Kansas State: post mortem

Kansas State's RPI is not particularly good, and they're unlikely to compete for the Big 12 championship (due to the conference's overall strength), but if Georgia finds itself on the tournament bubble at the end of the season, that's the kind of win that's going to look really nice.

It was ugly, of course, and it is another reminder that this team still has a lot of growing up to do.  But in March, the minutiae of the game will have been forgotten, and it will stand as a road win over a Big 12 team:

• It was nice to hear Kenny Gaines get some recognition for his work on the defensive end - something you know I trumpet here often - but it was also inevitable after he completely shut down Kansas State's best scorer.  That was only the second time Foster failed to hit a 3-point shot all season and only the third time he was held short of double figures.
• Despite all of that, I was surprised Bruce Weber kept him on the bench as long as he did.  He was smart to ride Thomas Gipson as far as he could, but the Wildcats really could have used an extra scorer on the floor down the stretch.
• Some credit to Charles Mann, too, who continues to struggle from the free throw line, but hit 2 huge ones there at the end.
• Mann also hit a 3 and got good looks on his drives to the basket.  He's a pretty obvious choice for player of the game in this case.
• Nemi Djurisic's 3 down the stretch may have been the biggest shot of the game.  Took the crowd right out of the game.
• There really shouldn't have been much of a game, though.  Had Georgia found any rhythm early on the offensive end to pair with some truly suffocating defense they could have gone up by 15 in the first half.  Then they actually did go up by 15 in the second half, only to see the lead evaporate.  Gipson deserves some credit for that - he was unstoppable for a few minutes - but it was clear Georgia was pressing.  Good job by Mark Fox using his timeouts to settle them back down and get a win.
• Good technical from Fox, too.  The way he works the officials is masterful at times.
• Think Fox didn't know how important this game was?  He only used 8 players, and he primarily rode what has become his favorite lineup:  Thornton, Djurisic, Gaines, Mann, and Parker.  Hopefully they can rest a little on Saturday.
• J.J. Frazier has a nice assist to turnover ratio, but it would be even nicer if he could eliminate one ill-advised lob per game.

Call it ugly.  Make excuses.  However you slice it, that was a big win for a team desperate for a tournament berth.  If they take care of business at home on Saturday, Georgia will ride a lot of momentum into conference play.

Florida invents a new way to lose

I've heard of "beating yourself," but Florida took that to a whole new level last night:

The ball took an odd bounce off the rim because it was short and Florida forward Jacob Kurtz accidentally tipped in the miss with 0.4 seconds left to give Florida State a 65-63 win.

This is as close as I've come to feeling bad for Florida in a long, long time...

Game card: Kansas State

Opponent:  Kansas State
Mascot:  Wildcats
Primary color(s):  Purple
Record:  7-5
Best player:  Marcus Foster
Line:  Kansas State -3.5

Why Georgia will win:  Georgia played as poorly as they have all year against Mercer, and they still won.  They're due for a focused effort on New Year's Eve, because they know how important this game is.  Kansas State is driven by their guards, and Georgia has struggled more against teams that can hurt them inside.

Why Georgia will lose:  Kansas State hadn't lost at home until a feisty Texas Southern team knocked them off (don't laugh, they beat Michigan State too).  Now they'll be lathered up and angry as they try to finish non-conference play on a positive note.  As important as this game is for Georgia, it's similarly big for the Wildcats as Georgia looks like a good resume win this year.

What I think will happen:  Don't make me regret this, fellas.  Dawgs win an ugly one 67-66.

Assists and turnovers

Georgia was absolutely abysmal in assist to turnover ratio last year (324th in the nation, to be exact), so this surprised me:

The sophomore guard leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks 14th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio.

If you want to know why the Bulldogs are playing so well, J.J. Frazier's play at the point is a good place to start.  If Charles Mann can continue to develop his jump shot, Georgia has a deadly 3-guard lineup with Frazier, Mann, and Kenny Gaines.  And if Mann is the one with the ball, Frazier and Gaines make a deadly combo from 3-point land.

Also, just for good measure, there's this:

He also leads the SEC and is third nationally in free throw percentage at 92.9 percent on 26 of 28 from the line.

Now that is the kind of thing that gets me all tingly inside.

h/t Marc Weiszer

Mercer: post mortem

Georgia won.  Beyond that, it's tough to put much of a positive spin on that game.

Let's start by congratulating Mercer.  Their team was better, their fans were better, and they coulda, shoulda, woulda won that game.  Well fought.

For Georgia, this was a tale as old as time:  if you let an inferior team hang around, quite often, they'll find a way to beat you.  If the Dawgs could have put an 8 or 10 point run on Mercer at any point in the second half, the game would have been over and there wouldn't have been any drama.  Instead, Mercer hung close enough that when they got hot (and they did), the game was still in doubt.  Georgia is very, very lucky to have won that game.

Other thoughts:

• First triple overtime game in Stegeman Coliseum history.  Who knew?
• I have said previously that free throws will cost Georgia a game at some point this season, and with about 30 seconds left in the first overtime, I thought this was the one.  The Bulldogs - and Charles Mann in particular - were pathetic from the stripe, and if it doesn't get fixed, it will result in losses.  Period.
• With that said, Mann deserves as much credit as anyone for the win.  His two 3-pointers and his layup near the end of regulation were critical.  He also got the assist on the Kenny Gaines layup in the second overtime.
• Georgia hauled in 24 offensive rebounds (which just reinforces that this game should not have been close), but that's not something they can count on in SEC play.  Mercer just had no answer for Georgia's size inside...
• ...which made it all the more frustrating that Georgia didn't just feed Thornton and Djurisic in the post.  Some of that had to do with the zone employed late in the game, but much of it was just a stubborn reliance on the 3-point shot that rears its ugly head now and again with this team.
• Thornton, by the way, sure seemed to get jobbed on at least 4 of his 5 fouls.  I was in the arena, so I didn't have the benefit of replays, but the charge and the ensuing defensive foul both looked comically bad.  The officials seemed to struggle with the charge/block call all game.
• How Gaines ended up with 13 points is beyond me.  That's the worst offensive game we've seen him play in a while, but the mood would be very different without that layup, so credit where credit is due.
• His on-ball defense continues to be fantastic, though.
• J.J. Frazier, despite an ice cold shooting night, continues to assert himself.  He is just so darned quick, and his ability to penetrate created a couple easy shots.  With Turtle Jackson coming next season, that position is turning into an embarrassment of riches for Mark Fox.
• Some nice minutes for Yante Maten after Thornton fouled out.  There was almost no drop-off at the defensive end.
• About halfway through the first half, my dad and I decided simultaneously that Georgia's best lineup is Frazier, Mann, Gaines, Djurisic, and Thornton.  Apparently Fox agrees, as he rode them from the end of regulation all the way through the third overtime (with the exception of a fouled-out Thornton).
• Fox continues to get absolutely nothing from the 3 spot (paging Jaylen Brown).  Kenny Paul Geno has plenty of want-to, but there's no productivity right now.  Cameron Forte didn't even see the court.  That's a glaring weakness that probably won't get fixed anytime soon.

