Sunday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Georgia State dances again; Mercer women await NCAA news; state tourney talk; Braves Reports; United fall
Sunday’s Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
The Scoreboard is in The Latest Coverage.
Mercer women set for Selection Monday
Mercer will host a watch party for the NCAA Tournament women’s selection show on Monday at Hawkins Arena.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the show starts. The Southern Conference championships team along with the band, cheerleaders, and dance team.
T-shirts, posters, and Krispy Kreme donuts will be available to the free event.
A year ago, Mercer – then ranked in the coaches poll - was thrilled to get a 13th seed and face Georgia in Athens.
The news won’t be nearly as gratifying this time around. For one, Georgia won’t make the tournament. For another, Mercer’s RPI was 48th on March 12, 2018, and is 130.
Tournament projections as of Sunday night: a 15 seed at Louisville, ESPN.com; a 15 at Oregon, Collegesportsmadness.com; a 15 at Connecticut, RealtimeRPI.com.
In mid-week, ESPN.com had Mercer as a 16th seed at Notre Dame, Collegesportsmadness.com had the Bears a 15 at Oregon, RealtimeRPI.com a 15 at Connecticut.
Mercer is the only team in Georgia advancing. The closest teams to join the Bears will be South Carolina and Auburn, and neither will be seeded high enough to host Mercer.
The Bears best chances for something remotely regional are Mississippi State and N.C. State.
Around/About Georgia
Georgia State wins Sun Belt, gets Houston in NCAAs
The Panthers started slowly, but got the lead and kept it en route to a 73-64 win Sunday over Texas-Arlington for the Sun Belt Tournament title.
Georgia State then got a No. 14 seed and will play Houston (31-3) at 7:20 p.m. on Friday in Tulsa, Okla., the winner to get either Iowa State or Ohio State.
It’s the Panthers’ third NCAA trip in five years.
The NCAA bracket is here.
As for the rest of the state in men’s and women’s hoops …
Of Georgia’s Division I men’s basketball teams, only two had winning records, and one is waiting.
Georgia Southern lost in the Sun Belt semifinals, and sits at 21-12 with a 125 NET ranking. The Eagles did not get an invite to the National Invitation Tournament, and the school has reportedly said it won’t participate in the College Basketball Invitational or CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The state’s men’s Division I records and NCAA NET ranking:
Georgia State, 24-9, 121
Georgia Southern 21-12, 125
Georgia Tech, 14-18, 126
Georgia. 11-21, 122
Mercer, 11-20, 216
Kennesaw State, 6-26, 343
Savannah State, 11-20, 339
This is Savannah State’s final year as a Division I program.
Mercer and Kennesaw State are looking for new head coaches.
The NIT bracket is here. The CBI bracket is here. The CIT bracket will be finalized Monday.
There aren’t as many tournaments available on the women’s side, only the NIT. Regular-season conference winners who don’t win their tournament get an automatic bid.
That’s not the case for any of the state’s other teams.
Four other teams have winning records, but RPIs – the NCAA uses NET (NCAA E Tool) for men and still RPI for women – are iffy
The state’s women’s Division I records and RPI:
Mercer, 25-7, 134
Georgia, 18-12, 112
Georgia State, 17-13, 144
Georgia Tech, 17-13, 67
Kennesaw State,9-22, 292
Georgia Southern, 7-22, 287
Savannah State, 7-19, 345
Braves Report: Unhealthy pitchers getting healthier
Braves Report: Teheran stays good from the stretch
Kennesaw State battling coaching departures