Throughout the months of January and February, GeorgiaStateSports.com will run feature stories on the members of the 1991 and 2001 men's basketball teams, as well as 2001 women's basketball team as we celebrate the 30-year and 20-year anniversaries of those teams reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Parts of this story ran during the 20-year anniversary of the men's basketball team reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

ATLANTA-For one weekend in DeLand, Fla., the ultimate Cinderella story finally came to fruition. After years of trying to make a splash on the national college basketball scene, the Georgia State Panthers made the world take notice.

The Panthers of coach Bob Reinhart played tough through the regular season, to finish with a 13-14 record, qualifying for the TAAC Tournament as the No. 5-seed at the Edmunds Center. Who knew that the course of the next three days would change the history of Georgia State basketball forever.

When all was said and done, Georgia State would win three games in three days against three teams that they had gone 0-6 against during the regular season, to qualify for the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Here's their story...

The Regular Season...The Panthers opened the season by trading wins and losses over the first 13 games. The Panthers played in both blow-outs and close games, learning how to finish off teams in both. Among those were a pair of overtime wins over Stephen F. Austin. The run-and-gun Panthers had no problems scoring and finished the year with 2,452 points, then a school-record and still eighth overall in school history.

Phillip Luckydo finished the year with 625 points, an average of 20.2 per game, while senior Chris Collier added 565. Those two totals still rank among the top 10 in a season in school history. Collier, a true all-around player, set the school-record with 49 points against Butler, a standard that still stands today.

The team was also solid on the boards, collecting a school-record 1,276 rebounds, led by the 6-6 Collier. Collier averaged a double-double a game, finishing with averages of 18.2 points and 10.6 rebounds.

Mark Thompson started all 31 games and finished tied for third on the team with 149 boards, while Courtney Brooks came off the bench to dish out 42 assists. Matt O'Brien finished the season second on the team in assists with 59, while Garrett Coley started all 31 games as well, averaging 9.1 points per game with 48 steals.

The Panthers knocked off both in-state rivals, Mercer and Georgia Southern, twice each during the regular season, scoring at least 90 points in two of those games, while using their defensive ability in a 55-50 slugfest against the Bears.

Just as they had to start the regular season, State traded wins and losses for most of the conference season as well, but finished the regular season on a high note, defeating Centenary 99-90.

The Cinderella slippers were packed for a trip to Florida, though few outside Atlanta believed anything like what was about to happen could come to fruition.

March 5, 1991...Drawing the host team in the first round of a conference tournament looked like a bad omen on paper, especially since the Panthers had already lost to the bigger Hatters twice in the regular season and especially since GSU had not won a tournament game since entering the league in 1983. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Edmunds Center - the Panthers developed a would-not-be-denied focus that resulted in a shocking 70-64 upset.

After being relegated to the All-TAAC Third Team, despite being one of the league's top scorers, Phillip Luckydo, who would get the final laugh two days later, scored 26 points to lead State. Chris Collier, who had earned first team all-conference honors, scored 18, playing all 40 minutes, to contribute in the victory. It was only the start of things to come.

March 6, 1991...Picking up right where they left off the night before, the Panthers were clearly the aggressors, especially on defense, as they opened a 38-27 halftime lead over the heavily-favored Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. State used its defense to ignite the offense, shooting 60 percent from the field, as the Panthers had five players score in double-figures en route to a 94-84 stunner.

Collier, a native of Atlanta, quickly exploited the limitations of the Roadrunner inside, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Luckydo added 20 points, while Sam Wilder (12), Zavian Smith (11) and reserve star Corey Gauff (11) each scored in double figures.

The Panthers finished with a decisive 45-32 rebound advantage and another upset over a team that had previously beaten them twice, while securing a school-record 15^th victory. For their efforts, they got a date in the conference finals on ESPN against a team they had never beaten - Arkansas-Little Rock.

March 7, 1991...The Panthers entered the conference championship as the ultimate underdog in more ways than one, but had the fight of a true champion.

Although it had been an up-and-down year for Arkansas-Little Rock, the Trojans understandably brought in a confident swagger into the TAAC Finals. After all, the Trojans were 16-0 all-time against Georgia State and riding the crest of their own upset wins over Georgia Southern and Centenary. What they didn't realize is that they were facing a different breed of Panther, one that would finally end UARL's dominance of the series.

Despite leading through most of the first half by as much as nine points, Georgia State led by only four, 33-29, following an ominous 3-pointer at the intermission buzzer by UARL's Jamar Banks. Would that 3-pointer be a sign of things to come in the second half?

The Panthers had different ideas. State would never lose the lead in the second half, building it over the course of the final 10 minutes. With just over a minute to play and an 18-point lead, the celebration began as the Panthers were assured of their first winning year (16-14) since the 1975-76 season, their first conference title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia State's Cinderella run in DeLand ended with Collier being named TAAC Tournament MVP, while Luckydo got one final laugh, earning all-tournament honors after feeling snubbed following the regular season. The senior scored 21 points in the victory, savoring the victory that not only advanced the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament, but also changed the course of history forever.

March 15, 1991...By the time the Panthers finally learned who their first NCAA Tournament opponent would be, they had already enjoyed a hero's welcome at the Atlanta Airport and GSU Sports Arena, more publicity in the three days than the school had enjoyed in its entire previous athletic history and the kind of support surge that only a Cinderella story can generate.

Even when the Panthers finally heard that they would be going up against the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Regional and overall No. 3 seed Arkansas Razorbacks, a Final Four team from the year before, the Panthers just looked forward to the challenge.

Despite being cast as David versus Goliath, the NCAA did do State a big favor by assigning them to Atlanta's Omni, just a few short blocks away from campus and a place that was sure to provide maximum coverage for the team in its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Not only did it provide maximum coverage, but 13,586 fans, many supporting Georgia State, showed up to cheer on the underdog.

For most of the first half, Georgia State did everything necessary to compete with the Razorbacks, leading by as much as nine points and trailing by only two, 33-31, with five minutes left in the half.

Unfortunately, in most Cinderella stories, the clock normally strikes midnight and even the best stories do not finish with the perfect ending. Arkansas' depth, quickness and vaunted frontcourt press started to take its toll on GSU's game plan, as the Razorbacks cruised to a 117-76 victory.

In his final game at Georgia State, Chris Collier finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore Zavian Smith previewed what he had in store for the Panthers in the coming years with an impressive 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots.

The season came to an end, but the experience, recognition and overall sense of pride changed the way that the college basketball world looked at Georgia State. It also showed that sometimes Cinderella stories do come true.

1990-91 Team Roster
#3 Courtney Brooks G Atlanta, Ga.
#12 Mark Thompson G Dalton, Ga.
#13 Corey Gauff G Delray Beach, Fla.
#14 Matt O'Brien G Decatur, Ga.
#15 Sam Wilder G Chamblee, Ga.
#20 Chris Collier F 
#21 Mike Nalls F Columbus, Ga.
#25 Esell Monroe G
#31 Garrett Coley G Irwinton, Ga.
#32 Phillip Luckydo F/G North Little Rock, Ark.
#34 Zavian Smith F/C Thomson, Ga.
#42 Matt Peterson G Norcross, Ga.
#51 Arte Cole C Gibson, Ga.