College basketball fans don't spend too much time throughout the season paying attention to the Georgia State Panthers, but once March comes around, the idea that coach Ron Hunter could be making another appearance in the NCAA tournament becomes quite appealing. This year is the Panthers' third trip to the Madness in five seasons. Fans might remember Hunter falling out of his chair and subsequently tearing his Achilles' tendon while celebrating after his son, R.J., hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left in GSU's 2015 win over Baylor.
One would imagine Hunter's balance won't be a problem this season, but the Panthers, with their 3-point shooting prowess and matchup zone defense, will provide some problems for their first-round opponent. Is there more magic in store for the Panthers this year?
ESPN Insider has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of Bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: at Alabama, East Tennessee State
Worst losses: at Troy, at Louisiana
Regular-season conference finish: 1st Sun Belt
Polls and metrics: The BPI ranks the Panthers 103rd, but KenPom isn't so impressed and has the Panthers 115th.
All-time tourney record: 2-3
Coach's tourney record: Ron Hunter (1-2)
Bracketology chart | BPI information
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 4.)
STARTING LINEUP
G D'Marcus Simonds (18.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
G Kane Williams (11.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG)
G Damon Wilson (5.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG)
F Devin Mitchell (12.4PPG, 2.0 RPG)
F Malik Benlevi (12.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG)
Key Bench Players
G Devin Mitchell (12.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG)
G Nelson Phillips (5.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG)
F Jordan Tyson (2.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
Biggest strength: The Panthers were second in the Sun Belt in 3-point shooting and have four players who have made at least 55 treys this season. Georgia State specializes in spreading the floor and using drives by Simonds and Williams to create shooting opportunities for Mitchell, Benlevi and Thomas. The decision to insert Wilson into the starting lineup late in the year resulted in eight wins in the past nine games and more opportunities for the shooters to get good looks, thanks to his strong driving and distributing abilities.
Biggest weakness: Because the Panthers play a matchup zone and do not boast any starter taller than 6-foot-6 -- and only one rotation player taller than that -- they are not a good rebounding team. Georgia State has a minus-6.2 margin for the season. Hunter said rebounding is an overrated statistic, and his team's 24 wins this season back up his assertion. Still, getting beat on the boards is never a good thing for a tournament team, especially when the margin is minus-143 on the offensive glass.
Best player: Even though he turns the ball over too frequently -- and shoots only 29 percent from behind the arc and isn't a good free throw shooter -- Simonds is the Panthers' top scorer, leading assist man and catalyst. He is a strong driver who can finish creatively at the rack. Simonds can spin well with the dribble and is capable of finding teammates or creating for himself. He is also quite strong in the open court, where he gets to the rack with good speed. Simonds is a strong defender who is second on the team in steals and blocked shots. Simonds ends up with plenty of numbers across the stat sheet. He is second all time in scoring at GSU and has made the most field goals in program history.
X factor: When Pitt's program imploded under Kevin Stallings, several Panther players tried to get out -- even before Stallings was fired. One of them was Wilson, who came to Atlanta after the 2016-17 season, sat out last year and has become a strong part of this year's team. Wilson isn't going to score much, and he doesn't want to. Wilson is a penetrator and an unselfish passer, and it was his joining the starting lineup that helped the GSU offense become more productive. Wilson is an effective finisher inside and out, but he doesn't shoot that often. He's a solid defender at the top of the zone, too.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: The popular term in the NBA to describe a shooter who can also defend is "3-and-D," and that's the Panthers' mantra, too. Georgia State wants to spread teams out, use Simonds' and Williams' penetrating abilities and then hit the long ball. The Panthers don't turn the ball over that often, so they get plenty of chances to shoot, and they do it well. At the other end, the GSU defense is confounding to a lot of rivals, who turn the ball over often because they don't usually see matchup zones. That's the same thing that used to make life difficult for Temple's opponents when John Chaney coached the Owls, and Hunter said Chaney's defense influenced his own. The Panthers are strong in transition and can convert the turnovers into easy baskets.
How you beat them: It is vital the ballhandlers who face the Panthers don't get sloppy against the GSU zone, because teams can get fooled into thinking passing lanes exist when they really don't. Make the easy pass and work to get the ball inside by putting someone at the foul line who can turn and look for cutters for layups. The Panthers aren't tall, so there will be room around the rim. Speaking of Georgia State's lack of size, the team's lack of rebounding acumen will lead to a lot of second shots. Rivals should attack the rim after shots to create easy opportunities after misses. And when things get tight, foul Simonds, Mitchell, Phillips and Benelevi, none of whom is a good free throw shooter.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 14.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 102nd (108.0)
Defensive efficiency, 143rd (102.7)
3-point percentage, 17th (38.5)
3-point percentage D, 121st (33.5)
Free throw rate, 259th (17.2)
Free throw rate D, 220th (17.9)
TO percentage, 57th (16.7)
TO percentage D, 41st (21.2)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: First-round win
The Panthers hit their 3s, turn their opponent over with the confounding zone and give Hunter another reason to celebrate -- this time without falling off a stool or tearing a tendon.
Worst-case scenario: Opening-round loss
Rebounding woes create easy follow-up shots for opponents, and the Panthers are not able to shoot as well as usual from behind the arc, leading to an early exit.