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?
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361 comments Add your comment
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:34 pm
That’s 3 straight 3 pointers for Florida.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:34 pm
how on Earth do you let the same man have 3 consecutive open looks like that??
Beast from the East
February 24th, 2011
8:34 pm
on fire
G
February 24th, 2011
8:34 pm
UGA has been killed all year because they have no threat from outside and their perimeter D has been horrible all year.
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:35 pm
Gators open up lead to 10 .. That might be it.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:35 pm
turn out the lights, the party’s over
dbc
February 24th, 2011
8:35 pm
I can’t watch this team anymore.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
8:35 pm
iT IS GETTING fast AND NOT toS LEFT IF IT GETS CLOSE. Reminds me of Crimmens game management at the end.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:36 pm
At least we cannot blame our Coach.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
8:36 pm
G must stand for genious…..nuts…I guess we r done…
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:36 pm
Florida had only 2 three-pointers in first half, already 5 in this half.
buick59
February 24th, 2011
8:36 pm
UGAG…excellence in LOSING
Dawgtownrambler
February 24th, 2011
8:36 pm
Georgia can beat anyone…except FLORIDA!!! Why the hell is that?
Turn out the lights...Party is over
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
UGA cant beat Florida in anything these days.
yuck
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
Losers…just like the football team…forget you, Georgia, forget you
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
I got 5.5pts….I’m not going to bed…
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
OK, maybe it’s not over. I’ll just keep quiet now. (Nice resolve.)
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
mini run
Since Vince
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
This game is OVA.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
8:37 pm
WHY did the Gators call a TO? Keep the clock running and Fox from talking to his players?
Since Vince
February 24th, 2011
8:38 pm
Gym Dawgs cant even beat Florida.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
8:38 pm
I’m not allowed to watch women’s gymnastics….but I think we beat UF..???
yuck
February 24th, 2011
8:38 pm
God hates UGA…God love Florida…no other explanation…with I had gone to UF instead of UGA…sucks for me and all of the other UGA fans that have to put up with constant losing…
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
We got this.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
maybe…just maybe…
Jeff Schultz
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
Nice play but Thompkins has to make those. He’s mad at himself.
Terry Funk
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
@ Since Vince…u are mean…how do u sleep @ nite..??
Beast from the East
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
UF beat the Dawgs in Athens about a week or so ago.
buick59
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
if Thomkins or Leslie think they are NBA ready they are delusional.
Newbomb Turk
February 24th, 2011
8:39 pm
Was it over when the German’s bombed Pearl Harbour???? No, and it ain’t over now.
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
Florida is to UGA as UGA is to Tech.
Since Vince
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
Softball team ranked # 1 till they meet the Gators…. Bank on it…
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
i get so tired of those damn budwieser commercials on college games. the hypocricy is astounding.
Beast from the East
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
in gymnastics…..left that part out.
Dawgtownrambler
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
guard the perimeter!!! They are down at least 6-8 ponts and we could be up!!! How can you let a guy hit 12 points in less than a minute!!!
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
8:40 pm
Gym DAWGS don’t lose many National Championships. Leeburn keeps Yonclan DRUNK and making the right calls. Maybe RICHT needs to get in LEEBURN’s Bed too.
dbc
February 24th, 2011
8:41 pm
Everybody raves about Thompkins, I just don’t see it. He’s underachieved all year. After every game he talks about how he needs to step up his game. So when exactly is that gonna happen, Trey?
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:42 pm
Trey Thompkins and Ricky Rubio will make a small town in Spain happy one day.
Since Vince
February 24th, 2011
8:42 pm
Thompkins needs to quit pouting and get that sullen look off his face.
Dawgtownrambler
February 24th, 2011
8:42 pm
If Basketball were just 1 half then we could almost be undefeated!!!
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:42 pm
was it over when we bombed hiroshima and nagasaki? yes it was
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:42 pm
I still think anything less than a 10 point loss is a “good loss”
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
8:43 pm
Can we get OVERTIME? Jeff you might be staying LATE.
Beast from the East
February 24th, 2011
8:43 pm
There is no good loss.
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:43 pm
parsons likes the iron too
Dawgtownrambler
February 24th, 2011
8:44 pm
If the DAWGS could play hard all game long it would surly play off! Can’t the players see that???
todd grantham
February 24th, 2011
8:45 pm
cant give away free throws
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:45 pm
in the NCAA eyes, there are “good losses”…. maybe “impressive loss” is a better term.
AdMan
February 24th, 2011
8:45 pm
If anyone really thought the Dawgs would win at Florida tonight you must have been smoking something. Georgia”s team has no heart…no true team leader…even when they’re up by double figures anyone who’s watched them knows they won’t and can’t hold a lead. Until they get someone on the team that can consistantly fill it up from the outside no one…and I mean no one that’s any good will ever be scared of playing the dawgs. …It’s a shame…. the only thing that Florida has better on their team than Georgia does is the ability to shoot and make the outside shot…hello NIT!
D A DoubleU G
February 24th, 2011
8:45 pm
my god.
you cannot miss both.