3:59 left in second half, Georgia trails 52-46
It's not looking good for Georgia right now. Xavier has led for awhile, and had an answer after the Bulldogs pulled within one.
Trey Thompkins also has four fouls. He only has two points since midway through the first half, but it's hard to see the Bulldogs rallying without him.
The fans aren't liking the officiating, but the Bulldogs have mainly themselves to blame. There have been careless turnovers, some sloppy boxing out and they still can't create many good shots.
10:51 left in second half, Georgia trails 43-41
Still back-and-forth. But at the moment not trending in Georgia's direction.
For a second there Georgia had its biggest lead of the game, five, after its first 3-pointer. Then Xavier grabbed back control with an 11-2 run.
Xavier is starting to get more rebounds, and more fluid on offense. The Bulldogs have been getting a lot of transition chances, so that's taken away from their offense.
15:48 left in second half: Georgia leads 32-30
You could definitely sense a different energy about the Bulldogs to start the second half. There were two blocks in the first three minutes - the second by Trey Thompkins brought a roar from the crowd.
But the Bulldogs still only lead by two (it was four when Jeremy Price went 1-for-2 from the line). The defense remains solid, but on offense the Bulldogs just aren't getting many open shots.
Oh, and the fan picked out of the crowd to shoot baskets at the just-completed timeout was terrible. I mean just awful. They always are.
Halftime: Georgia leads 27-26
This one has looked like it’s being played between two teams that need this one, but are strangers to each other. The intensity isn’t low, it’s more that both teams are feeling each other out. There have only been six fouls called, combined. How many SEC games have we seen one team reach the bonus well before halftime?
The biggest lead for each team has been four points, with Xavier leading most of the rest of the half. It was 25-21 when Georgia’s Travis Leslie started a run by making big plays on both ends: His blocked shot of a baseline drive forced a turnover, and seconds later he made a driving layup.
Georgia's next 3-pointer will be its first. It's been getting most of its points in transition and by getting it inside. Normally it needs at least some 3-point presence to win, but Georgia's defense has been pretty good, particularly with shot-blocking.
But the Bulldogs probably need to pick up the outside shooting to have a chance here in the second half. Xavier's a good team, and likely to start getting a bit more comfortable with the road rims.
10:43 left in first half, Georgia leads 15-14
It's hard to get a sense for this game so far: Both teams started out a bit cold, especially Xavier, possibly due the unfamiliar environment. Then the Musketeers got going, with guard Mark Lyons making the kind of beautiful drive that should remind people what kind of talent is on that roster.
The Bulldogs are trying to get some points inside: Jeremy Price tried the first two shots, and Chris Barnes has some points. Then there's guard Gerald Robinson, who made a nice slashing layup. The Bulldogs are going to need more of that dribble penetration, I think, to open things up for Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.
6:30 p.m.: Pregame thought
Greetings from Stegeman Coliseum, where I'm wrapping up (hopefully) a long day that's been filled with suspended tailbacks, newly-hired assistant coaches and now a fairly big basketball game.
How big for Georgia? As far as its NCAA tournament resume' I'd equate this with two SEC games. Basically, if Georgia wins this one - thus giving it a marquee nonconference win over a team currently 24th in the RPI - it could probably be safely in the NCAAs with an 8-8 league record.
But a loss tonight, and Georgia's best nonconference win is over UAB, and its only other high-quality win is over Kentucky. So without a win over Xavier, I'd guesstimate that Georgia would need 10 league wins - including the SEC tournament - in order to make it.
The saving grace is the bubble is so weak, that a win tonight isn't an absolute necessity. But tonight is a good opportunity for the Bulldogs.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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19 comments:
this is a pretty sorry live blog
What is wrong with you people? Nothing but complaining...
Yeah, I just don't understand the comments on here. It is too the point that I will probably just stop reading them.
We have no answer for this Holloway kid when he drives. So fast.
This one feels like it's slipping away.
As much I don't want to say it Georgia is not a NCAA tournament team right, hopefully they will get there but to this point they have lost every big game they have played except Kentucky. I am not giving up on you boys just not good enough right now
I wasn't upset at most of the calls. The one against Thompkins when he was falling was straight BS. May not have decided the game, but it still made me mad. Tough game. Dawgs lost it near the end.
Anon 8:41
Yeah...really fast.
This team has ZERO heart, ZERO effort, and Travis Leslie has ZERO sweat when he plays. Trey is the next Josh Smith: too much complaining to actually live up to his potential. Gerald Robinson forgot how to get to the basket without committing an offensive foul. We are NIT bound.
-End Rant
Being pushed into an opposing player by another opposing player is a foul. And don't you forget it!
