Georgia State wants to be this year's Cinderella story. The Panthers entered the tournament as a No. 14 seed with the prediction of getting blown out by Baylor in the first round. However, a 3-point shot with two seconds left in the game pushed the Panthers over the Big 12 favorites and into the Round of 32. Suddenly everyone knows who head coach Ron Hunter and the Panthers are as they intend to keep the dream alive facing Xavier on Saturday.
Georgia State got everyone's attention not just because they pulled off the upset, but because Hunter suddenly became a talking point after falling off his stool celebrating the made shot by his sun. Currently coaching with a torn Achilles, Hunter has no intentions of these little things getting in the way of helping his team in the next round of the tournament.
The Panthers need all the magic they can get. The Sun Belt champions are underdogs against No. 6 Xavier, but Georgia State believes they have a chance which is really all that matters. They had the magic on Thursday when RJ Hunter knocked in a 3-point shot with 2.7 seconds left to play, marking a 12-point comeback for the Panthers for a 57-56 win. The storyline of that game could simply not be beat as suddenly half of America found themselves rooting for the Panthers in the upcoming game, leaving Xavier to have to remind people they are the higher seed.
Xavier is hoping all of the attention on Georgia State will allow them to fly under the radar heading into this game with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The team had an easy first game defeating Ole Miss and hopes to feel well rested against Georgia State. Matt Stainbrook had 20 points in the win while Dee Davis added 17.
It is hard not to root for Georgia State who have suddenly found themselves as the tournament darlings. The story of a father and sun, Hunter's injury and the beloved former Louisville guard Kevin Ware also being on the roster certainly gives the Panthers a lot of intriguing storylines heading into the game.