In so many ways, a win is a win, and sometimes good teams have bad nights.  Let's hope that's all this was.  It certainly served to bring Georgia fans back to earth a bit, but it will all be forgotten if the Dawgs bring their A-game to Manhattan, Kansas on Wednesday in what is now a huge, huge game.

Game card: Mercer

Opponent:  Mercer
Mascot:  Bears
Primary color(s):  Orange and black
Record:  6-6
Best player:  Ike Nwamu
Line:  Georgia -14

Why Georgia will win:  Georgia is better than Mercer in almost every facet of the game.  They're also undefeated at home, and confidence is extremely high right now.  Everyone is healthy and there's no reason to think Mercer can slow the Dawgs down.  Most remember Mercer knocking off Duke in last year's tournament, but all 5 starters from that team have since graduated.

Why Georgia will lose:  Mercer did go to the tournament last year, and they just played Tennessee pretty close at home.  Georgia has a history of playing down to its opponent, and doing so today could easily get them beat.

The Steg will rock like:  early 90's Bush.

What I think will happen:  It looks like the days of Georgia sleepwalking against weaker opponents are over.  Everyone sees the court as the Dawgs roll 81-66.

Dawgs are rolling

How about an article talking about how well Georgia's basketball team is playing...in December:

It’s a rare thing to say this time of the year that good things are happening for the Georgia men’s basketball program. And three weeks ago, that couldn’t be said.

That has changed, in a big way. Georgia routed Seton Hall on Sunday, 65-47, giving the Bulldogs their second straight win over a strong opponent.

The fans seem to be noticing, and they responded by putting their butts in the seats for a game less than a week before Christmas.  It's been a while since that has happened:

“I’ve been here five years. I’ve never, in December, over Christmas break, seen a crowd like that before,” Georgia senior Marcus Thornton said. “I mean that was the best crowd we’ve had all year. … And we’re glad we’re able to give them a pretty good performance.”

The season has been far from perfect, but things seem to be clicking right now - something that hasn't happened early in any season under Fox.  Georgia has two really nice wins over Colorado and Seton Hall, and the chance to grab another in Manhattan, Kansas on the 30th.

A lot is going right, of course, but a few things stand out.  First, the defense has been getting better and better.  The team we saw on Sunday would have run Minnesota out of the gym.  The scoring continues to be distributed, as well, which is key for a team that has struggled in the past with large scoring droughts.

The fact that all of this has been done without a completely healthy Kenny Gaines bears mentioning, as he and Marcus Thornton are the Dawgs' two best players.  If Gaines can stay healthy and get a few more practices under his belt, Georgia will cause a lot of problems in the SEC this year.

Be sure to watch the video attached to the article, as well.  In it, Gaines talks about his reaction to his injury ("I thought it was over") and whether or not he would have done the reverse dunk in a close game (yes).

h/t Seth Emerson

Seton Hall: post mortem

Well, there you have it.  I couldn't be happier to have been so wrong in my prediction.  We just saw a wire-to-wire win in a very, very important game.  There was literally no drama, so let's get right to the good stuff:

• How good was Georgia's defense?  Sterling Gibbs, Isaiah Whitehead, and Brandon Mobley are Seton Hall's three leading scorers.  They were a combined 24 points below their season averages.
• Seton Hall also shot 15% from 3-point range, despite being in the top 20 in the nation in that category.
• While we're talking about defense, let's give Yante Maten the praise he deserves.  His offense will come, but his defense is already pretty good.  He's near the top 20 (nationally) in blocks per game at just over 2.  His ability to defend in the post without fouling tonight was very impressive, and one of his blocks led to the first of two Kenny Gaines highlight reel dunks.
• And for what it's worth, the reverse was nice, but the first was my favorite.  That boy can jump.
• Speaking of Gaines, I think he's healthy, but I don't think it mattered tonight.  That's no shot at Gaines, either.  The thing about this Georgia team that's so different is that they have at least 6 legitimate scoring threats.  Want to collapse in the lane?  Meet J.J. Frazier and Kenny Gaines.  Want to guard the 3-point line?  Marcus Thornton or Nemi Djurisic will go to work.  The long scoring droughts have all but disappeared, and that's because there's no longer one player carrying the team offensively.
• Seton Hall made one 7-point run to get it under 10 in the first half, but then there was Frazier hitting a leaner at the shot clock to put Georgia back up by 11.  It would never be single digits again.  Frazier has had a knack this season of hitting big shots when Georgia needs them.
• Oh, and J.J. also had 11(!) rebounds.  Thornton had to wrestle one away from Kenny Paul Geno in the first half, probably because he needed the stat - Frazier was hogging all of the boards.
• Georgia as a team was +19 in rebounds, had 14 assists on 22 makes, and blocked 8 shots.  Those kinds of stats win games.
• Seton Hall pressed all night, but it was mostly uneventful for Georgia.  That was wonderful to see, as dealing with press defenses has been sticky in the past.
• The free throws, though, continue to be a concern.
• Great crowd.  There on time, energetic, and pretty loud.  I was impressed.

What we saw tonight was an NCAA tournament team.  That's not a prediction, just a statement that the talent is there.  If Mark Fox can get that kind of energy and effort out of them the rest of the way, they'll be dancing for sure.

Next up is Mercer, and good teams beat teams like Mercer even after big wins like this.  It's just another step in the journey, and Fox has to keep them focused.

Game card: Seton Hall

Opponent:  Seton Hall
Mascot:  Pirates
Primary color(s):  Blue and white
Record:  9-1
Best player:  Sterling Gibbs
Line:  Georgia -4.5

Why Georgia will win:  Georgia is at home, which is becoming a very comfortable place to play for the Bulldogs.  Kenny Gaines may not be 100% healthy, but he'll play, and that should be enough.  This will only be Seton Hall's third true road game of the season, and they're 1-1 in the first two.

Why Georgia will lose:  Seton Hall is 9-1, and regardless of the competition, that's a good record.  Their RPI is in the top 20, and that is not a fluke.  Sterling Gibbs can shoot the lights out, and Georgia has been giving teams open looks from deep all season.  This is a non-conference game the Bulldogs badly need, which of course means they won't get it.

The Steg will rock like:  open mic night.

What I think will happen:  Another slow start dooms Georgia.  Seton Hall wins 75-69.

What I hope will happen: 

Gaines should play

Good news as Kenny Gaines looks set to play on Sunday against Seton Hall:

“I would say I think he will play,” Fox said. “We were able to get him partially back in practice, but it’s been a slow recovery.”

It would be unrealistic to expect him to do much scoring, as his jumper is so key to what he does.  However, his defensive presence could loom large against a Seton Hall team that scores the ball pretty well.

The game is shaping up to be a big one for Georgia against a Pirates team that currently holds a top 20 RPI.

h/t Marc Weiszer

Almost

The SEC looked like it was on the verge of another signature out-of-conference win last night, but Alabama couldn't quite hold on:

No. 11 Wichita State scored 13 of the game's final 14 points to hold off Alabama for a 53-52 victory. The Shockers (8-1) took the final lead on Darius Carter's slam with 11.9 seconds remaining, part of his game-high 16 points.

That would have been huge for the conference and for Anthony Grant, who may be coaching for his job this year.  He has the Tide playing pretty well, but blowing an 11-point lead that late in the game isn't a good look.

