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.