The Panthers are headed to The Big Dance – again.
On Sunday, top-seeded Georgia State withstood an early charge from Texas-Arlington and subsequently rolled to a 73-64 victory in the Sun Belt tournament title game.
With the league championship in hand, the Panthers (24-9 overall) will make their third NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons; and come 6 p.m. EST, Georgia State will know its destination for opening weekend – likely as a No. 13 seed in the NCAAs.
Georgia State's starting five dominated the action, accounting for 62 points and 29 of the Panthers' 36 rebounds.
All told, GSU shot 40 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.
On the flip side, the Panthers continually flustered UT-Arlington, limiting the Mavericks to 36-percent shooting overall ... and just 21.2 percent from three-point range.
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In 2015, Georgia State captured the nation's attention with its last-second upset of Baylor in the first round.
The signature moment: Head coach Ron Hunter – who was saddled with an Achilles injury at the time – falling off his chair in excitement ... after his son, R.J. Hunter, buried the game-winning three-pointer from long range.
And then last year, Georgia State valiantly hung with 2-seeded Cincinnati in the opening round ... before falling late in Nashville.