Any way you slice it, though, the SEC seems to be passing the eye test around the country this year.  Whether that's because the conference is better or because the rest of the country has regressed, well...I can't say for sure.

h/t ESPN

RPI's rising

Exams roll on and Georgia continues practicing and (hopefully) getting better.  Kenny Gaines' shoulder is, of course, on all of our minds.  There is a lot riding on that shoulder starting next Sunday at 6:00.

Posting had admittedly been thin around here (real life can be so intrusive), but Hoop Dawgs has you covered with a nice update on where we are.

The most important non-shoulder related tidbit is probably this:

The good news, though, is that the league has 5 teams in the RPI Top 50, a poll that is much more indicative of a team’s NCAA Tournament chances. Currently, Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas, Alabama and Ole Miss all have RPI’s under 50. Georgia plays all of the aforementioned teams (Kentucky and Ole Miss twice), along with #26 Seton Hall, giving Mark Fox’s team plenty of chances to improve upon their 2-7 record against the RPI Top 50 from a year ago. The Dawgs RPI currently sits at 64, which kind of pleasantly surprised me considering the 5-3 record.

We're still at the point in the season where RPI's can fluctuate rapidly, but the weakness of the SEC might actually be a bit overstated this year. After Seton Hall, Georgia has one more real shot at a quality win (Kansas State) before SEC play starts, so the fiercer the SEC looks, the better it is for everyone.

h/t Hoop Dawgs

SEC strength, part 2

Another look at the national perception of SEC hoops.  It starts with a reminder that Bruce Pearl may have been a bit overconfident in his return to coaching:

Exactly seven weeks ago today, new Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said of the Southeastern Conference's NCAA tournament prospects this coming March, "This year I guarantee five, and I think there could be as many as six, NCAA teams."

Roughly a month into the season, it again appears as if the conference might be closer to last year's three invitees than Pearl's hoped-for six.

The early RPI numbers back that up:

Even the RPI numbers hint of an SEC again in flux. Though eight schools are among RealTime RPI's first 69, any team past 40 is living on the edge, and half of those eight are doing just that -- Ole Miss (69), Mississippi State (63), South Carolina (61) and A&M (56) all outside the comfort zone currently enjoyed by UK (2), LSU (20), Arkansas (21) and Alabama (35).

As we approach conference play, the SEC really, really needs some quality out-of-conference wins to boost their collective RPI.  Our own Georgia Bulldogs could help with that by beating Seton Hall - currently sitting at 19 in the daily RPI rankings.

The article, by the way, never mentions Georgia, which means they are still somehow flying under the radar despite finishing tied for second in the conference last year.  The only way to change that is by doing it all over again.

h/t Chattanooga Times Free Press

A little late

Good to know Tech is going to come around on transfer policies, at least as long as it suits them.

Listen, there's absolutely no guarantee Robert Carter, Jr. would have ended up at UGA, but it's pretty sad that Tech didn't even give him a chance.  I'm genuinely curious what will happen if and when Bobinski has to put his money where his mouth is.

h/t AJC

Colorado: post mortem

Was it a masterpiece?  No.  Was it a huge win for Georgia?  Yes.  If Colorado can just be the same team they were last year, this is a resume builder.

In many ways, this was like Georgia playing itself from 2 years ago.  Colorado just couldn't score, and a 7 minute scoring drought in which they were outscored 16-0 ultimately did them in.  They passed and passed and passed, but they never got great looks, and when they did, they rarely went in.

That Georgia is not suffering these same droughts should be credited to Fox and to the veterans on the team.  It's not always pretty, but the Dawgs just chug away.

Some more thoughts:

• The post defense, especially out of Thornton, was fantastic pretty much all night.  Josh Scott got his, but most of his damage was done when the game was, if not out of reach, pretty well in hand.
• Along those lines, much of what gives me the most hope that things just might be different with this year's Bulldogs is the fact that the game never really felt in doubt for the entire second half.  Even when things got sloppy at the end and Colorado (to their credit) clawed within 6, it was more irritating than scary.
• Part of that is because J.J. Frazier kept hitting big shots.  Both of his threes down the stretch came at really big moments.
• Speaking of threes, Marcus Thornton had another one and Charles Mann had two.  I'm not sure that's something we can count on every night, but I'll take it.
• The loss of Kenny Gaines is scary.  This is a team with very little margin for error.  Georgia might survive at the offensive end, but the loss of Gaines' defensive presence is daunting.  The game felt different after he left, and you may recall the debacle against Vanderbilt last season was played without Gaines in the lineup.
• Tough night for Yante Maten.  It didn't cost the team, so shake it off and move on to the next one.
• Nemi's pump and baseline drive down the stretch may have been the biggest bucket of the game.  The maturation of his offensive skillset has been fun to watch the last few years.  He will have a nice career in Europe if he wants it.
• I'll keep mentioning it as long as it's true:  the hole at small forward is just glaring.  There will be a freshman starting there next season, and it will be a huge upgrade.
• 8 assists and 14 turnovers represents some regression for Georgia, but they're still getting good looks most trips down the court, so I'd be remiss if I complained just yet.
• I was a little surprised they didn't allow folks to move down into the lower bowl today.  It was a small-ish but spirited crowd, and it would have been a perfect game to give that a test run.  There were several hundred folks in the upper deck.
• Nice contingent from Colorado, too.  Not sorry you lost, but I hope you enjoyed Athens!

 This was a big one.  So is the next one.  Get healthy, Kenny.

Game card: Colorado

Opponent:  Colorado
Mascot:  Buffaloes
Primary color(s):  Black and Gold
Record:  5-1
Best player:  Josh Scott
Line:  Georgia -3

Why Georgia will win:  Colorado doesn't score very well, averaging under 70 points/game.  They've also only played one true road game, and they put up an anemic 33 points in a loss to Wyoming.  Georgia plays well at home and Kenny Gaines is rounding into form.

Why Georgia will lose:  Josh Scott is one of the best front court players Georgia will see all year.  The Buffaloes were a tournament team last year and returned most of their key pieces.  This is a big game for Georgia, which means the Dawgs will inevitably press and get down early.

The Steg will rock like:  a bowling alley on league night.

What I think will happen:  Georgia needs this one badly, and they win it 71-67.

You hereby have permission to go to Sunday School and skip the service today.  The Dawgs need you.

Kenny makes peace

Nice story from Seth Emerson about Kenny Gaines reaching out to Josh Perkins, the player whose jaw he unintentionally broke.  He got in touch with him via Dusan Langura, of all people.

Hopefully Perkins comes back strong and Gaines keeps any momentum he found in that Chattanooga game.

h/t Seth Emerson

The SEC is...average?

True story:  I was traveling to Detroit for work, and the hotel I booked sent out an email to welcome me.  In the note, the manager said their motto was, "Detroit:  it's not as bad as you thought!"

I went to check on the SEC's conference ranking tonight, and I expected to find bad news.  The conference has seemed less-than-stellar thusfar.  The answer, though, is that the SEC is not as bad as I thought.

