Enter the Matrix

Wednesday morning, perhaps without knowing it, you woke up into a world in which Georgia basketball is getting some national attention:

Nemanja Djurisic doesn't care to look into the future.  Georgia’s lanky 6-foot-8 forward only cares about here and now. He might be part of a Bulldog team that suddenly looks like a spoiler in the SEC, but that doesn’t mean Djurisic and his teammates have next week’s matchup with No. 1 Kentucky circled on their calendars.

“To be honest,” Djurisic said, “I didn’t even realize it’s two games away.”

Why would Georgia worry about a game against the nation’s top-ranked team? Because the Dawgs might actually be dangerous in the SEC.

So have you arrived when SI.com implies you can give the best team in the nation a run in their own gym?

Mark Fox, for one, wants everyone to slow their roll:

“I don’t think we’re playing anywhere near where we can,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “Some of our turnovers and struggles are my fault. But it’s a good win, and we beat a team that’s going to win its share of ball games.”

What I love about Fox's quote, and Djurisic's above, is the promise that the team isn't looking ahead and the acknowledgment that they haven't scratched the surface of their potential.  If Georgia had won 5 straight blowouts you could forgive them for peeking forward to Rupp, but reality says Columbia is going to be another battle.

What lies ahead for this team is a great unknown.  They could play to a 4 or 5 seed just as easily as they could play their way out of the tournament.  The players have bought in, though:

“I feel like we are going to change it,” Gaines said. “Coach Fox is a good coach. He always leads us in the right direction, so whenever he sees us falter in a certain area, he is sure to pick us up and we get it right.”

It's nice to hear all the right things.  Let's hope it's not just bluster.

Go read the whole article.  You may not learn much, but it's nice to see Georgia get a little love on a non-Georgia site, isn't it?

h/t Zac Ellis