Georgia State will play Baylor in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The Panthers received a 14 seed from the selection committee. They will play on Thursday in Jacksonville in the West region. Game times will be announced later.
The Panthers received an automatic bid to the NCAAs by defeating Georgia Southern 38-36 to win the Sun Belt tournament on Sunday in New Orleans.
Georgia State (24-9) hasn’t played in the NCAA tournament since 2001. It will be the Panthers’ third trip.
Georgia State features R.J. Hunter, the Sun Belt men’s player of the year for the second consecutive year, ex-Kentucky player Ryan Harrow and ex-Louisville transfer Kevin Ware, who was named the Sun Belt tournament’s most outstanding player after scoring 18 points on Sunday.
The Panthers have one of Division I’s best defenses, allowing 62.2 points on 38.1-percent shooting.
Georgia State coach Ron Hunter and Baylor coach Scott Drew have a familiar history dating back to when Drew coached at Valparaiso and Hunter at IUPUI in the Summit League.
“I’m famliar with that they do,” Hunter said. “They are a good basketball team. Physical, strong inside. We will have to rebound.”
The Bears (24-9) were beaten by Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament. They are led by 6-foot-7 forward Taurean Prince, who averages 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and 6-8 forward Rico Gathers, who averages 11.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
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