My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/bulldogs-blog/
and update your bookmarks.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Hoops: UAB game blog

Georgia wins 66-64

The final minutes were scary for Georgia, and not just because of the score. But it came out with the victory and its star player appears OK.

Trey Thompkins stayed on the floor, hurt after a driving layup by teammate Gerald Robinson with 14.9 seconds left, which gave Georgia a 64-61 left. The fans, realizing who was hurt, went quiet.

But after a minute Thompkins walked off on his own power, so it didn't look like he re-injured his ankle. He may have just had the wind knocked out of him.

As for the game, here's how Georgia escaped:

Jeremy Price sunk a couple free throws to make it 62-59 with 1:04 left. A running layup by Cameron Moore got the Blazers back within one, and with a 12-second difference between the game and shot clock, UAB elected not to foul, and Fox elected not to call a timeout.

Robinson, left to his own devices, made a driving layup with 14.9 seconds left – but the result left Trey Thompkins on his stomach, down with an injury.

While Thompkins lay down, Fox gave his team defensive instructions – don’t foul. UAB’s Jamarr Sanders squared up for a 3, but it was short. Robinson rebounded, was fouled, and hit both FTs.

So Georgia escapes with perhaps its first quality win of the season. Assuming Thompkins is OK, a good night for the Bulldogs.

3:53 left in second half, Georgia leads 56-55

The Bulldogs haven't trailed in this game - but they may after the media timeout.

UAB will be shooting free throws, and this is officially anybody's game. The Bulldogs are killing themselves on the defensive end, especially with rebounding: Georgia would have a comfortable lead if it didn't give up so many offensive rebounds.

On the plus side, Georgia’s half-court possessions are getting a little more controlled. Not surprisingly, the result was two set-play baskets: Trey Thompkins posted up and banked in a shot, then Jeremy Price did the same. That made it 56-51, but UAB has come right back again.

The shots also aren't falling this half: Gerald Robinson had a wide-open baseline 3-point attempt come up way short a minute ago.

10:41 left in second half, Georgia leads 50-46

Whereas Georgia was the energetic team in the first half, now it’s UAB, which is showing off its athleticism and seems in control of the tempo, though it still trails.

Trey Thompkins hasn’t scored, after notching 14 in the first half. And Travis Leslie remains stuck at four points. I'll say this: Leslie has a knack for completely disappearing from games, and he's doing it again.

But Georgia does have a bit more of a cushion than it did a minute ago. Gerald Robinson hit a big 3, rolling off a screen and nailing a shot from the top of the key. That made it 50-44, after UAB blew a chance to get within one by missing two free throws.

Marcus Thornton contributed a nice offensive rebound, literally grabbing the ball away from a Blazer.

By the way, Mike Davis remains a weird duck. The UAB head coach, who became known for his eccentric ways at Indiana, is spending part of the second half sitting on the end of the bench, even when the action is on the opposite end. I’ve never seen a coach do that.

15:42 left in second half, Georgia leads 47-42

Well that didn’t take long. Georgia, which led by as many as 15 late in the first half, saw its lead dwindle to three here early in the second half.

UAB went on a 15-4 run that spanned both halves, thanks to a lot of layups, and a 3 to start the second half.

The Blazers missed a 3 that would have tied it, got the offensive rebound, but then turned it over. On the other end, Dustin Ware hit a jumper.

End of the run? Not yet: UAB will be at the free throw line when the media timeout ends.

Halftime stats

The rebounding margin is what stands out: Georgia 23, UAB 10. In fact, the Bulldogs have more offensive rebounds (11) than the Blazers have total.

Georgia shot 56 percent in the half (20-for-36), with Trey Thompkins 7-for-9. UAB shot 47 percent (14-for-30).

Travis Leslie (four points) and Gerald Robinson (six points) have been kinda quiet. But guys like Jeremy Price, Sherrard Brantley and Chris Barnes are picking up the slack.

End of half, Georgia leads

No doubt, this is the best Georgia has looked this season. And it's probably no accident that its star player is as healthy as he's been.

Trey Thompkins, looking fully recovered from a high ankle sprain, scored a team-high 14 points in the first half.

Jeremy Price (eight points) continues to be a factor, and is a big reason Georgia is dominating on the boards.

Sherrard Brantley also has a couple 3s, which is a good sign. The Bulldogs need 3-point shooting, and they're finally getting it, at least in this game.

The Bulldogs are just playing with a speed and focus that I haven't seen in them this year. The players (and to a certain extent, Mark Fox) said the team was tentative in Orlando, getting used to playing once again with Thompkins. That unease is gone tonight.

That said, this one isn't over by any stretch, especially considering UAB is capable of scoring a lot of points in a hurry. Georgia's biggest lead was 15, late in the half, but the Blazers showed they weren't going away.

9:56 left in first half, Georgia leads 25-14

Georgia is having a lot easier time with the home rims than the ones at Disney.

The Bulldogs have jumped out to a big, early lead on UAB thanks to some good shooting, which is coming from all areas: Trey Thompkins has eight points, Jeremy Price has six, Sherrard Brantley has a 3-pointer ... I could go on.

