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.