Georgia in the NCAA: A good team that still might get it right
The bright lights of the Big Dance shine on the Bulldogs' media session. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Charlotte — Sometimes I feel I’m the lone ranger. I watch Georgia and I see good players, a good coach and a good team. Others wonder why this team made the NCAA tournament field. So I asked Lorenzo Romar about the Bulldogs, and now I don’t feel so all alone.
Said Romar, whose Washington Huskies will play Georgia on Friday: “I definitely don’t see a team that shouldn’t be here. They’re physical. In the paint they’re more than capable of playing well and competing against any team. They’re well-coached. They have a system that you can see they’re disciplined in. They have great quickness, and they really do a good job defending.”
Then, regarding Mark Fox: “You can see he has them playing the right right way. I’m really impressed with how he goes about handling his business.”
Then, regarding Trey Thompkins, the Georgia forward Romar coached this summer as part the USA Select team: “He was good … I loved his attitude, his mobility, his versatility. Just a nice stroke. Has great hands.”
Then, regarding the other Bulldogs: “Travis Leslie is a phenomenal athlete … He can run like a gazelle. And their guard play is good as well. They have good quickness on the perimeter. They have a real good blend.”
About here, I nearly jumped up and said, “Exactly!” I managed to restrain myself, but it’s always nice to hear a learned basketball man say pretty much what you’ve thought for four months: That these Bulldogs have it within them to be a big-time basketball team.
I admit they haven’t always behaved that way. That’s how they came to lose 11 games and nearly play themselves out of the Big Dance. But there’s not much Georgia can’t do: They can shoot it and they can score down low and they can defend and they’re seasoned. (They start four juniors and a senior.) That said …
I expected more. I expected Georgia to win more close games along the SEC trail than it has. I didn’t expect the Bulldogs to blow a 14-point lead inside the final seven minutes against Alabama last week. I can understand why outsiders don’t expect much from this team in this tournament — at 5 1/2 points, Washington is the biggest favorite by far among the No. 7 seeds — but I also keep thinking there’s more to this team than we’ve seen.
Either we’ll see it Friday or we’ll spend the summer wondering why we didn’t. Washington can be beaten. (The Huskies have lost 10 games and finished third in the not-very-hot Pac-10.) This stands to be one of those fast-versus-slow deals, as they say in NASCAR: Washington runs and presses and averages 83.5 points; Georgia prefers to settle into its half-court triangle and averages 69.8.
Loading ...Whichever team can make the game move at its speed figures to win, and in the NCAA tournament, with its heightened tension and longer timeouts, it’s easier for a deliberate team to slow a faster opponent than for the quicker side to mash on the gas. Although Romar did say: “As the season has evolved, we’ve learned from our mistakes. We have better patience.”
As for Georgia, Fox said: “We’ve always tried to play as fast as we can play well, and we’ll have to try to find that balance.”
This one seems simple: Either the 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas flits through Georgia’s defense and the Huskies score big, or the Bulldogs hunker down and clog the lane and guard the perimeter — doing both isn’t easy — and the underdog carries the day.
I’ve waited all year to see Georgia win big games, and it has won a couple. It’s probably wrong to expect this team to win a couple more this weekend in the crucible of the NCAA tournament, but that’s why I’m the lone ranger. After all their near-misses, I still expect the Bulldogs to get it right. I expect them to frustrate the Huskies. I expect the team that wasn’t sure it would make the field to be playing Sunday.
By Mark Bradley
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159 comments Add your comment
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:11 pm
FIRST
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:12 pm
Mark, does Vandy losing make the SEC East look not as tough?
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:14 pm
Enter your comments here
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:16 pm
Ok, one more question since I’m the only one at work….after reading that great article in the AJC on coaching fundamentals, is Mark Fox a good fundamentals coach?