Ho hum.... Our Mouseketeers lost to the Musketeers. Our program still sucks like our football team. This team did a complete meltdown tonight. This team wouldnt make it past the first round of the NIT much less the big dance.
This program is a joke. Mark Fox stood looking clueless in the waning moments of the game. Pathetic ! Another wrong hire in out Athletics program.
Tough loss. Might be it for our NCAA hopes. Fox is still a great coach but we better figure out some way to start winning big games.
Seth, once again you swing and whiff on a basketball blog. Makes me wonder how an esteemed, acclaimed Southern writer the likes of a Lewis Grizzard or David Hale might have handled this game and the results.
Bottom line: this team has played like crap since the Kentucky win at home and has zero quality wins since then. The only thing that has helped UGA, and I mean the ONLY thing, is that we have managed to escape any bad losses. But what are we now? 1-6 or 1-7 vs. teams in the RPI Top 50? That won't impress too many members of the selection committee, for sure. We have no winning arguments versus the 8th , 9th and 10th teams in the Big East.
With 7 games left, UGA will likely go 2 and 5, with wins vs. LSU @ home and So Car @ home and losses vs. Vandy @ home and UF, UT, So Car and Ala on the road, unless I've missed anything the last month of the season.
If Fox chokes away this season, which it looks like he will with Thompkins - perhaps the most overrated SEC pre-season POY ever - it's gonna be hard-pressed for him to build any fan momentum for next year. For instance, I have season tickets for this year and there is absolutely no way I will be renewing with the per seat donation for next year at this point. Why? 'Cause we choke like big Dawgs at home. If we're going to piss away games like we did tonight, at least Fox could do is get a Technical. Especially when the game was out of reach down the stretch. Disheartening.
@David Basham
Why don't you write the blogs? If you aren't happy, stop reading. Jesus. Seriously, you people are effing crazy. So, critical over a FREE blog. You don't pay. You don't subscribe. He writes the news. We read it.
We get it. You all miss Hale. He isn't coming back.
I hope a lot of you would agree with me on this. Seth, you are doing a fine job and I hope you don't pay attention to these crazy people. Stick around because I wouldn't have much to read during the day (other than what I read for school).
@David Davis: If you don't like my response to the blog, you're more than free to write me at my gmail address, as is Mr. Emerson. Or, at least, you could respond to what you perceive as the faulty logic in my post. If not, just go to sleep and focus on your coursework. Leave the late-night hoops discussions to the adults.
Seth,
I think you should pull a Jerry Seinfeld and go heckle this David Basham guy at His work, just head down to the 40 watt and bash away. Just a suggestion.
Btw, I think your are doing a fine job.
@Anon 12:08:
I have been heckled and cajoled by far more intimidating persons than Mr. Emerson at the 40 Watt or my previous gigs, which can readily be found with a Google search. In either case, bring it. I can hold my own on any discussion involving this rather lackluster basketball team and season.
Greg, dynamite insight. Thanks for sharing.
Seth, was the crowd as bad as what it looked like on TV? It looked freaking half full for an, almost, must win game. Pretty good indication of how people are feeling right now. Florida used to be the same way. The only true thing that brings people into the fold and keeps them there is winning.
I'll never hate on someone taking the time to a UGA blog and putting up legitimate content. Good job Seth.
As for the Dawgs, I agree with D. Basham up there on one thing, with the expectations that were put on this team, it can only be classified as a disappointing year if we go to the NIT. I know it's a work in progress but that's just the way it is.
Nothing I've seen suggest we'll be favored in any game the rest of the way outside of LSU. South Carolina is 4-4 in league and doesn't look like a gimmie anymore.
I've said before, anything can happen but I just don't see a switch going off and us suddenly becoming great. This loss may have been the nail in coffin for our hopes for the Big Dance. We'll only know in hindsight but if we go O-fer against Vandy, UF, and UT we don't deserve to go anywhere.
Bulldog Ben and D. Basham are both brutally honest and totally correct. This team is playing uninspired. The talent we have been led to believe is there, including NBA people, is totally underachieving, especially in the big games at home. Mark Fox must shoulder that blame. Trey Tomkins continues to do serious no-shows for long stretches. This is not the route that Basketball must take to get serios believers. Seth, you are doing just fine with the blog. Don't sweat it.
Aladawg
Aladawg, the game that really opened my eyes was the Auburn game. That's one we should've had no problem with but we damn near lost. For a team that was so good at home last year, we're 3-3 since conference play started at home.
I just don't know where the disconnect is.
Sadly, what stings the most is if we get a foul called in the UT game or play some perimeter Defense in the UF game we're probably talking about how high of a seed we're going to get.
As it is they probably doomed us to the NIT.
I hope I'm wrong.
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