LIVE: Georgia looks to strengthen NCAA bid against Florida
Ladies and gentleman of the Bulldog Nation: Here's the critter you've learned to hate.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hello. This is the week I was scheduled to check in on the Braves at spring training in Orlando, and it just worked out that there was a pretty good college basketball game tonight on the way.
Georgia, which I think will have a strong enough resume to get into the NCAA tournament, nonetheless has a chance to remove some of the doubt tonight when it faces 13th ranked Florida at the O’Connell Center (7 p.m., ESPN2).
This will be a significant test for the Bulldogs, who are coming off a huge 69-63 road victory at Tennessee (whose athletic department before long I believe will officially become an extension of San Quentin. The Volunteers’ football, basketball and baseball programs all have been under NCAA investigation.)
The Dogs (18-8) have shown that they can play with Florida (21-5), having lost to them in double overtime at Stegeman Coliseum last month, when a desperation 30-footer by the Gators’ Erving Walker at the end of the first overtime tied it. But Florida has won five straight and eight of its last nine since a surprising home loss to South Carolin.
Georgia catches a break in that forward Chandler Parsons, the Gators’ leading rebounder, is expected to miss his second straight start with a thigh bruise, although he could see some playing time.
OK, here’s the latest on the Dogs’ tournament chances. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, in his latest “Bracketology,” lists Georgia among the “most talked about bubble teams” at No. 41 overall. Here’s what he wrote:
Playing in the tougher SEC East, the Bulldogs can survive a loss at Alabama if they can pull the upset at Florida on Thursday night. Georgia has been a .500 team since mid-January and is far from secure without at least one more quality win on its resume.
In Lunardi’s most recent projected bracket from Monday, he has Georgia as a No. 10 seed in the East Regional with a first-round match-up against Washington.
That’s it for now. I’ll be live blogging as much as possible during the game while trying to work on the post-game column. Have any thoughts on tonight’s game?
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
361 comments Add your comment
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
7:38 pm
Bad turnover there as Florida cuts it to 9 off fastbreak.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:38 pm
or bong either?
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:38 pm
I hear ya Cletus.
This is only to pass the time.
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
7:40 pm
Robinson makes mistakes but he’s got some quicks.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:40 pm
Parsons is a heck of a talent. Great play Gerald
J Clay
February 24th, 2011
7:40 pm
Too funny, the banner ad at the top of this blog is “Georgia Tech 10-11 basketball sith the slogan, we’re all in” They ought to know this blog is not their target or ask for their money back from AJC for wasting paid impressions on a UGA blog…
I wonder if they give away tickets would people go watch them play? I think the answer is no…They have better chance with banner ad that says “help use raise $7MM to get rid of Screwitt”
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:41 pm
bad defense at the end of the half. offensive rebound unexcusable.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:41 pm
WOW dawgs didn’t need to give that up.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:41 pm
alright….. 7 points.
We usually are outscored at least 8 in the 2nd half. So not feeling great here.
Beast from the East
February 24th, 2011
7:41 pm
I feel like we escaped the first by only being down 7. As bad as we shot and as bad as UGA killed us on the boards, this could be ugly right now.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:42 pm
Jeff, you keep your seat. I’ll bring back the bagels.
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
7:42 pm
Dogs up by 7 at half. Overall a good half. Unofficial shooting numbers: Georgia 15/25 … Florida 10/27. Dogs slight edge in rebounds 15-11 but twice as many turnovers (6-3). Got a little sloppy near the end of the half.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:42 pm
DA double then sit on your OTHER hand for 10 minutes and try feeling yourself again to start the 2nd half. LOL
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:43 pm
I do love the “stranger”
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:44 pm
Jeff
Are you actually at the game or are you on the sofa and blogging?
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
7:44 pm
@ DA I’m hoping the Tennessee win got us over the hump…I understand your concerns…we are BEATING the gators A$$$$ Fox needs to say that at half time….
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:44 pm
ever pulled the “popcorn trick” on a first date?
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:45 pm
HAHAHHA
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:46 pm
Funk,
This is one of those situations where I feel like a Techies when playing us in football. If we win, I will be exuberant about it, but if we lose, I expect it anyway. So no real emotions to lose tonight.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:47 pm
yes i did DA and he was really mad
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:47 pm
They don’t sell a POPCORN bucket Big-E-Nuff. LOL
BobDawg
February 24th, 2011
7:47 pm
Dawgs have to keep up rebounding and intensity… Hopefully Parsons leg will stiffen up during halftime…We are doing a good job on Florida’s Bigs… Dawgs look like they are growing up finally…
GATA!!!!
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:48 pm
Todd did you not hug and snuggle long enough? LOL
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:48 pm
mad? really?
Every girl I’ve pulled the “popcorn trick” on has identified it as the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for them.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:49 pm
DID FOX get son Nolan Richardson in him? This is WAY WAY faster than I expected.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
7:49 pm
You just plagarized my thought process…(but if we win..and get hot we could be 5 or 6 seed..)but…I’m cool with a 9 seed…the dawgs can beat anybody…(and lose to anybody…)
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:50 pm
I just hope for future sake, Trey Thompkins realizes he would be making a grave mistake for his career if he left early after this season.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:50 pm
DA I think he was making a joke about it being a GUY just for kicks.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:51 pm
Funk,
agreed. If we do get to the Dance, I would have no problem picking the Dawgs to beat a couple middle of the pack teams.
I do feel the Duke and Kansas’ out there would DESTROY us, however.
cattle dawg
February 24th, 2011
7:51 pm
Thanks for posting what channel the game is on, now I dont have tu surf the guide channel. Hows the atmosphere?
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:53 pm
Jeff must be gone from the keyboard. he is getting some bad Natcho Cheese Chips and a Dasani.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:55 pm
Gators’ depth is worrisome
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:56 pm
OK DAWG fans I know you saw the Vols Hoties that are at part of the recruiting problems, but tell me you wouldn’t hang this those girls for a night.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:56 pm
5150 you are correct. just a joke.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
7:57 pm
damn…we gotta play another half…???
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:57 pm
I know it was a joke. I have a sense of humor too.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:57 pm
I say we are tied by the 16:00 mark
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
when i’ve pulled the popcorn trick with a girl, she has replied that it was the biggest trick ever played on her.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
wow.
we have come out ASLPEEP.
surprise, surprise.
J Clay
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
bad end, bad start…looks familiar
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
Not good foreshadowing with a turnover and Parsons getting out on the break like that.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
Todd
Have you seen the WATER NAKED yet? HAHAHAHAH
Please don’t answer either way.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
I wish I had a dollar for everytime Schultz has looked at a female collegian…
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
7:59 pm
Like I said … Gators cut an 11-point lead to 3 at 33-30.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
7:59 pm
never seen a white kid get to the basket as easy as we let Parsons.
J Clay
February 24th, 2011
7:59 pm
why does this happen every game in the past 3 weeks???? What the hell
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:00 pm
5150 — I’m here at the game.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:00 pm
My new prediction is UGA down by 5 by the 16:00 mark
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
8:00 pm
This has been the DAWGS problem. The football team did the same thing. Coming out flat after the half against a beatable team.
J Clay
February 24th, 2011
8:01 pm
where is the jabroni that said we were maturing? A mature team would go ahead and blow out a team one of these games – rather than blowing lead every game (win or lose) even to sorry teams (see Auburn and South Carolina)