Georgia State Panthers
Record: 24-9, 15-5 Sun Belt
Head coach: Ron Hunter (4th season)
Season summary: Former Louisville guard Kevin Ware makes a triumphant return to the NCAA tournament after leaving the Cardinals' 2013 Elite Eight win against Duke with a gruesomely fractured leg. Georgia State won the Sun Belt behind the powerful guard play of R.J. Hunter (19.8 PPG) and Ryan Harrow (18.7 PPG), who has seen limited minutes as of late due to a strained hamstring. Ware has stepped up since Harrow's injury, scoring 18 of their 38 points in the conference tournament final. The Panthers shoot a strong 48.1 percent from the field—a clip ranked 17th best in the nation—and produce 9.1 steals per game, good for sixth-ranked. Harrow isn't the only Panther limping into the Big Dance—head coach Ron Hunter tore his Achilles in the postgame celebration after Georgia State topped Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt championship game. Despite the Panthers' success, they have no wins against RPI Top 50 teams and are just 6-6 against the RPI Top 150.
How they make a run: Harrow gets healthy in time for the tournament and combines with R.J. Hunter to shoot lights out for an upset or two.
How they falter: Harrow sees limited minutes due to his injury and the Panthers get outrebounded due to their smaller lineup.
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