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2017–18 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team

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American college basketball season

2017–18 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball
Sun Belt tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Record24–11 (12–6 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Sharman White (2nd season)
  • Ray McCallum (2nd season)
  • Claude Pardue (7th season)
Home arenaGSU Sports Arena
Seasons← 2016–172018–19 →
2017–18 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Louisiana 16 – 2   .889 27 – 7   .794
Georgia State † 12 – 6   .667 24 – 11   .686
Georgia Southern 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Texas–Arlington 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
Louisiana–Monroe 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Troy 9 – 9   .500 16 – 17   .485
Appalachian State 9 – 9   .500 15 – 18   .455
Coastal Carolina 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
South Alabama 7 – 11   .389 14 – 18   .438
Texas State 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
Arkansas State 6 – 12   .333 11 – 21   .344
Little Rock 4 – 14   .222 7 – 25   .219
† 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner

The 2017–18 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter, who was in his seventh season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 24–11, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish the regular season in second place. The Panthers defeated Troy, Georgia Southern, and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 15 seed in the West region, they lost to Cincinnati in the first round.

Previous season

The Panthers finished the 2016–17 season 20–13, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place. They lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament to Troy before receiving an invitation to the CIT, where they lost to Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jeremy Hollowell 1 G 6'3" 160 Senior Atlanta, GA Graduated
Isaiah Dennis 4 G 6'0" 190 Senior McDonough, GA Graduated
Austin Donaldson 10 G 6'1" 185 Sophomore Jonesboro, GA Transferred out
Justin Seymour 20 G 6'3" 215 Senior Atlanta, GA Ineligible/Graduated
Willie Clayton 21 F 6'8" 245 Redshirt Senior Thomasville, GA Graduated
Carter Cagle 34 G 6'4" 200 Junior Gainesville, GA Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Damon Wilson 1 G 6'5" 195 Junior Atlanta, GA Pittsburgh. Under NCAA transfer rules, Wilson will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season, using a redshirt, leaving two years of eligibility remaining.

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Denis Alibegovic
G 		Downers Grove, IL Downers Grove South 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 26, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Kane Williams
G 		Douglasville, GA South Paulding 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 19, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Josh Linder
F 		Kathleen, GA Veterans 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 8, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Matt Chism
G 		Dawsonville, GA Dawson Christian 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 14, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NA   Rivals: NA  ESPN: NA
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Nile Felton (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So Union Atlanta, GA
G 1 Damon Wilson Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 295 lb (134 kg) Jr Our Savior New American / Pittsburgh New York, NY
G 2 Malik Benlevi (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Jenkins Savannah, GA
G 10 Denis Alibegovic 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Downers Grove South Downers Grove, IL
G 11 Isaiah Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Buford / Samford Buford, GA
G 12 Kane Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr South Paulding Douglasville, GA
F 14 Chris Clerkly 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Perry Perry, GA
G 15 D'Marcus Simonds 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Gainesville Gainesville, GA
F 20 Josh Linder 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Veterans Kathleen, GA
F 23 Jordan Session (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Eagle's Landing McDonough, GA
G 24 Devin Mitchell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Collins Hill / Alabama Suwanee, GA
G 30 Jeff Thomas 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Norwalk Norwalk, OH
G 35 Matt Chism (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Dawson Christian Academy Dawsonville, GA
F 50 Jordan Tyson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Walnut Hills / St. Bonaventure Cincinnati, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Source

Preseason

  • Georgia State was picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches poll.
  • Sophomore, D'Marcus Simonds, was named to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team.
  • On November 6, 2017, D'Marcus Simonds was named to the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award preseason watchlist.

Regular season

  • During the November 10th game vs. Carver Bible College, D'Marcus Simonds became the first player in Georgia State history to earn a triple-double, scoring 20 points while adding 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
  • On November 20, in a 68–50 win over Eastern Washington, Ron Hunter earned the 400th win of his career.
  • D'Marcus Simonds was named to the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award mid-season watchlist.
  • On January 20, in an 83–66 win over Georgia Southern, Isaiah Williams scored his 1,000th career point.
  • In a win at Little Rock on February 3, Devin Mitchell set a new scoring record for the Jack Stephens Center with his career-high 38 points.
  • On March 5, D'Marcus Simonds was named Sun Belt Player of the Year, along with All-Sun Belt First Team honors. And junior, Devin Mitchell, was named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team.

