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
Back to reality
February 24th, 2011
9:15 pm
N I T Here comes the Dawgs !
Don Imus
February 24th, 2011
9:17 pm
Those Tattooed Dawgs cant play basketball when it counts.
5150 UOAD
February 24th, 2011
9:20 pm
I have seen most UGA student athletes. Why does dribbling seem so difficult? They do it on the coloring books they take to class. LOL had to go there.
Dogs Smell
February 24th, 2011
9:25 pm
Can Georgia beat Florida in any Sport? Good Lord it took Ga 8 years to beat Tennessee in Knoxville , they went a decade of losing to them football and now I think UF would beat Florida in who has the prettiest dog as a mascot !
Buzz 2010
February 24th, 2011
9:28 pm
What happened there DADoubleUG? Big talk as always and nothing else. All it takes to beat the Thuga’s is a Florida uniform. This Dawg team is no better than there sorry football team ( UCF?), worthless baseball team and every other sport. You can’t spend enough or stay out of jail enough to win anything. Dawgs are worthleass and if not for your miracle 3 pointers you should have lost in Atlanta to the worst Tech team in years..Dawgs stink!!
Buzz 2010
February 24th, 2011
9:31 pm
Oh and Fox is a second rate coach as well. Maybe you could get Jimmy Harrick back for
your next mighty SEC campaign..Jim Donnar for football coach as well..
ldh
February 24th, 2011
9:36 pm
Same old same old.Georgia looks great in the first half then forgets how to play in the second half.They pound it inside in the first half and dominate.In the second half they turn into a jump shot team with no emphasis on getting it inside.And Robinson SUCKS!
Flatsdawg1
February 24th, 2011
9:37 pm
The dawgs have made one improvement I’ve seen this year, at the free throw line. The team would not be on the bubble if it could play any, I repeat any type of defense. This team has the worst of personalities in that they play hard, go up by ten in the first half, and lose it in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Fox needs somebody to fire them up for the second half because I don’t think he does. They have a good core of players but get outhustled too much in the second half.If they make the tourney, I don’t think they’ll win many if any.
Same ole UGAG
February 24th, 2011
9:45 pm
The inbreds are lucky to have a coach as good as Mark Fox. He is pretty damned dumb to take a job as weak as this, but Fox has done a good job in a horrible place. Or maybe he’s recognized the impossible task there in the Barn. I mean, if your best win is a pathetic win over Tech in a game they virtually never showed up……you stink. Seriously. That’s why nobody is showing up at The Thriller Dome. They stink and are disillusioned with Paul Hewitt. What more reason is there?
Point blank Tech hoops should be whooping up on Ugag hoops by 10-15 points every season without question…..if not for crappy coaching on the Flats.
Buzz 2010
February 24th, 2011
10:27 pm
Hey DADouble, you know the Dogs may knock off one or two teams in the big dance.
Where is the NIT being held this year anyway? Just feel good that you will not have to
dance with any Gators as they will be at the really big dance. I just have a good feeling
about these Dogs!!! By the way I think the big G logo is really cool.. You know the green
and gold one the Packers wear..
ATLSN
February 25th, 2011
9:50 am
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