Latest installment in Clean Old Fashioned Hate (Updated)

Clean Old Fashioned Hate reigns every week. (Collegeflagsandbanners.com)

I’ve seen this referred to as Hate Week II since Georgia and Georgia Tech meet in men’s basketball tonight, the Lady Dogs already having fallen to the Lady Jackets on Sunday.

But let’s face it, when it comes to the Dogs and Jackets, every week is Hate Week.

You’ve no doubt seen the supporters of the Institute show up in this forum from time to time, taking their shots at UGA. A year ago most of their posts were ridiculing Georgia’s bowl game destination: Shreveport.

Typical was a comment from a GT fan calling himself Toe Meets Leather, who opined: “I think the greatest challenge facing UGA will be concentrating on Texas A&M, given the tremendous distraction posed by leisure time in the great metropolitan area of SHREVEPORT! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. ”

Funny, I’m not seeing too many posts comparing the respective teams’ bowl destinations this year. Both teams finished with 6-6 records, but Georgia is headed to Memphis, home of Graceland and Beale Street and a short ride from the Mississippi casinos, while Tech is going to … Shreveport.

George O'Leary has a 3-4 record against the Dogs since getting rescued off that island. (Turner Home Entertainment)

At least Tech fans are consistent, though. They didn’t think much of Shreveport last year and apparently don’t think much of it now that their own team is going there; thus the school is offering discounted tickets to the Independence Bowl for just $14 to the first 5,000 purchasers. Maybe they ought to throw in a Coke and a hot dog.

Of course, there’s a slight Tech connection to Georgia’s bowl destination, too, as the Dogs will be playing the 24th-ranked Central Florida  Golden Knights (there’s that color again) led by former Tech coach George O’Leary, who has a 3-4 career record against the Dogs that includes the infamous three in a row that got Jim Donnan canned.

As for tonight’s game, the home team has won all but one of these rivalry matches since the series returned to home-and-home in the 1995-96 season after 14 years at the Omni. The exception was 10 years ago when Georgia won at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. So Tech probably ought to be considered the favorite tonight, even though Georgia comes into the game with a slightly better record and the Jackets have lost two straight, including by 20 points to Northwestern. They also got beat by Kennesaw State earlier in the season.

Last year, Georgia upset the No. 20 ranked Jackets 73-66 in Athens (where Tech hasn’t won since Gerald Ford was president). Making it two years in a row would be a definite step forward for Mark Fox’s program and wouldn’t hurt in recruiting Atlanta kids, either. Also, a win on the road against the Jackets would be a big plus in trying to make the NCAA tourney. Along those lines, the game is being televised nationally on ESPN2.

Win or lose, though, Dogs fans can take comfort in the fact that Georgia’s not going to battle the distractions of Shreveport this year.

And Tech is.

You think Toe Meets Leather is still laughing?

Go Dogs!

UPDATE: Another thriller in the “Thrillerdome.” Great 3-point shooting by Dustin Ware, especially that last basket. But Mark Fox’s Dogs could have made it a lot easier on themselves if their free-throw shooting was stronger. That’s definitely an area that needs improvement. Still, a great win in Atlanta!

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