Post season

  • On March 10, in GSU's semifinal win over Georgia Southern, Simonds scored his 689th point– breaking R. J. Hunter's single-season scoring record.
  • After the 2018 Sun Belt Tournament, D'Marcus Simonds was named the Tournament MVP.
  • D'Marcus Simonds and Isaiah Williams were named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament team.
  • Sophomore, Simonds, was named the Georgia Men's College Co-Player of the Year.
  • Simonds earned AP All-America Honorable Mention.
  • Simonds was named to the Lou Henson All-America team and a finalist for the Lou Henson Award.
  • Coach Ron Hunter was awarded the Gene Bartow Award.

Sun Belt Tournament

The Georgia State Men's Basketball team celebrates winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament

After locking in the second seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, the Panthers' performance dipped in the last part of their regular season– dropping four of their final six games. Able to shake free of that trend, Georgia State would beat Troy handily in the second round, 73–51, after losing to them twice in the regular season. In their semifinal game, the Panthers were once again pitted against in-state foe, Georgia Southern. The teams split their regular season contests– each winning at home. On this neutral court, GSU would defeat the Eagles 73–67 and eliminate their rival from the SBC Tournament for the second time in four years. This rivalry game wouldn't end without some theatrics– with less than a minute to play, Georgia Southern cut State's lead to just three points. The Panthers held the ball while the shot clock ran down to two seconds, at which point the Eagles were called for a kicked ball off of an attempted Georgia State pass. As a result, the shot clock would reset to 20 seconds– with just 23 seconds left on the game clock. The Panthers called a time out, where Coach Hunter said he reminded his team of the new shot clock differential and instructed them to hold the ball until fouled should they successfully inbound the ball. Once play resumed, the inbound pass was received by junior Devin Mitchell, who would later claim he thought Coach Hunter was talking about the game clock, and therefore still thought only two seconds remained on the shot clock, leading him to immediately turn around and shoot the ball from outside of the three-point arc and sink an unnecessary three-pointer. This mishap would ice the game, sending the Panthers to the SBC Tournament finals. Meanwhile, top-seeded (and regular season champions) Louisiana dropped their semifinal game to 5th seed UT-Arlington, sending the Mavericks, a team Georgia State lost to just five games earlier, to face the Panthers in the finals. The Panthers would handle UT-Arlington in the finals with relative ease, beating them 74–61, with the help of D'Marcus Simonds' game-high 27 points. Their SBC Tournament victory would give the Panthers the Sun Belt Conferences' automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Selected as a 15-seed, Georgia State was matched with the 2nd-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats for their opening game in Nashville, TN.

