By Parker Johnson, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published March 8, 2019
The Sun Belt regular-season crown is on the line Saturday. The scenario is simple.
For Georgia State (21-9, 12-5), a win against Georgia Southern (20-10, 12-5) in Statesboro would guarantee the Panthers least a tie for the regular-season title for the first time since 2015 and the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s conference tournament in New Orleans.
As a mid-major with late-March aspirations, this is the kind of game that Georgia State has been waiting for all season.
“It’s a big game, but I feel relieved,” coach Ron Hunter said. “When you’ve got a veteran team, you spend all year trying to get them through the process of getting to March. Right now we’re playing our best basketball.”
March isn’t just about play, though. It’s the time of year when mentality is crucial as temperatures start to rise on and off the court.
“Everyone’s true competitive nature is about to come out,” said the Panthers’ leading scorer D’Marcus Simonds, who scored 29 points in State’s 81-72 win over Southern in early February.
“When we play Southern, a lot can happen,” Simonds continued. “The crowd can influence the play. We just have to lock in and execute as we would in the conference tournament or the NCAA.”
Simonds pours in 18.9 points per game, but Southern touts a talented scorer to match. Senior guard Tookie Brown averages 17.8 per game and carries a significant threat for the Eagles.
“You just have to deny him the ball,” said sophomore guard Kane Williams, who guarded Brown primarily in the first matchup. “He’s a great offensive mind, but we have to make sure he doesn’t get a lot of touches and make everyone else perform at a higher rate.”
Williams played 36 minutes in the first game, up from his season average of 31, mostly for his ability to defend Brown. The Eagles guard scored only 11 points against Williams and the Panthers, which was a key part of the win.
Hunter has been trying to make sure his team doesn’t get too caught up in this game, knowing that the conference tournament next weekend is more important no matter the outcome of Saturday’s clash in Statesboro. He is the first to point out that in the past 14 seasons, the regular-season champion has won the Sun Belt tournament only twice.
“I don’t want to make this bigger than what it is” Hunter said. “I want these guys to relax, have fun and go out and play.”
In his eyes, the most important thing the Panthers are playing for is an accomplishment that is separate from the relatively meaningless regular-season title.
“What this team wants to do is win at Georgia Southern. These seniors have accomplished a lot, but one of the things left on the resume is to go there and win,” Hunter said. “To do it on their senior night with a championship on the line? Yeah, our guys have talked about that.”
The worst-case scenario for State is a loss and a Texas State win Saturday against Texas-Arlington, which would leave the Panthers as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The No. 2 seed enters the tournament in the semifinals, and the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals.
Either scenario provides a pretty comfortable place to be in this time of year.
“I’ve slept better in the last few days than any time in the last five or six months,” Hunter said.
The stage is set. A regular-season championship is on the line for both teams, and bragging rights follow just behind. There may be more in store next weekend in New Orleans, but either way, this is the type of game basketball lovers live for.
“I’m really happy for our seniors,” he added. “This is how you want to go out with this as your last true road game. I’m actually a little jealous. This is when I miss being a player. I would love to play in this game Saturday.”
The game tips at 5 p.m. Saturday from W.S. Hanner Fieldhouse and will be streamed live on ESPN-Plus.
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