The Eagles won their fifth straight game on Saturday, a hard fought battle against conference foe Louisiana. After trailing by six at halftime, GS came out strong in the second half, scoring 51 of their 81 total points en route to a five point win. 

With this recent victory, the Eagles move to 11-6 on the year and 4-0 in conference play, which places them at the very top of the Sun Belt.

In order to explain the Eagles’ recent success, I analyzed the team’s stat-lines throughout the year. 

As the analysis of team performance across a number of sports has evolved to depend much more on an objective statistical evaluation rather than the subjective expertise of individuals, it has become increasingly important to be able to formulate a narrative based on empirical data. After taking a look at the saber-metrics behind Georgia Southern’s men’s team, this is what I’ve learned.

The Eagles are undefeated in conference play so far this season, thanks in large part to their collective ability to score, force turnovers and take care of the basketball. They rank in the top 25 of all NCAA teams in both turnovers per game and turnover margin.

Having said that, there are some major warning signs for the rest season, given that their performance on the glass and ability to find teammates for open looks continues down the same path.

The Eagles are ranked dead last in the Sun Belt in both rebounding margin and assists per game, and they are near the bottom of the entire NCAA in both categories as well.

Interestingly enough, they are actually in the middle of the pack for the Sun Belt in terms of rebounding, but the rebounding margin numbers indicate that they have trouble boxing out opposing teams.

Their free throw percentage is absolutely dreadful, but seeing as how they rank seventh in the Sun Belt, it may just be the case that the conference struggles as a whole at the charity stripe.