Kentucky: post mortem

Where do you even begin with a game like this?  I normally try to start positive, but that's not going to be possible today:

• Georgia had 11 made baskets, and I missed 2 of them thanks to Michigan State and Purdue going into overtime.
• In fact, 5 of the 11 made field goals came in the first 6:30.  Two of them came in the last 2 minutes.  That leaves almost 32 minutes of game time where Georgia made just 4 baskets.  Inconceivable.
•  If Kentucky had stopped scoring at the 16:47 mark of the second half, they still would have won.
• Georgia somehow finished the game without a single steal or blocked shot.
• Literally the only positive for Georgia in the game?  Free throw shooting.  Part of me wishes they hadn't wasted a 23-27 night from the line on this game, and part of me is relieved they didn't shoot them like they normally do and lose by 45.
• Teams that have beaten Kentucky this year: UCLA, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Kansas, and Tennessee.  They are good, but they are not the juggernaut we're used to.
• Why did Houston Kessler and Kenny Paul Geno get such extensive minutes down the stretch?  If you want a silver lining to a blowout it's that you can get your freshmen some time on the court.  Fox's handling of his youngsters continues to boggle the mind...
• It's pretty safe to say that if you hold J.J. Frazier without a field goal, you're going to beat the Bulldogs handily.
• Let's not forget that Kentucky was without Alex Poythress...
• I don't know about you, but I didn't see any surefire lottery picks on the floor for Kentucky.  Jamal Murray has shot the lights out two games in a row now, so perhaps he'll play his way into one of those spots.  The bad news is that a lot of these guys may be back next year.

It's not that Georgia lost - losing in Rupp is no great shame.  It's how they lost.  The hope was that Georgia would return to the tournament and, at the same time, return to relevance.  That simply has not happened.  Whatever the "eye test" is, this team doesn't pass.

However, the team could technically still squeeze their way into the tournament field.  That seems insane to type, and it means Fox can't just pack it in and go all in on the freshmen (not that he'd be likely to do so anyway).  Besides, the team owes it to two great seniors to fight until the bitter end.  That fight commences in Starkville on Saturday (where Arkansas was just blown out).  As to which Georgia team decides to show up, your guess is as good as mine.