Paul in RDU
March 17th, 2011
7:17 pm
Mark,
I don’t doubt that UGA has good talent and a good coach, but doesn’t the opposing coach always say good things about the opponent before the game? I remember how Vince Dooley would make the Little Sisters of the Poor sound like a cross between the 85 Bears (on D) and the 84 49ers (on O)
2BT
March 17th, 2011
7:18 pm
Vandy goes down – Kentucky barely beats 5 stiffs from the Ivy league. Quick exit for the SEC East!
Beast from the East
March 17th, 2011
7:23 pm
Got the Huskies in the pool but I’m pulling for the Dawgs!
Mark Bradley
March 17th, 2011
7:24 pm
Well, yes, Paul. But I’m not sure Lorenzo Romar is on the level of Vince Dooley — the unchallenged master — when it comes to gushing.
Worm
March 17th, 2011
7:26 pm
Let’s hope Fox coaches better than Stallings..And 2bt-How’d Klempson fare?..Louisville?
Uga'91
March 17th, 2011
7:27 pm
Hey Mark do you think our guards are quick enough to cover Thomas?
Mark Bradley
March 17th, 2011
7:27 pm
I don’t know why Kevin Stallings bombs out in the tournament every year. He’s a good coach.
Mark Bradley
March 17th, 2011
7:28 pm
I don’t think Ware or Robinson is as a quick as Thomas, but I think they’d better slow him somehow.
DawgFan
March 17th, 2011
7:30 pm
UW Dawg fan here … Mark is right, UW can be beaten if their outside shooting goes cold, and they get rattled. Team is explosive though, and have 4+ guys who can consistently hit the 3, plus a first team all conference PF, and a gritty PG who can dish & score, inside or out. Having watched a lot of Pac-10 ball this year, the conference is not as bad as it appears to be (despite USC’s choke job in the play-in game.) This year’s Pac is better than last year, and UW won their first 2 tourney games last year as an 11 seed and have a lot of that team back. Georgia will need to keep it low scoring to win, and will need to capitalize on open/timely 3s to win. If UW starts running it’s going to be a 10+ point win for the NW Dawgs. Good luck and enjoy.
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:30 pm
You’re underestimating U-W’s depth, that is not a swipe at UGA. They are fierce when focused….
Uga'91
March 17th, 2011
7:32 pm
I wish this was a football matchup. We need to play teams like UW, And USC every now and then for national exposure. Particurlarly since they are on the rebound like we are.
Beast from the East
March 17th, 2011
7:32 pm
Gators up by 23 and diving after loose balls. That’s Billy D!
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:33 pm
If you are depending on Ware or Robinson to stop Thomas, you might as well book the tickets home…
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:35 pm
what lorenzo went without saying is Georgia has no depth and the secret to winning is to wear them down.
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
7:36 pm
The FLYING thing is not OVER-RATED, but these DAWGS have not displayed a Killer instinct of the Legs to win a second half of a close game.
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
7:37 pm
UCSB look real bad.
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:38 pm
Mark Fox has done an excellent coaching job this year with some front line talent. Next year that talent is gone and he will have one heck of a challenge getting back to the tourney.
Beast from the East
March 17th, 2011
7:39 pm
Delta,
They do and UF is shooting lights out. Not a great combo for UCSB.
UGASlobberknocker
March 17th, 2011
7:39 pm
Vandy gets me every year. I have decided that they depend too much on the three to win a big game. Next yr I’m taking their opponent ,I don;t care who it is. Now Kansas will lose and my bracket will explode as usual.
But my Fiasco Final 4 is still alive!!! That might end soon, though, since my road map for UGA is this 1/Beat Wash 2/beat UNC 3/beat Xavier who we have already played close 4/beat Ohio State..we can match up to their big guys..so UGA in the Final 4. Cant miss winning the Fiasco! Im gonna love that ipad.
Seriously, if my Final 4 actually makes it there should be an investigation
Georgia/Duke/No Dame/Florida
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:42 pm
I never get sucked in by Vandy, Ole Miss, or most Kansas teams….
