Hunter, Georgia St. enjoy the ride
Ron Hunter hobbled onto the podium with assistance from the little scooter he's been using to get around since suffering the most talked-about injury in the NCAA tournament.
Ron Hunter hobbled onto the podium with assistance from the little scooter he's been using to get around since suffering the most talked-about injury in the NCAA tournament.
The coach's torn Achilles tendon introduced him and Georgia State to basketball fans throughout the nation, but the Panthers are proving they've got game, too.
The 14th-seeded Sun Belt Conference champions will be underdogs again Saturday when they face No. 6 seed Xavier (22-13) in a West Regional matchup at Jacksonville (Fla.) Veterans Memorial Arena.
But make no mistake about it, Georgia State (25-9) believes it can play with anyone in the tournament after knocking off No. 3 seed Baylor.
One more victory, and it will head to Los Angeles for the regional semifinals.
"If we win Saturday, we're going to bus to L.A. We're just going to take off, and this is going to be like the Brady Bunch, Partridge Family. This is fun for us," the 50-year-old coach said. "But make no mistake about it, now, I've got a good basketball team. ... I've been saying that from day one, and this is the stage to be able to show that."
Two lottery picks
As soon as the NCAA tournament bracket came out, Arizona coach Sean Miller sent a text message to Ohio State's Thad Matta.
"Here we go again," Miller wrote.
For the third time in their coaching careers, they will try to put aside their deep-rooted relationship when the second-seeded Wildcats (32-3) and 10th-seeded Buckeyes (24-10) meet Saturday with a berth in the Sweet 16 at stake in Portland, Ore.
Neither one likes to coach against the other, and each has a superstar freshman and likely NBA lottery pick - D'Angelo Russell for Ohio State and Stanley Johnson for Arizona - who can take over a game at any time.
Going Hog wild
Arkansas surely knows about Wofford now. Michael Qualls scored 20 points, Southeastern Conference player of the year Bobby Portis added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and the fifth-seeded Razorbacks held off the No. 12 seed Terriers, 56-53, on Thursday in Portland.
Arkansas (27-8) advanced to play fourth-seeded North Carolina on Saturday. The Tar Heels edged Ivy League champion Harvard.