GAME NOTES: Colonial Athletic Association action pits the Georgia State Panthers against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams this evening. Losses in three of the last four outings have dropped Georgia State to 4-9 overall and 1-2 in CAA play. The Panthers are coming off a heart-breaking 64-62 loss to Northeastern on Saturday, and they own a 1-5 road record. As for VCU, it owns the exact opposite record as Georgia State at 9-4 overall and 2-1 in CAA action. The Rams are coming off a 72-57 victory over UNC Wilmington on Saturday, and they carry a perfect 5-0 home record into tonight's tilt. VCU owns an 11-4 series lead over Georgia State, and the Rams have won all five meetings since the Panthers joined the CAA.

It is certainly no secret that Leonard Mendez is the best player on the Georgia State roster. Mendez is netting 16.8 ppg, the third-best scoring average in the CAA. Unfortunately, there are no other double-digit scorers wearing a Panther uniform, and the team is averaging a lackluster 64.8 ppg as a result while allowing 72.0 ppg. In the loss to Northeastern on Saturday, Mendez posted 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Jihad Ali pitched in 12 points for the Panthers on 4-of-5 shooting, but those two players were let down by their teammates. In fact, the rest of the squad combined to shoot just 9- of-28 from the floor. It certainly didn't help matters that GSU was outrebounded by eight boards.

Even more productive than Georgia State's Mendez is VCU's Eric Maynor, a talented guard who is scoring 19.1 ppg to go along with 68 assists. While Maynor is the go-to guy offensively, opponents can not forget to guard Jamal Shuler, as his average of 15.0 ppg suggests that he has been a steady force this season. The Rams are netting 70.1 ppg as a team while allowing only 61.0 ppg to the opposition on 37.9 percent shooting from the floor. VCU got 24 points from Maynor in the victory over UNC Wilmington last time out. Shuler posted 16 points in that clash, and Wil Fameni pitched in 10 points. The Rams shot 24-of-30 from the foul line and forced 18 turnovers, two keys to the win.

There is no reason to expect an upset tonight, as VCU will treat the home crowd to a win. Expect the Rams to surround Mendez, as he is the only consistent offensive threat to contend with.