Georgia ties to NCAA bracket: West region

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Georgia ties to NCAA bracket: West region

Only four of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament will make it to the Georgia Dome, site of the Final Four and the national championship game. Many teams have ties to Georgia. Here are just a few of the nylon threads that connect the Peach State with every team that is in this year’s version of March Madness.

Only four of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament will make it to the Georgia Dome, site of the Final Four and the national championship game. Many teams have ties to Georgia. Here are just a few of the nylon threads that connect the Peach State with every team that is in this year’s version of March Madness. No. 1 Gonzaga: The Zags are predicted by many to make it to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome.

No. 16 Southern: The Jaguars' roster includes sophomore Thomas Marshall, a former standout at Miller Grove High School, and freshman Damien Goodwin, a former standout at Columbia High School.

No. 8 Pittsburgh: Assistant coach Brandin Knight’s brother Brevin played for the Hawks in 2001. The Panthers are joining the ACC and the football team will play at Georgia Tech on Nov. 2.

No. 9 Wichita State: The Shockers roster includes sophomore Tekele Cotton, a former standout at Whitefield Academy, and senior Carl Hall, a native of Cochran. He is averaging 12.8 points per game and Cotton is averaging 6.3 points per game.

No. 5 Wisconsin: Former Badger Devin Harris now plays for the Hawks.

No. 12 Ole Miss: The Rebels defeated Georgia in overtime earlier this season.

No. 4 Kansas State: Former Hawks coach Lon Kruger’s jersey was retired by the Wildcats, where he played from 1971-74.

No. 13 Boise State: The Broncos opened the 2011-12 football season by thumping Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Bob Behler, the voice of the Broncos, is a Georgia grad.

No. 13 LaSalle: Albert Vertino, Vice President of Atlanta-based Turner Sports, is a graduate of LaSalle. This year, Turner Sports will televise 41 games across its three television networks (TBS, TNT and truTV).

No. 6 Arizona: Mike Bibby, point guard on the Wildcats’ 1997 national championship team, played for the Hawks from 2008-11.

No. 11 Belmont: The Bruins have two players from Atlanta: Chad Lang (above), a graduate of Marietta High, and J.J. Mann. Mann played at Marist before transferring to Hargrave Military Academy. Mann is averaging 10.5 points per game this year and Lang 1.2.

No. 3 New Mexico: Craig Neal, former standout for the Yellow Jackets, is an associate head coach for the Lobos, a position he has held since 2007. Neal set the since-broken ACC single-season record for assists (303) in 1988.

No. 14 Harvard: The Crimson’s roster includes freshman forward/center Michael Hall, a graduate of Woodward Academy.

No. 7 Notre Dame: Georgia Tech was the opponent when Rudy finally got to play for the Fighting Irish in football. Notre Dame is joining the ACC.

No. 10 Iowa State: The 2001 Iowa State team was co-captained by Kantrail Horton, who starred at Newton High School. The Cyclones won the Big 12 regular season, earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and were beaten by No. 15 seed Hampton in one of the event’s biggest upsets.

No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes were beaten by Florida in the 2007 championship game at the Georgia Dome. This year’s team features sophomore Shannon Scott, a former standout at Milton High School. He is averaging 4.8 points per game this year.

No. 15 Iona: The Gaels defeated Georgia earlier this season.

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Only four of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament will make it to the Georgia Dome, site of the Final Four and the national championship game. Many teams have ties to Georgia. Here are just a few of the nylon threads that connect the Peach State with every team that is in this year’s version of March Madness. No. 1 Gonzaga: The Zags are predicted by many to make it to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome.

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