Alabama: post mortem

True story:  as Cameron Forte took that pass, put the ball on the floor, and started driving, I yelled, "God, no!" so loudly I scared my dog into hiding.  I had to coax him back out after the game was over.

Half of me wonders how Georgia won that game, and the other half wonders why Alabama was even close.  At this point, these guys better go to the tournament to compensate me for all of the premature aging they've caused this season:

• Forgive me if I lacked confidence in the last seconds in Tuscaloosa.  Let's just say the basketball gods owed us this one...
• I guess we should start with Forte, who put together another fantastic stat line.  In just 21 minutes, he went for 8/10/1 with just a single turnover.  He's the kind of guy that's going to provide real, quality depth next season when everyone else is (hopefully) healthy.
• Of course, his shot (that, yes, went in) at the end of the first half was just terrible.
• Great game for Nemi, and it should have been even better.  Alabama had no answer for him down low to start the game, and if not for what seemed like a really fast 3-second call, he would have scored on Georgia's first three possessions.  I have no idea why Georgia stopped feeding him.  You think he wants to experience the big dance?
• Yante Maten brought the block party again, and none was bigger than the one with 1 second left.  Great job by Gaines of contesting without fouling, and an even better job by Maten of hustling back and throwing the shot out of bounds.  Even with time on the clock, the game was effectively over at that point.
• How frustrating was that first half?  Goergia held Alabama to 11 points at the under-4 media timeout, and they were only up 8 - a lead that evaporated almost immediately, I might add.  This team is allergic to double-digit leads, as the same thing happened in the second half.  I don't know what it is, but the Bulldogs just haven't figured out how to kick an opponent when they're down.
• I thought the back-to-back dunk (awesome) and 3-pointer might get Kenny going, but no such luck.  His defense remains dynamite, though.
• I won't even mention Georgia's free throws.  I will say it was nice to see the other team shoot themselves in the foot at the line for once.
• Normally I think Mark Fox's technicals are tactical.  This one was not.  It was a genuine outburst over a really, really bad no-call.
• The 3-on-1 break that ended with Forte getting his shot blocked was frustrating.  You absolutely have to get points there.
• Good job by Frazier getting to the rim.  Now he has to start finishing.
• The box score on this one is remarkably even.  Georgia made one more field goal, tied Alabama in rebounds, had one more assist, tied Alabama in blocks, turned it over two less times, and committed one more foul.  I guess that's to be expected in a 1-point game.
• If I have bad dreams tonight, they're likely to feature Charles Mann against the press.  Or spotting up at the 3-point line.  He went 7/8 from the free throw line, though, and his late game drives were courageous.
• By the way, that fifth foul on Marcus?  Should have been on Nemi...
• You have to figure Anthony Grant's seat is very, very hot right now.  After this loss, the NIT is probably the best-case scenario for Alabama unless they win the SEC Tournament (which they won't).

Great team win on the road.  Unfortunately there's very little time to enjoy it.  Georgia has made their bed, and now they must lie in it.  A win Wednesday night in a very, very difficult game in Oxford will all but punch the ticket.  A loss will have us on the edge of our seats until the last game of the season.