The second installment of the battle for state supremacy rolls through Statesboro on Friday as the Eagles of Georgia Southern face the Panthers of Georgia State.

Georgia State took the first matchup rather handily in Atlanta just a few weeks ago.

Georgia Southern is coming off of a three game losing streak, and with five games remaining, are in need of a moral boost.

So what makes us think that the Eagles can be victorious?

I believe that home-court advantage will play a huge role in this matchup, even with GS dropping their last two home games. The Eagles had played extremely well at home before this recent home stand, amassing a 7-1 record in Hanner Fieldhouse.

The student section, affectionately known as the “Hanner Hooligans,” needs to show up in force, and with the game being nationally televised, with a 9 p.m. tip-off, expect for the environment to be rowdy.

As if a game on ESPN2 wasn’t enough, it was announced that the game will be a whiteout.

As for the game itself, I believe that the ball is going to have to go through the backcourt, and the Eagle guards, Tookie Brown, Ike Smith and Mike Hughes, are going to have to facilitate and control the tempo of the game.

It’s hard to say how GS responds after three straight heartbreaking losses, but with our in-state rivals from the north making the long haul down, the Eagles need to get an early lead, and never look back.

If that’s the case, with the backing of the crazy fans we have, look for the good guys to finally upend that team from Atlanta.