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank Opponent Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2017*
12:00 pm 		at Georgia Tech
A-Town Showdown 		W 65–58 
 30 – Simonds   7 – Tied   4 – I. Williams  McCamish Pavilion (2,112)
Atlanta, GA
November 2, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Lees-McRae W 100–64 
 25 – Thomas   7 – Session   4 – Tied  GSU Sports Arena 
Atlanta, GA
November 6, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Coker W 99–65 
 31 – Simonds   11 – Session   8 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena 
Atlanta, GA
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Carver Bible W 90–50  1–0
  20 – Simonds   10 – Simonds   10 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (1,349)
Atlanta, GA
November 14, 2017*
8:00 pm 		at Rice
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 75–54  2–0
  18 – Thomas   7 – Simonds   7 – Simonds  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,208)
Houston, TX
November 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		at Ole Miss
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		L 72–77  2–1
  29 – Simonds   9 – Thomas   5 – Simonds  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,835)
Oxford, MS
November 20, 2017*
4:30 pm 		vs. Eastern Washington
MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight semis 		W 68–50  3–1
  23 – Mitchell   7 – Benlevi   3 – Simonds  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 22, 2017*
4:30 pm 		vs. Prairie View A&M
MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight finals 		L 56–71  3–2
  17 – Benlevi   6 – Benlevi   2 – Simonds  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPN3 		Tulane W 70–59  4–2
  17 – Benlevi   10 – Tied   7 – K. Williams  GSU Sports Arena (971)
Atlanta, GA
November 29, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Alabama A&M W 63–53  5–2
  15 – Simonds   10 – Simonds   5 – Simonds  Elmore Gymnasium (1,979)
Huntsville, AL
December 4, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Liberty L 74–77  5–3
  35 – Simonds   7 – Thomas   5 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (1,074)
Atlanta, GA
December 9, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Montana W 71–68  6–3
  15 – Tied   8 – Thomas   3 – Tied  GSU Sports Arena (1,224)
Atlanta, GA
December 12, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Point W 90–70  7–3
  33 – Simonds   9 – Benlevi   5 – Mitchell  GSU Sports Arena (914)
Atlanta, GA
December 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, Spectrum Sports 		at Dayton L 83–88  7–4
  28 – Mitchell   7 – Session   5 – Benlevi  UD Arena (13,005)
Dayton, OH
December 20, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at UMass W 71–63  8–4
  24 – Simonds   9 – Simonds   5 – K. Williams  Mullins Center (2,004)
Amherst, MA
December 23, 2017*
1:00p pm, ESPN3 		at Chattanooga W 71–48  9–4
  21 – Simonds   7 – Benlevi   6 – Simonds  McKenzie Arena (2,108)
Chattanooga, TN
Sun Belt Conference regular season
December 29, 2017
8:00 pm 		at South Alabama L 64–86  9–5
(0–2) 		 27 – Simonds   6 – Benlevi   3 – Benlevi  Mitchell Center (1,788)
Mobile, AL
December 31, 2017
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		at Troy L 66–68  9–6
(0–2) 		 17 – Simonds   6 – Simonds   6 – Simonds  Trojan Arena (1,835)
Troy, AL
January 4, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Little Rock L 64–73  10–6
(1–2) 		 19 – Simonds   9 – Session   6 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (970)
Atlanta, GA
January 6, 2018
2:15 pm, ESPN3 		Arkansas State W 79–75  11–6
(2–2) 		 33 – Simonds   9 – Simonds   3 – I. Williams  GSU Sports Arena (1,187)
Atlanta, GA
January 11, 2018
7:30 pm 		at Appalachian State W 71–58  12–6
(3–2) 		 22 – Thomas   8 – Thomas   5 – Simonds  Holmes Center (701)
Boone, NC
January 13, 2018
3:30 pm 		at Coastal Carolina W 72–58  13–6
(4–2) 		 15 – Mitchell   11 – Benlevi   4 – 3 tied  HTC Center (1,502)
Conway, SC
January 20, 2018
2:15 pm, ESPN3 		Georgia Southern
Modern Day Hate 		W 83–66  14–6
(5–2) 		 24 – Simonds   10 – Simonds   6 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (3,854)
Atlanta, GA
January 25, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		UT Arlington W 81–75  15–6
(6–2) 		 29 – Simonds   13 – Session   5 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (1,567)
Atlanta, GA
January 27, 2018
2:15 pm, ESPN3 		Texas State W 54–50  16–6
(7–2) 		 20 – Simonds   11 – Session   3 – 3 tied  GSU Sports Arena (1,236)
Atlanta, GA
February 1, 2018
8:30 pm, ESPN3 		at Arkansas State W 77–66  17–6
(8–2) 		 21 – Simonds   10 – Benlevi   6 – Simonds  First National Bank Arena (2,792)
Jonesboro, AR
February 3, 2018
6:00 pm 		at Little Rock W 81–51  18–6
(9–2) 		 38 – Mitchell   9 – Session   8 – Simonds  Jack Stephens Center (2,373)
Little Rock, AR
February 8, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Louisiana W 106–92  19–6
