Live from the Stegasaurus: Dogs and Cats in a big-time tilt
The red team warms in the foreground, the blue in the back. (Hi-def photo by M. Bradley)
Athens — Not to put too fine a point on it, but Georgia needs to beat Kentucky. Yes, it’s early — actually, it’s the SEC opener for both — but the Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule did them no favors.
Georgia enters today’s game with an RPI of 59 (ESPN.com link requires registration), which is low for a team with legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations. It’s not that the Bulldogs lost a slew of non-league games — they were beaten only by Notre Dame and Temple — but that they didn’t beat anybody any good. (It didn’t help that Georgia Tech, which UGA shaded in Atlanta, has an RPI of 180, which is wretched.)
On the famous Joe Lunardi’s latest installment of ESPN.com Bracketology, he doesn’t have the Bulldogs in his field of 68. (Remember, the Big Dance gets bigger by three.) Nor does he list Georgia among his first four out, or his next four out. Lunardi has four SEC teams gaining entrance, all of them from the Eastern Division.
Neither does Andy Glockner of SI.com have the Bulldogs in his latest projected field. (He does, however, include them among his last four out.) Even as we stipulate that it’s a long way to Selection Sunday, we must also note that a home loss against Kentucky wouldn’t exactly set Georgia off and winging.
But now the good news: I don’t think Georgia will lose to Kentucky, and I think beating the Wildcats, No. 8 in the RPI, should have a galvanizing effect on both this program and its numbers. I don’t think Kentucky is quite as good as its reputation, and I think Georgia’s reputation is about to get a new coat of glitter. But I have been known to be wrong. (Though not often in calendar 2011, now in its eighth day!)
With that, the hardwood floor is open for questions, comments and snide notations that I am, in fact, a UK grad. And I should note that a host of great basketball minds (myself not included) have gathered for this, including three men who have been the Hawks’ general manager at some point — Pete Babcock, Billy Knight and Rick Sund. So here’s where you get to show off your basketball IQ: Join me and make salient points!
By Mark Bradley
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341 comments Add your comment
D A Double U G
January 8th, 2011
3:33 pm
Say it ain’t so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Numero Uno!!!!!!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:33 pm
second is never good enough
D A Double U G
January 8th, 2011
3:34 pm
And BIG congrats to the UGA football program for picking up Damian Swann today at the Army All American game.
Welcome to Bulldawg Nation Damian!!!!!!!!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:35 pm
is that runs per inning Mark?
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:36 pm
to be honest, i prefer making pithy comments vs. salient ones.
dawgwalker
January 8th, 2011
3:37 pm
Fox is a great coach.Now let’s get some wins baby!!!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:38 pm
let’s hope the ole prognosticator is accurate at least for today
D A Double U G
January 8th, 2011
3:41 pm
It would be nice to beat Kentucky, but all the fans in the stands are only there to pass time between now and Football Season.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:41 pm
Mark did you know that for the first time in UGA history the basketball coach is more respected and carries much higher expectations of success than the football coach?
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:43 pm
and Fran Tarkenton had it right when he blasted Richt on 680.
Lewis Grizzard
January 8th, 2011
3:45 pm
I never thought I’d live to see the day when Georgia basketball was more exciting than football.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:45 pm
First time in history, eh?
Weren’t Tubby Smith and Jim Donnan coaching at the same time?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:46 pm
Kudos, D A Double U G
Billy Jack
January 8th, 2011
3:47 pm
@ todd…he sure did that was ugly Fran undressed Richt on a cold rainy day..(shrinkage)
Big game for the Dawgs today the line in Vegas is UK -6pts…I like UGA straight up..
Scott
January 8th, 2011
3:47 pm
I’ve started to really enjoy Georgia’s basketball program ever since CMF took over… Great job Mr. Fox! Thanks for giving us something to be excited about…
chank a long
January 8th, 2011
3:49 pm
fran is arrogant and oversimplifies things way too often. why bring religion into the discussion? sorry todd, your wrong. thanks for the vote of confidence mark! lets get this conference schedule started off right!!!
D A Double U G
January 8th, 2011
3:49 pm
Richt wouldn’t be so “disrespected” if Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz didn’t write 7 or 8 articles a week bashing every breathe he takes.
Paul Johnson had a very snotty post season presser yesterday, where he said he knew before the season even started that the team was wrong. But you aren’t seeing any articles criticizing his losing season. He is still a genius in the eyes of the middle school bully tandem of Bradley and Schultz.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:50 pm
Ratings Percentage Index: RPI.
Or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
WonderDawg
January 8th, 2011
3:51 pm
It feels good to have some hope going into the SEC schedule for once. It has been a long time since UGA basketball had much to hope for. Go Dawgs!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:53 pm
but everybody knew that Tubby was biding his time till Kentucky called. i think Fox is a keeper.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:54 pm
is Tubby in the college hall of fame ala Donnan?
WonderDawg
January 8th, 2011
3:55 pm
I have to disagree with you D A Double U G. When I was at UGA, my friends and I went to the basketball games for the same reason we went to the football games: to party and fire on the coeds.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:56 pm
@DA I dont remember Mark or Jeff losing any games as Georgia head coach. just sayin…
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:56 pm
I imagine Tubby will be in the Hall of Fame.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:58 pm
A few empty seats near the top of the ol’ barn, even though it was an official sellout.
Good crowd, though. Not many Cat fans.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
3:58 pm
I’ve never seen Mark venture very far from the facts (at least as he perceived them)
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:59 pm
Darius Miller is introduced for UK. He’s from Maysville, Ky. As am I.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
3:59 pm
Thanks, Coach Todd. Sometimes perception gives me problems, however.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:00 pm
so a poor RPI could mean RIP to a coach’s career
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:02 pm
i think your problem may be occasional issues with depth perception. richt has the same issues with perception of depth on his team.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:03 pm
what kind of name is Antinio?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:04 pm
Gerald Robinson with a layup and a dunk. And Calipari with a timeout 94 seconds in.
Beeeeg Boy
January 8th, 2011
4:04 pm
What do you think of the face lift on old Steg?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:05 pm
Six-nil. Thompkins in the lane.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:06 pm
Coliseum seems about the same to me.
And it’s full as we speak.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:07 pm
Lamb and Mr. Maysville with treys. Dogs by a point.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:09 pm
sounds like a lot of iron is being drawn at the moment
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January 8th, 2011
4:09 pm
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Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:09 pm
Georgia leads 9-6 at the first TV break.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:09 pm
come on, after all that loot we’ve spent on stegman?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:10 pm
Actually, much defense is being played. Both sides overplaying every pass.
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January 8th, 2011
4:10 pm
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January 8th, 2011
4:10 pm
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todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:11 pm
stegman is, unfortunately, the ugliest building on campus.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:11 pm
Mark, have you seen Herb White in the building?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:12 pm
I haven’t seen Herb. I imagine he’s on hand.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2011
4:13 pm
Tied 9-9. Lamb with a drive and a foul.
JSS
January 8th, 2011
4:13 pm
Say what you like about Damon Evans; he at least brought some equity across the money spending landscape in the athletic department in Athens… That was sorry needed…
@ Mark Bradley…
Did you watch Louisville-UK? How does UL look that bad against a team with no post presence?
todd grantham
January 8th, 2011
4:13 pm
the famous Elevator from Decatur
JSS
January 8th, 2011
4:14 pm
Oops, “sorely”