Here are the conference RPI rankings from realtimerpi.com:

Rank		Conference	Avg. RPI	Avg. SOS	SOS Rank	Teams
	1	Big 12	0.6221	0.5597	2	10
	2	Big Ten	0.6031	0.5522	3	14
	3	Big East	0.5852	0.5228	7	10
	4	Atlantic Coast	0.5808	0.5471	5	15
	5	Southeastern	0.5753	0.5615	1	14
	6	Atlantic 10	0.5491	0.5398	6	14
	7	Pacific-12	0.5482	0.4876	19	12
	8	West Coast	0.5454	0.5149	12	10
	9	Missouri Valley	0.5442	0.5495	4	10
	10	American Athletic	0.5274	0.5060	14	11

Last year the SEC finished 7th, so that's a tick up.  You'll notice the strength of schedule is helping quite a bit.

The caveat, of course, is that it's very, very early, and there could still be some wild swings (Green Bay is currently 4th in team RPI).  However, it's an encouraging start, because a strong SEC is good for Georgia, who is going to need three or four quality wins to get into the tournament.

A couple can certainly come out of conference (Colorado and Seton Hall would be a great start), but Georgia will need some SEC teams with high RPI's on the schedule, and they'll have to beat those teams.  So plug your nose and root for Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas, and LSU.  Then hope we can get at least three wins out of that group when conference play rolls around.

Pig suckie

It's looking way, way ahead, but the first conference game in Athens against Arkansas may be a big one.  Let's hope they're ranked, because Arkansas hasn't won on the road as a ranked team since 1999.

Of course, losing to Iowa State is nothing to be too ashamed about.  Still, let's hope the trend holds for a couple more weeks...

Chattanooga: post mortem

It's hard to find much fault with a win like that.  Just how good Chattanooga is remains to be seen, but they are always tough to beat at home, and Georgia made it look easy.  We're now Mocs fans, and we will hope UTC can make a nice run in the Southern Conference.

A few thoughts:

• Welcome back, Kenny Gaines.
• Attacking Kenny is so much more fun that passive Kenny.  The infusion of confidence he gets when his threes start going down makes him the most dangerous scorer on the team.
• Then there is Marcus Thornton, who missed one shot all night en route to a career high 24 points.  UTC had absolutely no answer.  Seeing Marcus healthy is a real treat.  It makes you wonder what could have been with him had his knees cooperated earlier in his career.
• I could do without the random Thornton 3-pointers, though.  At least he knocked it down tonight.
• Charles Mann had a much better time in Chattanooga than he did in New York.  He protected the ball, attacked when he had the chance, and handed out 5 assists to boot.  His free throw shooting is coming around, too.
• Rebounding continues to be a bit of a concern.  Statistically, Georgia dominated, but much of that was due to that fact that they just didn't miss many shots, meaning Chattanooga had very few chances at defensive rebounds.  The Mocs did collect 11 offensive boards, though, and Georgia needs to get that under control.
• The defense continues to give up a lot of open looks from the 3-point line, too.  I can live with well contested threes, but that's not what I'm seeing.
• Yante Maten had a tough night offensively, but he's turning into a nice shot-blocking threat, isn't he?  I was going to type this even before I checked the box score and saw he had 6 in the game.
• Nice to see Juwan Parker knock down a three.  He is much improved, and if he can find that range, he has a chance to do some damage over the next few years.
• Ho-hum, another near double-double for Nemi.

The team we saw tonight would have beaten Minnesota, probably handily, which makes that loss all the more baffling.  They took care of the ball, got good shots, and defended well enough.  It's going to take a similar effort at home on Sunday when Colorado comes calling in what is now an absolutely huge game for the Dawgs.  Be there.  And bring a friend.

Game card: Chattanooga

Opponent:  Chattanooga
Mascot:  Mocs
Primary color(s):  Green and Gold
Record:  3-4
Best player:  Casey Jones
Line:  Georgia -8

Why Georgia will win:  Despite a disappointing 0-2 showing in New York, Georgia has played well in stretches.  The long scoring droughts are gone, and Chattanooga doesn't have the size to control Nemanja Djurisic and Marcus Thornton inside.  The game is a must-win, and UGA knows this.

Why Georgia will lose:  Georgia hasn't won away from Stegeman Coliseum yet and Chattanooga is battle tested, already having played Wisconsin and Butler.  They are 3-0 at home, and are ready to kick a Georgia team while it's down.

What I think will happen:  Georgia wins 77-64, but it's not yet enough to stem the disappointment.

Slow starts

Here are some numbers of interest from Georgia's last five losses:

Minnesota
  Early deficit:  23-10 after ten minutes
  Final margin:  4 points
Gonzaga
  Early deficit:  21-8 after 8 minutes
  Final margin:   12 points
Georgia Tech
  Early deficit:  14-5 after 8 minutes
  Final margin:   7
Louisiana Tech  Early deficit:  20-4 after 6 minutes
  Final margin:   8
Kentucky
  Early deficit:  14-4 after 5 minutes
  Final margin:   12

It's not hard to notice a pattern.  In their last five losses, Georgia has come out slow and dug themselves a large hole.  Even five minutes in, a 10-point deficit is not small when you're playing a competent basketball team, let along Gonzaga or Kentucky.  The silver lining, if there is one, is that Georgia has been winning the second half, but that's small consolation in a loss.

I don't claim to have an answer here, but it's hard not to point the finger at Mark Fox because it just feels like a coaching issue (remember, I'm a fan, not a coach, so take everything I say with a grain of salt).  Other teams are ready to play from the opening tip, and Georgia is not, particularly at the defensive end.

Fix that problem and there is still a chance to have a special season.  It's at least something to keep an eye on as Georgia plays some critical non-conference games to close out 2014.

This week in Georgia sports

Minnesota: post mortem

Stop me if you've heard this before.  Georgia goes down big early, but fights valiantly and comes up just short in the end.

Quite frankly, I'm tired of this, and so are you.  That was not a very good Minnesota team that Georgia just lost to, and while the season is not over, UGA's tournament hopes already look pretty bleak.  The SEC, to put it nicely, is not very good, which means Georgia probably needs 9 non-conference wins paired with at least 12 conference wins to have any chance.  That means there is no longer any room for error.  They have to run off 6 straight wins heading into conference play.  Based on what we saw tonight, that seems unlikely.

For some reason, no box score is available at the moment, but here are a few more thoughts:

• J.J. Frazier is the best point guard on the team.  He penetrates, he dishes, and he can shoot.  Mann had a nice game against Gonzaga, but Frazier should be starting.
• Kenny Gaines needs to break out of this funk, and fast.  The lack of any 3-point threat is just killing Georgia right now.
• Minnesota, on the other hand, shot quite well from the 3-point line, but many of their looks were completely uncontested.  Maten and Thornton got caught in no-man's land on the baseline again and again.
• It wasn't all bad for Maten, though, who scored 12 points in a nice first half.  He really kept Georgia from being run out of the building.
• In the end, Georgia just invented yet another way to lose a game in which they were probably the better team.  Instead of poor shooting or missed free throws, it was turnovers.  If this game is played ten times, Georgia probably wins 8, and you know what that means?  Absolutely nothing.  When you turn it over 14 times in one half, you lose, and a 4 point loss is the same as a 40 point loss.
• Lord, let that be the last we hear from Bob Knight all season.  He somehow made a painful loss that much more unbearable.

