March Madness is here, and although no Georgia schools are in the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament brackets, there will be a distinct Peach flavor on the road to the Final Four.
The Final Four returns to Atlanta—scheduled April 6 and 8 — for the fourth time in history. Atlanta has hosted the final rounds in 1977, 2002 and 2007. The Division II and III championship games are April 7 at Philips Arena.
The NCAA field also includes more than two dozen players from Georgia who are on the rosters of 17 tournament-bound teams, according to data on Rivals.com. Three Peach Staters are on the Middle Tennessee State roster.
Here's a look at the 26 Georgia players playing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
College Player Hometown Next Opponent Belmont Chad Lang Marietta (Marietta HS) Arizona (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) Belmont JJ Mann Smyrna (Hargrave Miliary Academy) Arizona (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) Cincinnati Cashmere Wright Savannah, Ga. (Urban Christian Academy) Creighton (Friday March 22, Philadephia) Davidson Connor Perkey Atlanta, Ga. (Pace Academy) Marquette (Thursday March 21, Lexington, Ky.) Fla. Gulf Coast Jamail Jones Atlanta, Ga. (Montverde Academy/Marquette) Georgetown (Friday March 22, Philadelphia) Fla. Gulf Coast Bernard Thompson Conyers, Ga. (Rockdale County HS) Georgetown (Friday March 22, Philadelphia) Harvard Michael Hall Atlanta, GA (Woodward Academy) New Mexico (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) James Madison Alloune Diouf Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern) LIU-Brooklyn (March 19 or 20, Dayton) Memphis Shaq Goodwin Atlanta, GA (Southwest DeKalb HS) Middle Tenn/St. Mary's (Thursday March 21, Auburn Hills, Mich) Memphis Damien Wilson Atlanta, GA (Oak Hill Academy) Middle Tenn/St. Mary's (Thursday March 21, Auburn Hills, Mich) Miami Rion Brown Hinesville, GA (Liberty County HS) Pacific (Friday March 22, Austin, Texas) Middle Tennessee Marcos Knight Rentz, Ga. (Chipola JC) St. Mary's (March 19 or 20, Dayton) Middle Tennessee Torin Walker Columbus, Ga. (Oklahoma State) St. Mary's (March 19 or 20, Dayton) Middle Tennessee Jacquez Rozier Waynesboro, Ga. (Burke County HS) St. Mary's (March 19 or 20, Dayton) North Carolina James Gallagher Atlanta, GA (The Lovett School) Villanova (Friday March 22, Kansas City) NC State Lorenzo Brown Roswell, GA (Centennial HS) Temple (Friday March 22, Dayton) NC State Richard Howell Marietta, GA (Wheeler HS) Temple (Friday March 22, Dayton) Ohio State Shannon Scott Alpharetta, GA (Milton HS)Oregon Tony Woods Rome, GA (Wake Forest) Oklahoma State (Thursday March 21, San Jose) Southern Thomas Marshall Atlanta, Ga. (Miller Grove) Gonzaga (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) Southern Damien Goodwin Atlanta, Ga. (Columbia) Gonzaga (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) UCLA Jordan Adams Atlanta, GA (Oak Hill Academy) Minnesota (Friday March 22, Austin, Texas) UCLA Tony Parker Atlanta, GA (Miller Grove HS) Minnesota (Friday March 22, Austin, Texas) Western Kentucky Nigel Snipes Marietta, GA (Wheeler HS) Kansas (Friday March 22, Kansas City) Wichita State Tekele Cotton Marietta, GA (Whitefield Academy) Pittsburgh (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City) Wichita State Carl Hall Cochran, GA (NW Florida St. CC) Pittsburgh (Thursday March 21, Salt Lake City)
