PANTHER PROWL: GSU looking for a late push

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Georgia State Panthers are fighting to keep their hopes of a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament alive and to gain some late-season momentum entering the postseason. Coming off a tough home loss to Delaware in overtime, GSU fell into a tie with those same Blue Hens for fifth place in the CAA and two games behind Old Dominion for the fourth seed and the first-round bye. Three conference games remain for the team, and while it may take a bit of luck if they are to pass ODU for the fourth seed, the Panthers have played the conference’s elite well all season long and still have to like their chances come CAA Tournament time.

The Delaware loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Georgia State, who had struggled since a remarkable 11-game winning streak earlier in the season. The team seemingly had been exhausted after the streak, falling to sub .500 teams such as Northeastern and, at the time, Delaware. The Panthers also suffered a humbling 22-point road loss to conference powerhouse Drexel, a team they convincingly defeated by 14 points at the GSU Sports Arena in January.

The Panthers remaining schedule features four winnable games, with two road games against CAA bottom-dwellers James Madison and William & Mary, both of whom Georgia State defeated easily at home. The other two games are home dates against ESPN Bracketbuster selection, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Old Dominion, which could be a pivotal matchup if the Panthers are to complete a remarkable comeback and earn a first round CAA Tournament bye.

Coach Ron Hunter is hoping to lead the team to its first postseason tournament since 2002, when legendary Panthers coach Lefty Driesell took them to the NIT Tournament. While another NIT berth would certainly be another building block for the resurgent program, a spot in the Big Dance is without question the ultimate goal for this senior-laden squad. With quality wins against top CAA teams such as VCU and Drexel, there is no reason to believe that this team can’t be a dark horse pick to earn the NCAA Tournament automatic bid by winning the CAA title.

Regardless of how the team finishes this season, Hunter has brought excitement back to the program, and with a stout recruiting class on the horizon for next season, including Hunter’s son RJ and Buford standout T.J. Shipes, the team’s future is brighter than its been in years. While Hunter may be looking forward to coaching his son next season on top of the highly-touted 2012 class, he definitely won’t be discussing it as long as his team is in the thick of things entering March.