After all Mark Fox's talk of how veteran his team finally is, and how important November is, Georgia has lost two games they should have won thanks to an ongoing refusal to play the first 10 minutes of the contest.  Imagine how differently we'd be feeling sitting here at 5-1.

The talent is there to get to the tournament, but the margin for error is now razor thin.  Next up is Chattanooga, and if you think that's a get-well game, think again.  They've already played Wisconsin and Butler, so they won't be scared.  Fox has three days to do some serious soul searching and light a fire under his team.  If they don't start playing up to their potential, his job is in serious jeopardy.

Game card: Minnesota

Opponent:  Minnesota
Mascot:  Golden Gophers
Primary color(s):  Maroon and Gold
Record:  3-2
Best player:  Nate Mason
Line:  Minnesota -4.5

Why Georgia will win:  Minnesota finished the game against St. Johns ice cold.  They were extremely sloppy, which Georgia can take advantage of due to their experience.  Frankly, Georgia is just plain due in November tournament play, their last such win coming on November 29, 2010 over Manhattan in Orlando.

Why Georgia will lose:  Another game, another 7-footer in Elliot Eliason.  Nate Mason is hitting 60% of his 3-pointers, which is a huge advantage over a Georgia team that can't find the range.  Georgia is just plain bad in tournament play, and there's no reason to expect that to change tonight.

What I think will happen:  Georgia wins a close one 74-70.

Gonzaga: post mortem

I have absolutely no idea what to think about that game.  I'm going to attempt a post mortem here, but I'm not even quite sure where to begin:

• Ok, let's begin with Bob Knight, who is insufferable.  There are rumors (that I never really bought) that he remains perturbed that Georgia didn't court him last time they had a job opening, and you'd almost believe it the way he calls our games.  Any time Gonzaga did something well, it was great execution.  Any time Georgia did something well, it was because Gonzaga made a mistake.
• My favorite Knight moment came immediately after Kenny Gaines spectacular drive and dunk in the first half.  His commentary:  "It's really amazing how well Pangos sees the floor."
• While that remark about Pangos could have waited until, you know, he actually did something, it was nevertheless spot on.  He was as good as advertised.
• Kyle Wiltjer was pretty good too, and Georgia simply had no answer inside for the size of Gonzaga.  Part of the reason UGA was able to hang around was the fact that Gonzaga's bigs were in foul trouble almost all night.
• It wouldn't be accurate to say missed free throws cost Georgia the game, but they missed 13 of them and they lost by 12.  Hit a few more and the tenor of the game certainly changes down the stretch.
• In fact, as you browse the box score, it's remarkable how even it is.  Except for the free throw disparity, both teams are almost interchangeable.
• I think I'll expand on this in a later post, but yet another slow start killed Georgia.  They played Gonzaga even for the final 35 minutes of the game, which is small consolation when the first 5 minutes saw the bad Bulldogs open a 12 point lead.
• I continue to be surprised by the poor outside shooting.  I really thought that was going to be a strength this season.  Djurisic and Gaines were a combined 0-7 from 3-point range.  Just a bad night overall for Kenny.  He needs to shake it off and move on.
• Keep shooting, J.J.
• A word about the Kenny Gaines foul is probably in order.  Sure, I'm a little biased, but I thought Knight's bluster about ejection was way over the top.  I think Gaines throwing his leg out was a natural reaction to being beaten so bad, not an attempt to hurt the other player.  Had a flagrant 1 been assessed, I wouldn't have complained, but I actually think the refs got it right.  I sure hope Perkins is ok, but I don't think there was any malice.  It was just an ugly collision.
• Jaylen Brown?  Is there a Jaylen Brown watching?  A competent small forward sure would have helped on both sides of the ball tonight.  One with Brown's talent may have been the difference.

I don't know if anyone expected Georgia to win this game.  I didn't.  Yet I still came away frustrated by...what, exactly?  Not the effort.  There's just an "it" quality that Georgia lacks right now.  They better shake this one off fast, though, because Minnesota is waiting, and an 0-2 trip to New York would be incredibly disappointing for this team.

Game card: Gonzaga

Opponent:  Gonzaga
Mascot:  Bulldogs
Primary color(s):  Blue and red
Record:  4-0
Best player:  Kevin Pangos
Line:  Gonzaga -14.5

Why Georgia will win:  Gonzaga has not played away from home yet, and their only win of consequence is over SMU, a team that just lost to Arkansas in tournament play.  After a slow start at Georgia Tech, Georgia has found their offensive rhythm.

Why Georgia will lose:  Gonzaga is 6th in the nation in points per game, 9th in rebounds, 1st in assists, and 4th in field goal percentage.  Georgia's defense isn't ready for a game like this.  Plus, tournament play in November hasn't exactly been kind to the Dawgs as of late.

What I think will happen:  Uh oh.  Gonzaga wins 86-66.

What I hope will happen:

From the now-you-know files

In making the case that Gonzaga is a must-win game (I'm not sure I agree), HoopDawgBlog tosses out a factoid that catches me by surprise:

The Georgia Bulldogs haven’t beaten a ranked opponent outside of the SEC since Fox’s initial team took down the then-ranked #20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 73-66 in Athens.  Matter of fact, CMF’s teams have only won two games against ranked opponents since the departures of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.  In that same span of games, UGA has yet to beat a team ranked lower than 20th.

Tomorrow night would definitely be a good time to add to that number.

h/t hoopdawgblog.com

Where there's smoke...

...coaches resign.

Weird.  Do we have a fall guy?

h/t ESPN

Florida Atlantic: post mortem

Hey, listen...until my predictions go way off the rails (which they will), I have to brag when I get close.  Four more points out of Georgia, and I would have nailed it.  Marcus Thornton, I'm looking at you and your 4 missed free throws.

Some thoughts:

• Georgia only attempted 8 3-pointers.  With this team, that's a feature, not a bug.
• The defense, especially early in the game, continues to be a concern.  They're allowing way too much penetration, and they're giving opposing post players some pretty good catches in the lane.  That's going to become a big problem in New York if it's not fixed.
• I really like Yante Maten's soft touch around the rim.  He's not there defensively, yet, but he's going to be a scorer.
• When Thornton catches, gathers, and makes a controlled move, he's difficult to stop right now.  When he gets frustrated and just "goes," he stops himself.
• Speaking of Marcus, seeing him limp off and hobble to the locker room two minutes into the game was scary.  Glad he's ok.
• Another night, another jumper thrown backwards by Kenny Gaines.
• I loved pretty much everything we got from Kenny last night.  A nice mix of drives, mid-range jumpers, and smart 3-point shots combined with his usual level of defensive intensity.  He's the best player on the team right now.
• Eight more missed free throws.  This is absolutely, positively going to cost Georgia a game at some point.
• Fifteen more assists, though.  Not a mind-blowing number, but I'll take it.
• Georgia dominated the boards, too, which was a huge key to the success in conference play last season.
• I heard someone say Jaylen Brown was at the game last night.  I have no idea if that's true, but if he was, he would have had to be blind not to see the glaring hole at SF for this team right now.  He'd start tomorrow if he cared to.

