Georgia State Panthers: 23-10, 12-6 in the Sun Belt Conference
Head coach: Ron Hunter (7th season)
Players to watch: D'Marcus Simonds (21.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.5 APG); Devin Mitchell (12.2 PPG, 45.1 3PT%); Malik Benlevi (9.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG)
Season recap: Although the Panthers may have not faced the best of the best in nonconference play, Georgia State has a pair of pretty impressive victories to its resume. The Panthers topped Eastern Washington during an early-season showcase event in Las Vegas before returning home, where they knocked off eventual Big Sky champs Montana, 71-68.
But after a pair of losses to start Sun Belt play, questions lingered for Georgia State. Yet from 0-2, it ran off 10 straight wins, getting victories both at home and on the road. Still, things wouldn't end as well as they started—the Panthers lost four of their final six regular-season matchups before ultimately running the table to earn the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
How they make a run: Georgia State knows what it's like to win in the first round—after doing so three seasons ago vs. Baylor, the Panthers are led by D'Marcus Simonds and get just enough offense to pull another upset.
How they falter: Up against a major conference team, Simonds goes quietly and there just isn't enough for Georgia State to earn a third-ever NCAA tournament victory.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."