(10–2) 		 22 – Tied   12 – Benlevi   8 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (2,065)
Atlanta, GA
February 10, 2018
2:15 pm, ESPN3 		Louisiana–Monroe L 82–90  19–7
(10–3) 		 39 – Simonds   12 – Simonds   5 – Simonds  GSU Sports Arena (1,807)
Atlanta, GA
February 17, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Georgia Southern
Modern Day Hate 		L 80–85  19–8
(10–4) 		 21 – Simonds   12 – Benlevi   3 – Tied  Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897)
Statesboro, GA
February 22, 2018
8:30 pm 		at Texas State W 77–50  20–8
(11–4) 		 19 – Simonds   7 – Benlevi   5 – Mitchell  Strahan Coliseum (2,054)
San Marcos, TX
February 24, 2018
5:15 pm, ESPN3 		at UT Arlington L 81–89  20–9
(11–5) 		 25 – Mitchell   7 – Thomas   5 – Simonds  College Park Center (2,803)
Arlington, TX
March 1, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Troy L 70–83  20–10
(11–6) 		 27 – Simonds   8 – Tied   2 – 3 tied  GSU Sports Arena (1,793)
Atlanta, GA
March 3, 2018
2:15 pm, ESPN3 		South Alabama W 90–75  21–10
(12–6) 		 23 – I. Williams   8 – K. Williams   4 – K. Williams  GSU Sports Arena (1,649)
Atlanta, GA
Sun Belt tournament
March 9, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		(2) vs. (7) Troy
Quarterfinals 		W 73–51  22–10
  19 – Thomas   8 – Tied   7 – Simonds  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
March 10, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		(2) vs. (3) Georgia Southern
Semifinals 		W 73–67  23–10
  16 – Session   9 – Session   4 – K. Williams  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
March 11, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		(2) vs. (4) UT Arlington
Championship 		W 74–61  24–10
  27 – Simonds   7 – Session   4 – Simonds  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2018*
2:00 pm, TBS 		(15 S) vs. (2 S) No. 6 Cincinnati
First Round 		L 53–68  24–11
  24 – Simonds   6 – Benlevi   1 – 3 tied  Bridgestone Arena (17,552)
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. "M Basketball – 2017–18 Roster". Georgia State Athletics. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  2. "The Preseason Watch List". Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  3. Holmes, Mike. "Simonds Records Triple-Double; Panthers Cruise to 90-50 Win". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  4. Holmes, Mike. "Panthers Top EWU 68-50; Hunter Earns 400th Career Win". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  5. Holmes, Mike. "Simonds Named to Lou Henson Mid-Season Watch List". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  6. Holmes, Mike. "Panthers Top In-State Foe Georgia Southern 83-66". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  7. Holmes, Mike. "Mitchell's 38 Points Lead Panthers to 81–51 Win". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  8. Holmes, Mike. "Simonds Named Sun Belt POTY; Mitchell Earns Third Team". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Holmes, Mike. "Panthers Top Eagles 73-67, Advance To SBC Championship Game". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament Awards". RealGM.com. RealGM. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  11. "The Atlanta Tipoff Club Recognizes Top Talent With 2018 Georgia College Players and Coaches of the Year". AtlTipoffClub.com. Atlanta Tipoff Club. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  12. Holmes, Mike. "D'Marcus Simonds Named AP All-America". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  13. Holmes, Mike. "Hunter, Simonds Named Finalists for Top Awards". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  14. Holmes, Mike. "Ron Hunter Named Winner of Gene Bartow Award". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  15. "BRACKET". CBSSports.com. CBS. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  16. "Men's Basketball - 2017-18 Schedule". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  17. McQuade, Alec. "GSU Panthers 1 win away from NCAA tournament thanks to a really dumb shot". 11alive. NBC. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  18. Bradley, Mark. "Thanks to the greatest bad shot ever, Georgia State is dancing". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Communications. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  19. "Texas-Arlington vs. Georgia State odds: Sun Belt championship game picks from Vegas legend on 41-25 run". CBSSports.com. CBS. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  20. Holmes, Mike. "Panthers Win Sun Belt Championship; Top UTA 74-61". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  21. Moore, Ben. "Georgia State to Face Cincinnati in NCAA Tournament". PantherTalk.com. 247Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  22. "Men's Basketball - 2017-18 Schedule". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
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