There seem to be two iterations of the Georgia basketball team right now.  One is under control, runs the offense, and gets good shots - often near the rim.  The other is impatient - often playing to the level of a sloppy opponent - and rushes possessions, pushing tempo and settling for bad looks with plenty of time on the clock.  Fortunately, so far, it's been more of the first than the second.  Which team shows up in New York will go a long way to determining whether or not Georgia can come away with at least one win it desperately needs.

Game card: Florida Atlantic

Opponent:  Florida Atlantic
Mascot:  Owls
Primary color(s):  Blue and red
Record:  1-2
Best player:  Justin Raffington
Line:  Georgia -15.5

Why Georgia will win:  Florida Atlantic is not very good, and Georgia has rolled twice in a row against inferior competition.  Kenny Gaines is healthy and Marcus Thornton and Nemi Djurisic look formidable in the paint.  Charles Mann may be getting his groove back.

Why Georgia will lose:  Georgia might be looking ahead to New York.  Florida Atlantic actually has some decent size inside and has absolutely nothing to lose.

The Steg will rock like:  A Yo-Yo Ma concert.

What I think will happen:  No drama here.  Georgia barely breaks a sweat, winning 78-61.

Troy: post mortem

Troy is not a very good basketball team.  In fact, the guy I pegged as their best player finished the night with a pair of points on two free throws.

With that said, isn't it nice to see the Dawgs take care of business like they did last night?  No stress.  No drama.  Just a runaway win against a bad team.  In case you've forgotten, it doesn't always work this way.  Some thoughts:

• This time it was Georgia that came out on fire.  When is the last time UGA had 19 points at the first media timeout?  I don't know either.
• Georgia again had 4 players in double figures, with a fifth (Parker) a mere 2 points away.  Now seems like a good time to remind you that two seasons ago, only a single player averaged double figures.
• The Trojans transition defense was terrible all night.  Marcus Thornton's 8-11 shooting is impressive, but at least half of those were uncontested layups or dunks.
• On that note, congratulations to Marcus on his new career high.  As Fox correctly noted in his post-game interview, he could've had more if he'd hit some free throws.
• My brother, who went to the game with me:  "Kenny Paul Geno must burn 10,000 calories every game."
• He's right, of course.  Geno is all effort, and he seems to have a slight edge over Forte at the 3 spot, but that's not saying much right now.  It looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of 3 guard lineups out of Fox.
• Musa Abdul-Aleem was aggressive and looked for his shot all night, which worked out well for Georgia, since he finished 3-10.  Pass the ball, son.
• Wesley Person, Jr. was Troy's best player by far.  He's going to be a good one for them this year and beyond.
• Kenny Gaines looked 100% to me last night.  Forget his 12 points and 7 rebounds for a second.  He had 4 blocks, one of which involved throwing a 3-pointer back over Person's head.  Watching Kenny play defense is fun.
• Nice pass, Nemi.
• Dusan Langura has played about a minute each in the exhibition game and the wins over Stony Brook and Troy.  In each game, he has taken a shot the first time he touched the ball.  Keep shooting, buddy.  You deserve it.

Forget that it was against lesser competition for a second.  The first 10 minutes last night showed how good Georgia can be.  After that, things got a little sloppy, and the Dawgs played down to the competition for a bit before putting them away.  The game was literally never in doubt, though, and that was nice.  Now it's on to Florida Atlantic before things get real in Madison Square Garden.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Game card: Troy

Opponent:  Troy
Mascot:  Trojans 
Primary color(s):  Crimson
Record:  1-1
Best player:  Kevin Thomas (though Wesley Person, Jr. is coming off a monster game and has NBA pedigree)
Line:  Georgia -17.5

Why Georgia will win:  As they showed against Stony Brook, Georgia knows how to squash bad teams.  The scoring is distributed, which prevents the long scoring droughts the Dawgs have suffered in years' past.  If they contain Kevin Thomas and Wesley Person, Jr., there is no one left who can beat them.

Why Georgia will lose: Georgia can't handle success.  Troy just went to Ole Miss and hung with the Rebels, so they won't be scared.  Kenny Gaines still isn't ready for prime time.

The Steg will rock like:  A newborn's cradle.

What I think will happen:  Georgia will keep beating the teams they are supposed to beat.  Once again, it won't be a masterpiece, but Georgia wins 73-60.

Ogbeide is a Dawg

Mark Fox finished strong in the fall signing period by signing Derek Ogbeide, a big man from Mableton, Georgia.  Either a 2* or a 3*, depending on where you look, Ogbeide is a nice piece, and the Dawgs managed to beat out Memphis (among others) for his services.

While there are no Top 100 players in the class (yet), everyone who is committed addresses a position of need.  Assuming Mann and Gaines both return for their senior seasons, Fox will send out a team that's deep at both guard spots and big enough down low.  That's a winning formula in college basketball.

There is also one scholarship remaining.  The dream scenario, of course, has Jaylen Brown taking that spot.  No matter what, though, it'd be nice to see Fox take a win-now approach with that opening.  That means either an instant impact freshman (which is hard to find in the spring), or an experienced graduate transfer.

Regardless, Fox is off to a much better start this fall than last.  Welcome to the family, Derek!

h/t Seth Emerson

Fox gets it

Say what you want about Mark Fox, but he seems to get it this year:

“We should feel good about it. I don’t feel great, because I feel like last week I let everyone down,” Fox said. “Last week’s loss felt like 20 losses. So now it feels like 19.”

He's talking, of course, about the win over Stony Brook as compared to the loss against Georgia Tech, a game most of us feel like Georgia could have and should have won.  Fox thinks so too:

“We played with composure and poise, offensively. If we had played that way last week, we’d have won by 12,” Fox said. “But we didn’t. It took a loss to get us to understand we have to play that way.

I like a few things about Fox's comments.  First and foremost, there's an acknowledgment that these early season games mean something.  Second, there's an understanding that Georgia fans really, really want to start beating Georgia Tech in basketball.  Third, there's a great deal of confidence in coming out and saying you should have won a game at Tech by 12.

The Tech game is water under the bridge at this point.  It's time to move on.  But if Fox wants to offset the other 19 losses he refers to, I'm fine with that...

h/t Seth Emerson

Stony Brook: post mortem

Here is what I said in my game prediction:  "Georgia will come out motivated to beat the November blues.  Stony Brook may push them for a half.  Georgia wins 80-67."

That, of course, was pure luck, but it turned out to be pretty darned accurate.  Some early hot shooting kept a game Stony Brook team close, but in the end, Georgia was just better.  Don't be fooled by the final score - this game was not close.  Some thoughts:

• For the second straight game, an opponent came out red hot against Georgia.  This time, though, the Bulldogs found some points of their own to avoid a big early deficit.  That was nice to see.
• One coach had difficulty settling on a lineup and substituted at almost every dead ball.  Sound familiar?  Well, this time it wasn't Fox.  I don't know how the Stony Brook players were expected to find any rhythm when the substitutions were a revolving door all night.
• Georgia had five players in double figures.  When's the last time that happened?
• 14 assists on 21 made field goals.  The passing wasn't quite as crisp, but I do like the trend.
• The game was over the moment Mark Fox put Kenny Gaines on Carson Puriefoy, who was the only real scoring threat the Seawolves had last night.  After a 21 point first half, it was garbage time before Puriefoy scratched again.  Kenny is an elite defender at this point, and it's fun to watch.
• Yante Maten looked a little better than he did against Tech, but he's struggling to defend without fouling right now.  That's not uncommon for a freshman.
• Of course, not fouling was a challenge, as there were 54 penalties called.   The refs were having so much fun they just didn't want the game to end...
• The free throw shooting continues to be a concern.  If the Dawgs hit just 8 or 10 more (they were 33-48) the game is a true runaway.
• What to say about Charles Mann right now?  He got to the line a lot, which is what he does, but he is still struggling to finish at the rim.  If those layups start going down, look out.
• Thornton didn't finish real well either, but he was close, and I wouldn't worry yet.  He was one rebound from a double-double, so you won't hear me complaining.
• Play(s) of the night:  Juwan Parker twice splitting double teams and dishing to Maten on the baseline for dunks.  Pretty.

