Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.
Three Key Takeaways.
Jalen Reynolds was too much for Georgia State to handle. (Bob Stevens / Musketeer Madness)
- Rebounding (and guarding Xavier’s bigs) killed Georgia State. Xavier was just too big inside. After 17 minutes of play, the Panthers had a total of two rebounds. It’s almost impossible to win a basketball game playing like that. They actually finished with 12 boards while almost matching Xavier on the offensive glass. That’s better, but also points to the fact that Xavier didn’t miss many shots in the second half. Seriously, the Musketeers went 13-of-16 from the field in the latter 20 minutes — it’s impossible to win a game giving up 80 percent in a half.
- Myles Davis may have gotten his confidence back. This might be the biggest story for Xavier going forward. Over the course of the year, Davis has been one of the Musketeers’ single most important players. But starting in Madison Square Garden last week at the Big East Tournament, he has really struggled — over his last three games, he has only averaged five points per outing. Xavier needs him on his A-game going forward, so his performance may turn out to be crucial for the game against Arizona.
- Georgia State looked tentative on offense. RJ Hunter was the only player looking for his shot tonight. Ryan Harrow was aggressive in the first half but was clearly still a long way from 100 percent. Ryann Green, who played great on Thursday in the big upset win, only took four shots. Kevin Ware only took four shots (even though he hit three of those). That lack of overall aggressiveness really hurt the Panthers down the stretch.
Star of the Game: Jalen Reynolds was a load down low. He was too strong and athletic for anything Georgia State could throw at him. He also did a good job recognizing when to kick the ball back out if he got it too far from the basket. He finished 8-of-9 from the field for 21 points with six boards. That’s a game.
Quotable.
- “When you have seniors, they just calm your team down.” — Chris Mack, on his team’s poise in pressure situations.
- “Sean gave me a heck of an opportunity to come back to my alma mater. He put a lot of responsibility and trust in me. He ultimately really pushed for me to become the head coach, and for that I’m eternally grateful. It’s hard to play against one of your best friends in the business. But it really won’t matter to our guys, nor will it matter to Arizona, because they don’t know me from a bucket of paint.” — Mack, on playing his old boss in the next round.
- “This whole thing, man. I tried to suck it all in. My first time in the NCAA Tournament, I dreamed about this moment, and it came to me, and God blessed me with a crazy week, man, the best week of my life. There’s been so much going on. I can’t wait to just sit down and digest it, man, and not worry about the next game. It’s bittersweet right now.” — RJ Hunter on what he’ll remember from the tournament.
Sights and Sounds. Georgia State fans showed out in force here tonight. And the Arkansas and North Carolina fans joined them to make for a really fun in-game atmosphere.
What’s Next. Xavier coach Chris Mack gets a shot at his old boss Sean Miller against Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen.