Panthers

NCAAB Georgia State Panthers
Georgia St. General Information
NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Sun Belt Conference
Past Conferences: Atlantic Sun Conference, Trans America Athletic Conference, Colonial Athletic Association
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Arena: Georgia State Convocation Center
NCAA Tournaments: 6 (1991, 2001, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022)
Championships:
National Championships: None
Conference Titles: 8 (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021)
NCAAB Georgia State Panthers History
Georgia State began its basketball program in the 1963-64 season and the NCAAB team was underwhelming at the start, going 11-98 over its first five seasons. The next seven years weren’t a whole lot better, with the Panthers posting a 38-126 season.
Georgia State fans had reason to believe the team was turning the corner after going 12-11 in 1975-76, but the Panthers returned to their old ways. Georgia State went 43-193 over the next nine college basketball seasons.
The Panthers never finished above .500 for the next five seasons, but went 16-15 in 1990-91, knocking off No. 1 seed UTSA on their way to the surprise conference tournament victory and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Following a 16-14 record the following year, Georgia State had five consecutive losing seasons until Lefty Driesell took over the program beginning in 1997-98. Dreisell still had some magic left in the tank, and, in his five-plus seasons at Georgia State, the team won four conference titles and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, upsetting sixth-seeded Wisconsin in the first round. The Panthers competed in the 2002 NIT.
The Panthers had seven straight losing seasons between 2004-05 and 2010-11, but went 22-12 in the 2011-12 season and earned a berth to the CIT. The Panthers earned a second berth to the NIT after going 25-9 in 2013-14 and winning the regular season conference title.
In the 2014-15 season, the Panthers repeated as regular season conference champions and followed that up with a victory in the conference tournament. Georgia State pulled off another upset in its first game of the NCAA Tournament, edging third-seeded Baylor 57-56 before losing to Xavier in the next game.
Georgia State made a second CIT appearance in 2017 and had back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019. Georgia State returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
All-Time Records
Points Scored
- R.J. Hunter, 1,819
- D’Marcus Simonds 1,755
- Kane Williams, 1,589
Rebounds
- Terrence Brandon, 750
- Zavian Smith, 714
- Rashad Chase, 707
Assists
- Rodney Hamilton, 535
- Kane Williams, 493
- Kevin Morris, 431