This is exactly the performance Georgia needed.  Stony Brook is a likely tournament team as they are the favorites in the America East Conference.  There is still a lot to improve on, but let's enjoy the victory and head back to Stegeman Coliseum Friday night.  See you there.

Game card: Stony Brook

Opponent:  Stony Brook
Mascot:  Seawolves (sounds terrifying, actually)
Primary color(s):  Red
Record:  1-0
Best player:  Jameel Warney
Line:  Georgia -13

Why Georgia will win:  On talent alone, Georgia is the better team.  This is also the home opener.  The Dawgs are motivated to prove they're here to play in November.  Kenny Gaines is a couple days healthier.  This is a must-win game for UGA.

Why Georgia will lose:  It's still November, and Georgia has yet to prove they're aware these games count.  Stony Brook is actually a pretty good team, having won 23 games last season and played in the CBI Tournament.

The Steg will rock like:  A slight autumn breeze.

What I think will happen:  Georgia will come out motivated to beat the November blues.  Stony Brook may push them for a half.  Georgia wins 80-67.

Happy thoughts

Want something to feel optimistic about?  Look no farther than the Dawgs 16 assists on 26 made baskets against Georgia Tech.  The figure could have been higher, too, but for some abysmal shooting to start the game.

Even better, all but 3 of them came from guards.

Why does this matter?  Because this is an area in which Georgia was absolutely terrible last year, ranking an astonishing 331st in the nation in assists/game.

After the initial (and unwise) 3-point barrage, Georgia actually got pretty good looks at the basket last night.  Let's hope that's a trend that continues.

Georgia Tech: post mortem

I am tired of being the basketball step-child of Georgia, as I'm sure many of you are.  Mark Fox has to get that fixed.

With that said, I promised not to despair if Georgia lost this game, and despite some very negative emotions while down 15 in the first half, all is not lost.

The Dawgs need to find a way to win 8 non-conference games.  I was hoping this would be one of them.  Time to move on, but first, some thoughts and impressions:

• You can see why Georgia wanted Charles Mitchell so badly.  His on-court antics rubbed me the wrong way at times, but the talent is obvious.  The result almost certainly would have been different had he been in red.
• Cox was good too.  Those two in the post are going to win some games for Tech.
• With that said, it was Quinton Stephens that made the difference tonight.  We'll see if he stays hot, or if Georgia was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Continuing to give Stephens open looks after his third or fourth made three was disappointing.  He wasn't about to create his own shot.
• Kenny Gaines looked good at times tonight.  If he really isn't at full strength yet, I think we can expect good things from him this year.
• Marcus Thornton was more good than bad, though he still throws up a head-scratcher now and then.  He is clearly most comfortable when he catches the ball in the post.  More of that, and less runners and threes would bode well for his season.
• I like the three guard lineup Fox chose to start the game, and J.J. Frazier continues to impress.  There are, of course, a lot of good things about Charles Mann's game, but he's yet to show anything to suggest he's taken a big step forward.
• I still believe Yante Maten will be great, but some foul trouble kept him from getting in any sort of rhythm.  On that note...
• The refs over-officiated a bit, in my opinion.  I didn't think one team benefited more than the other.  I thought the two worst calls of the night were on the charge by Juwan Parker, and then on the foul Parker drew by running into (I think) Cox.
• Nemi had a nice offensive game.  No bad ball-handling turnovers, and some nice moves around the basket.  His defense, though, was not stellar.
• Neither Kenny Paul Geno nor Cameron Forte did anything to make me miss Brandon Morris less, though Forte had a couple nice moments.
• Good job of limiting the damage of Georges-Hunt.   That was absolutely the right thing to do, and had you told me he'd finish with 11, I would have liked our chances.
• The camera crew found three pretty girls and went back to the well all night long. Guess they couldn't find any more. I don't think that will be a problem in Athens.

In the end, the game was lost in the first ten minutes.  For anyone hoping the scoring droughts were a thing of the past with this team, the start of the game was a rude awakening.  After an early 5-4 lead, Georgia played from behind the rest of the night.

As usual, though, Fox's kids didn't quit.  In fact, you get the feeling that if this game were played ten times, Georgia would win 6 or 7.  But it didn't work out tonight, so it's on to Stony Brook.

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Tuesday night at Stegeman.

Action on Georgia

Interesting:

h/t www.vegasinsider.com

Game card: Georgia Tech

Opponent:  Georgia Tech
Mascot:  Yellow Jacket
Primary color(s):  Pee
Record:  0-0
Best player:  Marcus Georges-Hunt
Line:  Georgia Tech -3

Why Georgia will win:  Georgia Tech lost 45 ppg this offseason.  Meanwhile, Georgia returns almost everyone of consequence to a team that flourished on the road last season.  Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines form one of the best guard duos in the south, and Yante Maten looks like the real deal backing up Marcus Thornton who is the real deal in the post.

Why Georgia will lose:  The game is in Atlanta, and Kenny Gaines is ill.  Mark Fox has struggled to beat Georgia Tech, and there's no reason to think that will change tonight.  Tech has added a few nice pieces, including Georgia target Charles Mitchell, who will bully the Dawgs in the post.  Georgia's slow starts will continue to haunt them.

What I think will happen:  Georgia Tech will use one or two nice runs to grab a comfortable lead.  Georgia will be haunted by an unhealthy Gaines and will struggle to score.  76-64 Georgia Tech wins.

What I hope will happen:

The Tech game cometh

Make no mistake, Georgia Tech is a big game:

It’s only the first game. It’s not the most important game of the season. It just seems that way, given events of recent years.

Or maybe not:

 “The good news is it’s not life-or-death situation,” junior point guard Charles Mann said. “We need a win, and we want to do whatever we need to do to win. ... (But) we could live with the results if we play hard and play well.”

Either way, Nemi thinks they're ready:

“Now we’re settled, and we have experienced guys who know what it takes to win,” Djurisic said. “As soon as we get thrown in the fire against Tech, or any other opponent in the preseason, I think we’ll be able to do the things that we need to do in order to win.”

Me?  Put me in the camp that says a loss isn't the end of the world, but a win sure would be nice.  Sounds like Kenny Gaines will go, although I wouldn't expect to see the same guy we saw last February.  I'd settle for a nice 10-12 minute spark from him tonight.

