‘This is not a 16 seed’: Gonzaga won’t overlook Georgia State in NCAA Tournament opener

PORTLAND – On Thursday, Drew Timme will officially become a two-time NCAA Tournament participant.

Gonzaga’s junior forward is also somewhat of a savant when it comes to the rich history of the three-week event known as March Madness.

Timme and the top-ranked Bulldogs had only just learned their first-round tournament pairing on Sunday when the two-time All-American stood behind a podium at McCarthey Athletic Center to meet with reporters about Gonzaga’s draw.

“(Know) anything on Georgia State?” Timme was asked.

Flexing his tournament trivia chops, Timme responded, “Didn’t they have that one dude a couple years ago, father-son connection that was pretty wild? Was that that team? I know them from that.”

Timme’s referring to the 2015 Georgia State team coached by Ron Hunter, who tore his Achilles while celebrating a Sun Belt Tournament championship win, and proceeded to go viral at the NCAA Tournament when cameras caught his reaction to a deep, winning 3-pointer hit by his son R.J., allowing the 14th-seeded Panthers to upset third-seeded Baylor.

In the four days since Timme dug into his reserve of tournament knowledge for a nugget on the 2015 Panthers, Gonzaga (26-3) has grown to know the 2022 edition of Georgia State (18-10) much better.

The first takeaway from Bulldogs coach Mark Few?

“Kind of scratching my head and shocked that they’re a 16 seed,” he said. “I don’t really see that. … And then if you really want to look at the analytics, and some analytics are almost 90 points higher than some of the other teams that were seeded 16. … But yeah, that’s a head scratcher. This is not a 16 seed. We’ve played plenty of 16 seeds over the years.”

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, haven’t lost a first-round tournament game since 2008 and No. 1 seeds have a 143-1 all-time record against No. 16 seeds. Gonzaga enters Thursday’s 1:15 p.m. game at the Moda Center as a 25-point favorite.

“At the end of the day it’s a 5-on-5 game, us against them,” Georgia State’s Kane Williams said. “They’re a good team, but we’re a good team, too, and we’re trying to earn the same kind of prestige they have and build a reputation in this tournament.”

For all the superlatives the 2021-22 Bulldogs have, loads of experience in the NCAA Tournament isn’t necessarily one of them. Senior point guard Andrew Nembhard has played 329 minutes at the NCAA Tournament and Timme adds another 186, but GU’s six other rotation players have 112 minutes combined.

Four of those – senior Rasir Bolton and the freshman trio of Chet Holmgren, Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis – will be making their tournament debuts on Thursday.

“This is the reason I came here, to make a tournament win and try and win a national championship,” Bolton said. “I’m excited to be here. I don’t think I have a ‘this is it’ feeling. I think it’s kind of more time to play, live out my dream, so I’m ready for it.”

Georgia State coach Rob Lanier is making his first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001-02, when he took Siena to the Big Dance. He said he was stunned to see his school’s name appear so early during Sunday’s selection show.

“I was hoping to kind of sit there and have some anticipation for when our name got called, and then they called it right away,” he said. “I was a little bit caught off guard, to be honest with you. But I didn’t have any expectations going into it. I was really truly open minded about the possibilities. I wasn’t locked into what seed we were going to be or whatever.

“I knew we were going to play someone good, and that certainly did come true.”

The Panthers would’ve been in play for a higher seed had it not been for a stretch that saw them lose five consecutive games and nine of 13 – a period of the season that saw them battle COVID-19 disruptions and injuries.

“I think right now, we’re just still playing catch-up to the team that we had expected to be in November and December and January,” Lanier said. “I think our best basketball, again, is still in front of us, and we’re going to need to tap into that tomorrow.”

Georgia State’s Corey Allen is coming off consecutive 29-point games at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and leads the Panthers with 14.7 points per game. Kane Williams averages 12.5 points and Justin Roberts averages 11.2. Georgia State ranks in the top 15 nationally in turnover margin (No. 5, +4.7) and steals (No. 15, 8.9 spg).

“They’re aggressive. Very handsy team. Pick up full court. Like to play in the gaps,” Bolton said. “They play through their guards. Like to get some 3s up. Their two bigs are tough guys and are going to rebound, defend, all that. They’re a tough team and definitely going to come to play, so we’ve got to be ready tomorrow.”