There haven't been many empty possessions for the Bulldogs, who look very active on both ends. They're not giving up offensive rebounds, have two blocks, a steal and five assists.

Georgia head coach Mark Fox said Thursday that some of the cold shooting in Orlando may have had to do with the game ball, and that Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan had reported the same issue. Whatever ball they're using tonight seems to suit the Bulldogs just fine.

15:59 left in first half, Georgia leads 14-4

Georgia is off to a great start. Trey Thompkins, looking a lot more comfortable than he did in Orlando, scored the game’s first two baskets. Then Travis Leslie threw down an alley-oop dunk, and Gerald Robinson Jr. had a driving reverse layup. It was 8-2.

Those are the Bulldogs' top three guys, so that's a good sign. In Georgia's first few games, including lackluster home wins, the stars took awhile to get going. Especially Leslie.

Thompkins is now up to eight points. Yeah, he looks fine.

6:25 p.m.: The writer arrives.

Welcome to Stegeman Coliseum ... Well, you're probably not here. But if you care about hoops, you should be.

This is a fairly big nonconference game for Georgia, which is off to a 4-2 start and needs a quality win or two for its postseason resume'. And UAB would be it. There's a good chance the Blazers are going to be the best team from the great state of Alabama that Georgia faces this year.

(Unless the Bulldogs draw the Auburn compliance office. If they can get Cam Newton off, they can probably win a few basketball games too. ... Did I just write that? Oh never mind.)

UAB (6-1) already owns a win over one SEC team, Arkansas, and should be a contender in Conference USA.

As I elucidated in today's papers, the next two games could be a critical stretch for Georgia. So it sets up an interesting night.

14 comments:

Big Muddy Dawg said...

Go Dawgs! The ESPN3 online broadcast is blacked out for me here in Memphis.

Anonymous said...

Seth, will you give us casual fans a run-down on each player? I know about thompkins and Leslie, but not much about the rest of the guys and their strengths/weaknesses. Thanks

Big Muddy Dawg said...

Looks like Trey is on fire tonight.

Big Muddy Dawg said...

Following along on the blog as well as ESPN Gamecast, looks like were dominating the boards.

What was different about the balls they were using in Orlando?

Live from the Liberty Bowl said...

To those of you gamecasting:

We've had our way down low with Thompkins and Price - offensive rebounds and pts in the paint are indicative of the dominance in the front court. That said, UAB is a good squad and have been a second half team all year. I anticipate the game getting closer as the half wears on. Still a few too many sill turnovers by us, but probaly the best half we've played this season.

Big Muddy Dawg said...

I was scared to death when Trey went down. Walked off alright, though.

Missed three by UAB! Dawgs' ball!

David Davis said...

I am hoping Thompkins isn't hurt after that fall.......wow..what a game. Go dawgs!

Anonymous said...

Trey landed on his hip. I hope he's not limited or out for Tech. That was a nasty fall....the UAB guy pushed him in the back pretty hard.

ChrisDawg said...

I'll admit I have never really followed Dawgs basketball. I love the NBA though. The Lakers and the Dawgs are my two teams.

So how good can this team be? They have two possible lottery picks. I know that is a great thing. Is this supposed to be the greatest Dawg bball team in a long time? How long has it been since we have had a team this talented?

Also what is the best case scenario for this team? Sec champions? How far can they go in the tournament?

I don't mean to sound stupid but while I live for Ga football I know nothing about any of the other programs.

Rick said...

@ChrisDawg

It wasn't your questions that made you sound stupid. Being a Laker fan is what did it.

CSA said...

Rick,

You calling out a bandwagon fan here?

Rick said...

CSA,

Let me put it to you this way. I'd be surprised if ChrisDawg has ever set foot in the state of California, let alone Los Angeles.

ChrisDawg said...

You guys have no idea about me yet you act as though you have known me for my whole life.

I'm born and raised in Ga. My family is from Southern California. Spent much time there. I have seen Lakers teams from Magic and Kareem play straight up to Kobe and Pau.

I have always been a a college football, NBA, and NFL fan first. Dawgs, Lakers, and Falcons. I used to be a Braves fan but I just can't get into Baseball anymore. I wish I could but it just seems to boring now. My favorite baseball player of all time is Terry Pendleton. I was a Braves fan before they were good so no bandwagon jumper there.

Became a fan of the Dawgs in the late 80's. Not really consistent great teams until Richt came around. Became Falcons fan at the same time. Really they have never been consistently great. Only one of my teams can you say I could be a bandwagon jumper. The Lakers. Yet I got into them through family at a young age. All the other teams i love even the Dawgs have gone through many years of not being that great. Also I have stuck with them and all my teams through tough times.

CSA I have seen you post here before and thought more of you than that. Rather than answer one of my questions about the Basketball Program you say I am bandwagon fan. I don't know either one of you personally and will not act like I do.

CSA said...

ChrisDawg,

Stop Crying. Nobody cares.

Sincerely,
CSA