Georgia can absolutely win this game.  We'll find out soon if the team is ready to shake off the early season yips that have plagued them the last couple of years.

h/t Seth Emerson

Tyndall to meet with NCAA

Donnie Tyndall will get his day in court:

Tyndall, 44, said late last week that he had not been contacted by the NCAA. However, he will meet with the NCAA on Tuesday and has retained the counsel of Stu Brown out of Ice Miller's Collegiate Sports Practice in Indianapolis.

Retaining counsel is often not a good sign, but it's no indicator of guilt either.  It will be interesting to see where this goes.

h/t ESPN

It can always be worse

Forget looking bad in your exhibition game...sometimes you actually lose.

Memphis, by the way, got some top 25 votes.  Not sure how many Christian Brothers received...

h/t ESPN

Welcome to Athens

As has been widely covered, two new Dawgs have joined the fold:  Will "Turtle" Jackson and E'Torrion Wilredge.  You should be excited about this.  Why?

Let's start with Turtle Jackson, who was once committed to the reigning national champion UConn Huskies.  Depending on where you look, he's a borderline Top 10 in-state talent (exactly the kind we've been begging Fox to keep in Georgia) and Top 150 national talent.  He's also saying things like this:

“A lot of other schools, when they recruit you, they tell you you’re the greatest player to ever come out, but you know that’s not true,” Jackson said. “Not everybody’s going to start in college, not everybody’s going to be the man. He was real with me and I love that.”

And this:

 “I had to sit back and tell myself, what would be best for my future,” Jackson said. “Going to Connecticut and sitting behind a guy for two years or going to UGA and working for a spot? I want to try to change the program. I want to see the respect for Georgia basketball rise, just like the football team and they want the same thing. I want to make a difference, do something different.”

Stop it, Turtle...you're getting me all riled up here.

So yeah, a kid who's good enough for UConn is staying home to try to change the culture of UGA basketball.  Turtle, glad you're coming to staying in Athens.

Then there's E'Torrion Wilredge, once a consensus Top 100 player who was injured and became something of a sleeper.  This guy fills the major need for the Dawgs next year, which is SF.  In fact, if he decided he wanted to graduate and play after Christmas, they could use him right now (no, this is not happening).  His signing will also soften the blow if Tevin Mack decides to go elsewhere.

Mack, along with PF Derek Ogbeide, are set to make their choices literally any moment now.  VCU and South Carolina are thought to be the leaders for Mack, whereas Ogbeide may very well end up in Athens.

Regardless of what happens, Jackson and Wilredge form the foundation of what can be a very, very good class for Fox.  He could easily turn this into a Top 25 class, which is exactly what the doctor ordered for Georgia basketball (especially if you-know-who were to shock the world and pick UGA).

So leave whatever the season may hold for tomorrow.  Today, let's be excited about some new Dawgs, and hopeful that Fox is well on his way to righting this ship.

Update:

 “One great thing about Turtle is he’s very driven to get better,” Fox said. “Most of the conversations with him were not so much about the recruitment as they were about, how can I get better? His first question would always be, how do you think I played? How can I get better? I love that approach that he has to the game. Very humble kid.”

I need a cold shower.

h/t everyone in the world

Mark Fox interview

Mark Fox sat down for an interview this morning.  Here it is if you missed it.

If you don't have time to listen, I'll hit some of the highlights:

• On playing a rival to open things up:  "You know your team's going to be pretty dialed in mentally..."  After the lackluster openings to the last few seasons, let's hope so.
• On why he likes his team:  "Finally we have some experience that returns."  This is a common thread in Fox's comments this fall.  Hopefully that experience translates into success.
• On his timeline for the season:  "The games in November and December are almost more important than that games in January and February."
• On the perceived strength of the SEC and Georgia's place in it:  "We did have two teams in the Final Four last year...and Tennessee advanced deep into the NCAA Tournament...and Kentucky tied us in the SEC and Tennessee was behind us."  He's right, of course, though all three of those teams handled Georgia fairly easily head-to-head.
• On the seniors:  "Now to have some seniors who can be leaders for us...we just have not had that."

He also says Kenny Gaines returned to practice on Sunday, but he's still not sure he'll be able to go Friday night.

I am really glad Fox is talking the talking re: the importance of non-conference play.  Let's hope the team can walk the walk starting this week.

Is Kentucky beatable?

Spoiler alert:  I don't think Kentucky will lost a single game this year.

Turns out I'm not alone:

"Those guys are unreal," Georgetown coach Chris Briggs told reporters after the Wildcats dismantled the Tigers 121-52 at Rupp Arena. "I told the guys in the locker room, [the Wildcats] could have beaten some NBA teams tonight, there's no question in my mind."

Some NBA teams? Really?

"I knew they were good coming into this game, but sitting out there watching it on the sideline, honestly I don't see how they're going to get beat this year," said Briggs, whose team saw Kentucky shoot 64 percent from the field and record assists on 32 of its 46 baskets. "I don't like to say that, because I know people have off nights, and things can happen and this and that, and injuries and things like that, but if they play like they did tonight, they're an NBA playoff team."

Coach Calipari said in a later tweet that he believes any NBA team would bury his Wildcats, and I happen to agree with him.  That debate, however, is not pertinent.  The question is whether or not any college team can beat them.  My heart says, "Oh, God, I hope so," but my head says no.

h/t ESPN

The road to the tournament

When Mark Fox was hired, he said it takes "5 or 6 years" to build a program.  With that in mind, I'd like to officially welcome you to year 6 of the Mark Fox regime.

I know it makes some Georgia fans uncomfortable to harbor any sort of expectations for the men's basketball team, but it's time to make the NCAA Tournament.  Period.

As a fanbase, we have been (relatively) patient as Fox has built the team his way, and now is when that has to pay off with a 2015 tournament bid.  Here are three ways that can happen:

1. Win every home game.  As a season ticket holder, I wouldn't hate it if this is the route they went.  There are 16 home games on the schedule, and sweeping all 16 would give Georgia wins over Seton Hall, Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Florida.  At that point, Georgia would only need 3 or 4 road or neutral site wins to punch their ticket.  Before you dismiss this as ridiculous, remember that Georgia was 14-2 in Stegeman last season, and one of those losses was the baffling choke job against Vanderbilt.
2. Avoid bad losses.  Barring anything disastrous, Georgia will likely be favored in close to 20 games this season.  Yes, that is a reflection on the conference as much as it is on Georgia, but by winning all of these games, Georgia avoids the dreaded "bad loss" blemish on the resume.  Mix in one or two upsets, and it becomes hard to leave the Dawgs out.
3. Win the SEC tournament.  The nice thing about playing in an automatic bid conference is that it's truly never over until it's over.

There's nothing revolutionary there at all, and if Georgia does go dancing, it will likely be due to a combination of #1 and #2.  My point is that it's there for the taking.  The team is sprinkled with veterans and the schedule really couldn't be better.

Don't be afraid of expectation and don't be afraid of hope.  The season is here and that, in and of itself, is reason for excitement.

Go Dawgs!

Remain calm

The exhibition was scary.  Kenny Gaines has the kissing disease.  Everyone forgot how to shoot.

These are all things we should set aside for the weekend.  Instead of thinking about all of that, let's watch this video of Georgia knocking Michael Jordan and the North Carolina Tar Heels out of the 1983 NCAA Tournament:

Have a good weekend, everyone, and think happy thoughts!