1.7) and third in the league in least turnovers (11.4/gm).
  • Carlos Curry ranks 10th in the Sun Belt in rebounds (7.2/gm) and Savrasov ranks 11th (7.1/gm).
  • Savrasov ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.475) and 10th in steals (1.5/gm), while Jalen Finch is 14th in steals (1.4/gm) and ninth in assists (3.4/gm).
  • Finch has 86 assists, and the last Eagle to record 100 assists in a season was Tookie Brown, who posted 154 in 2018-19.
  • GS is 29-1 in its last 30 games when shooting 50% or better from the floor. The Eagles lost 94-87 at Louisiana Jan. 28 despite shooting 56.3%.
  • GS has won its last four games that were decided by one point.
  • The Eagles are 8-4 in Hanner Fieldhouse this season and 23-13 in Hanner during head coach Brian Burg's tenure.
  • James Madison has won its last four and is coming off a 63-57 win at Appalachian State Saturday afternoon.
  • The Dukes have had at least four double-digit scorers in 17 of 25 games and five on six different occasions.
  • JMU ranks 21st in the nation with 16 free throws made per game and has made more free throws than its opponents in all but one league game.
  • JMU averages 10.0 steals per game, fourth-most in the country, and ranks seventh in turnovers forced (18.0).

Next Up

The Eagles play host to Arkansas State Saturday on Salute to Service Day. The contest will tip off at 3 p.m and air on ESPN+ and the GS Sports Network.