Auburn: post mortem

There are losses that are so bad, they simply have to be "thrown out."  Texas A&M was one such game.  Sometimes the other team plays so well, and beats you so thoroughly, that there's almost nothing to learn.  You just move on.

The win over Auburn feels like that.  Georgia beat a relatively bad, desperately shorthanded team soundly, and there's almost nothing to be learned.  Move on:

• As much as I fret about Mark Fox's ability to take the program to the next level, another sellout would suggest that people are at least paying attention.  It was a good crowd that never really had a chance to affect the game because the outcome was hardly in doubt.
• Aren't you glad J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten are coming back next year?  Many saw Maten's progression coming, but Frazier has taken his game to a level very few saw coming.  He didn't even play all that well on Saturday and he still led the team in scoring.
• Then there's Maten, who throws up one of the quietest 12/12 lines imaginable to go along with 5 blocks.  I say quiet not because it didn't matter, but because it looks so easy you hardly notice.
• To me, one of the biggest plays in the game was Frazier drawing the offensive foul right before halftime.  Instead of Auburn dribbling out the clock and perhaps cutting the lead to 6 points, Georgia had a chance to extend it even further.  Smart play by a wily veteran.
• Auburn is going to live and die by the 3-point shot, and boy did they die a spectacular death on Saturday.
• Derek Ogbeide needs to learn to defend without fouling, and he needs to do so quickly.  He's not very useful sitting on the bench.  The fact that he grabbed 5 rebounds in 6 minutes certainly whets the appetite for more.
• It sure seems like E'Torrion Wilridge has turned some sort of corner.  He looks confident running the offensive sets, and his defense remains strong.
• Some people will hate me for saying this, but I love watching Cinmeon Bowers play.  Bruce Pearl started him at point guard!
• With that said, watching Yante Maten block his shot three possessions in a row was gratifying.  Good defense, big man.
• I bet Connor O'Neill wants those free throws back...
• Devon Gales got the biggest cheers of the night, and deservedly so.  I got choked up explaining to my wife who he is and what he's gone through.  It's wonderful the way the entire Bulldog Nation has embraced him.

Let's be clear - that game was boring, but I'm not complaining.  Good teams beat bad teams, and it doesn't always look pretty.  If Georgia is going to be a good team, we should expect and celebrate such games.

With that said, a whole different level of play will be required to spring the upset Tuesday night.  Will the Bulldogs finally step up and announce their intention to dance?

Bracketology 101

I continue to believe Georgia's NCAA Tournament situation is pretty simple:  one more regular season win gets them in (Missouri, Kentucky, or @Auburn).

That's one man's opinion, though, and hardly scientific.  The only opinion that matters is the collective opinion of the selection committee.  So what will they be looking at?

Jerry Palm is here to help.

The whole article is a good read, but I'll point out a few things of interest to Georgia fans.  Like this:

There is a common perception that how a team is playing at the end of the year is more important. Many people feel it should be. None of those people are on the committee. That used to be a factor, which is likely why many people still think it is. They used to track how teams performed in their last 12 games, but got rid of that several years ago. Now, it's hard to look at those team sheets and even determine how a team has done lately in your head because the dates of the games are not prominently displayed, or even formatted like a date. The committee is committed to the concept that every game counts equally no matter when it's played.

Because two of Georgia's worst losses came near the end of the season, this should be considered good news.  The losses to Auburn and South Carolina may be fresh in our minds, but they hold no additional weight just because they are recent.

Then there's this:

Injuries, suspensions, and things of that nature are reported separately, but rest assured, the committee knows all about whatever problems a team has had over the course of the season. It's not terribly important, though. In general, a team's profile is its profile. The committee will not assume a team would have won a game it lost had it been at full strength. They also will not ignore the game. There may be some slight seeding consideration given, but sometimes that doesn't even happen. Those adjustments tend to happen more to teams that have lost key players for the season rather than for a few games.

It's harder and harder to deny that injuries played at least some part in the losses to South Carolina (twice) and Auburn.  It may not seem like much, but if it's enough to move Georgia from, say, an 8 to a 7, that's enormous.

For fans, this is when it gets fun.  Georgia is playing for something, and that's exciting.  For players?  Tune it out.  Just win, baby.

[CBS Sports]