Experienced Georgia State First Opponent for UC Irvine

It will be more than the beginning of a new season for three of the four teams that debut tonight in the first round of UC Irvine’s Western Digital Freedom Bowl tournament:

--Irvine will be breaking out it’s new fast-break attack.

--Texas Christian will start four junior college transfers.

--And Maryland, a program that has had six players leave in the past 1 1/2 years, will field a team with one highly touted freshman, and three seniors and a junior with limited experience.

The good news for Georgia State is its all-senior lineup. The bad news is that the Crimson Panthers, who compete in the Trans America Athletic Conference, were 9-19 last season with pretty much the same team.

Irvine and Georgia State meet at 8 tonight at the Bren Center.

Maryland, which went 18-13 last season and made it into the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament, meets TCU at 6 p.m.

The most famous--or infamous, if you ask Coach Bob Wade--departee from the Terrapins is 6-foot 10-inch Brian Williams. He averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds last season but has transferred to Arizona.

Maryland has Jerrod Mustaf, a 6-10 prep All-American last season at DeMatha High School, who lessens the blow of losing Williams.

TCU Coach Moe Iba combed the South and Southwest after a 9-19 season in 1987-88 and came away with standout JC players from Mississippi, Arkansas, Arizona and Texas. All 4--guards Tony Edmond and Jay Lomas and forwards Kelvin Crawford and Craig Sibley--are slated to start for the Horned Frogs tonight.

Georgia State is led by senior guard James Andrews, who averaged 15 points last season.