The Georgia State Panthers will take on the UTSA Roadrunners in a Sears Bracketbusters game at the Sports Arena Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Panthers are coming off of a 67-64 victory on the road at James Madison Tuesday night. Georgia State is currently tied with Delaware for the fifth position in the CAA conference with a 10-6 conference record.
With only three games remaining in the season the Panthers, 18-9 overall, have a chance for their first 20-win season since 2003-04. Georgia State’s success this season has been a surprise as they have struggled mightily since entering the CAA in 2005. Coach Ron Hunter has come into the program in his first year and changed the culture and mindset of the team. He exudes enthusiasm on the bench, and his energy is contagious making the entire team play with great effort at both ends of floor.
The entire team has put forth great effort all season at both ends of the floor, and it has been through this great team play that the Panthers have been able to improve. It has been through contributions of not only the starters, but from the bench players accepting their roles and taking advantage of their opportunities when presented that have been most impressive. Guys like Tony Kimbro, Jr., James Vincent and Rashaad Richardson have played well in their limited playing time, and, while their stats don’t jump off the page, they have helped the team immensely with their energy and effort off the bench.
There has been a renewed focus on the defensive end of the floor, and senior center Eric Buckner is the leader on defense. His proficiency at shot blocking has put him in the record books as he holds the records for both blocks in a career and a single season. Offensively, Buckner has provided a great deal of physical toughness in the paint, which complements the Panthers’ strong perimeter players.
Senior guard Jihad Ali leads the team in scoring with 13 points per game, and adds nearly six boards per contest. Ali’s ability to shoot the ball from the outside, shooting 38.5 percent from three, has guided the Panthers’ offense all year. Also helping Ali on the perimeter is point guard Devonta White and guard James Fields. White averages 12.1 points per game and dishes out a little over three dimes per, while Fields scores 8.9 per game and collects nearly four rebounds each outing. Josh Micheaux helps the team any way he can playing at both guard and forward, scoring 8.1 points per game and also cleaning the glass for 6.5 boards per game. The Panthers will look to attack the Roadrunners working the ball inside-out on offense and playing suffocating team defense. Georgia State will look to do this by getting contributions from the entire rotation like they have all year.
The Bracketbusters game will provide the Panthers with some national exposure, and a good performance could put them back in the minds of the tournament committee. The Panthers still have an opportunity for an NCAA tournament berth if they can finish the season strong and make a run in the CAA conference tournament. The CAA has a great reputation in the past decade of producing some of the best mid-major teams, including two final four teams, VCU and George Mason. Obviously the Panthers can secure an automatic bid with a conference tournament win, but if they can make the finals, and beat a couple of the top teams in the conference on their way, it is not outside the realm of possibility that the Panthers could earn an at-large bid to the big dance. These last three games of the season and the conference tournament will be their audition to the selection committee, and a win on Saturday will be a great step in that direction.
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