Archive for January, 2012

Georgia State defeated VCU, which made it to the Final Four last year, 55-53 on Wednesday in Richmond. It was the Panthers’ 11th consecutive win, extending the school record. GSU is off to the best start in school history and will face George Mason on Saturday in Fairfax, Va.

Before the season, not knowing what was upcoming, this gauntlet of Drexel, VCU and George Mason figured to be an 0-for-3 stretch. The three teams were predicted to finish atop the CAA, while the Panthers were selected 11th.

Now, Georgia State is atop the CAA after defeating the Dragons and Rams, with the Patriots up next. Another win and you just might see the Panthers in the Others Receiving Votes section of the AP Top 25. I say might because the team’s strength of schedule, whether you like it or not, is still fairly low.

But, what a difference a year makes. The Panthers won 12 games all of last year, and were hammered by 17 points in last year’s trip to VCU.

Recapping the win over the Rams:

The Good: …

Continue reading GSU wins 11th consecutive game, knocks off VCU »

This will appear in tomorrow’s paper, but thought I’d post it now:

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Georgia State coach Ron Hunter promises his team will become relevant in the CAA.

Even after winning 10 consecutive games there are still plenty of questions because the Panthers have beaten just one team, Drexel, which has a winning record.

Those answers should come as early as Wednesday, when Georgia State plays at VCU, riding an eight-game winning streak, with more coming Saturday when it visits George Mason.

It’s a gauntlet that could establish the Panthers, predicted to finish 11th in the preseason, as the team to beat in the conference. Georgia State already passed the first test by beating the Dragons, who were picked in the preseason to win the conference, at the Sports Arena 58-44. Now they must face the Rams, who were picked third, and the Patriots, who were picked second.

“[Playing for] first place on the road in the CAA, that’s going to happen a lot for us,” said Hunter, whose team is 3-3 on the …

Continue reading Hunter’s pledge gets its first real test »