ATLANTA, Ga. – Three games in three days await the men's basketball team at the Capitol Classic hosted by Georgia State in Atlanta.
 
EKU will face GSU on Friday at 6 p.m.  The Colonels will take on UNC Asheville on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.  The Colonels' final game is on Sunday against Texas A&M - Commerce at 1 p.m.
 
Friday's game with Georgia State will air live on ESPN+.  The live radio broadcast of all three games will be available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  Georgia State leads the all-time series 2-1.  EKU won the first meeting, 68-59, on Dec. 30, 1997.  The Panthers won the most recent match-up, 82-65, on Nov. 23, 2016 at the Cancun Challenge.
 
-  EKU and UNC Asheville have played six times with each team winning three.  The last meeting between the two came on Nov. 25, 2006.  The Colonels won, 73-54, in Asheville.
 
-  Texas A&M - Commerce and EKU will be meeting for the first time.
 
THE COLONELS
-  Eastern Kentucky (1-2) cut a 23-point deficit to five at Cincinnati on Sunday, and trailed by only six with just over four minutes left in the game, but couldn't complete the comeback in an 87-69 loss.
 
-  Devontae Blanton nearly had a triple double against the Bearcats, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best seven assists.
 
-  Freshman Leland Walker connected on 3-of-6 from the field, made 1-of-2 from deep and put in 4-of-5 at the free throw line to finish with a season-high 11 points at Cincinnati.
 
-  Newcomer Isaiah Cozart is averaging a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game.
 
-  Through three games, the Colonels have made 46 percent of their shots from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.  Last season Eastern Kentucky shot 42 percent from the field and just 35 percent from long range.
 
-  In addition to leading the team in scoring at 14 points per game, Blanton is also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  Georgia State improved to 2-1 this season after an 85-83 overtime home court win over Mercer on Tuesday.  The Panthers' lone loss was by two points at Georgia Tech.   
 
-  Ja'Heim Hudson is leading the team with 17.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 69 percent from the floor (22-of-32).  The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward has five blocks and has only committed six fouls over three games.  Dwon Odom, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, is second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).  He's gotten to the free throw line 18 times and has made 17.
 
-  UNC Asheville enters the weekend 2-0 overall after a double overtime win at Central Florida (98-95) and a home win against Brevard (94-46).
 
-  Drew Pember, a 6-foot-10 senior forward who is in his second season at UNCA after transferring from Tennessee, leads the team in scoring at 23 points per game.  He also contributes seven rebounds and two steals per contest.  Tajion Jones, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, has shot 60 percent from the field while averaging 17 points per game.  Jamon Battle, a 6-foot-5 207-pound senior forward, is the top rebounder at 7.5 boards per game.
 
-  Texas A&M – Commerce opened the season with losses at Southern Methodist (77-60) and at Northern Colorado (80-77) before beating Air Force (73-69) on the road in overtime on Monday to move to 1-2.
 
-  Demarcus Demonia, a 6-foot-7 senior, leads the team with 16 points per game.  Jerome Brewer Jr., a 6-foot-9 freshman forward, is pulling down a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game, but four players average 4.0 or more rebounds.