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:44 pm
The old story is Vince, as a good Catholic, had to go to confession after many an interview about the week’s upcoming patsy.
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
7:44 pm
Slobberknocker
You should bet on if VANDY will graduate more Student Athletes than our Dawgs. I know you will get good ODDS against, but you might guess as right as our football players do on their final exams. Alwasy take the SURE bet.
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:46 pm
If you can play the wings and handle pressure in the half court, then you can beat Vandy! What don’t most SEC teams do well?
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:47 pm
Delta, i thought all were flight attendents these days.
Terry Funk
March 17th, 2011
7:47 pm
watching Wisconsin is horrible….2morrow nite I have no clue… the dawgs could lose by 10 or win by 10..but I love the dawgs +5.5
Paul in RDU
March 17th, 2011
7:47 pm
Mark,
I agree with you about Vince Dooley – the anti-Rex Ryan.
UGASlobberknocker
March 17th, 2011
7:47 pm
I’m on the March Madness online streaming site. It’s great and you can hop from game to game, but I cant find where I can get all 4 screens up simultaneously (like you can do on ESPN3 ). I know my limitations..Do any of you Techies know how to do that?
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:49 pm
i hate to show my ignorance, but where does the moniker u-dub come from?
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:50 pm
Dub stands for the first sound of W of Washington I guess.
Terry Funk
March 17th, 2011
7:52 pm
Why has Vandy gone out in the 1st round the last 3yrs..?? they screw me evey year on my bracket…
UGASlobberknocker
March 17th, 2011
7:52 pm
Wow. I just wish I had that Vandy advice before I filled out my bracket..Oh wait, I was talking about basketball. Is there a graduation tournament and bracket that I am not aware of? If so, forget Vandy, I’m taking Harvard.
Or Tech if one of their fine fans tells me how to get that split screen going.
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:53 pm
A Mormon rap artist! Life never cease to amaze!
BW
March 17th, 2011
7:54 pm
UW is on a street called the Ave. I’ve always related the two names in my head. As in since the Ave, then the UDub.
Great city by the way. I miss it. Though not as much as I missed the South when I lived there.
NCAA News:Georgia in the NCAA: A good team that still might get it right – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Un official site of NCAA
March 17th, 2011
7:54 pm
[...] Read the original: NCAA News:Georgia in the NCAA: A good team that still might get it right – Atlanta Journal Constitut… [...]
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:54 pm
“My baby gots a haircut like friar tuck!”
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:55 pm
thanks BW. phoenoics was never my strong suit.
Paul in RDU
March 17th, 2011
7:57 pm
UGASlobbernocker
If you are using IE (like pretty much the rest of the world) try opening several tabs and have different games up in each tab. You won’t be seeing screen in screen, but you will be able to jump from one tab to the other without having to reload (kind of like using the remote for your TV)
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:57 pm
terry, how is dory, jr these days?
todd grantham
March 17th, 2011
7:58 pm
someone keep us up to date on big happenings. got law and order on right now.
JSS
March 17th, 2011
7:59 pm
Jimmer is like a time bomb…
JSS
March 17th, 2011
8:04 pm
How does a Mormon kid get a T? Gee gosh oh golly!
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:08 pm
Can JIMMER win enough games to get to the FINAL FOUR? That young man can lit any shot he takes. The Mormon women need to be scared at his ability to score(LOL).
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:10 pm
JSS I think the young man got a T for Telling the Truth on Tapping That Thing.
Terry Funk @ todd
March 17th, 2011
8:11 pm
I whip his assss on a daily basis…
Skeezix
March 17th, 2011
8:11 pm
Meanwhile the Bravos’ hitters are feasting on Nats’ pitchers.
Terry Funk
March 17th, 2011
8:12 pm
them Mormons actually give 10%….unlike the folks on this blog…just sayin….
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:15 pm
Terry 10% times 5 wives is not a lot.
Terry Funk @ Delta
March 17th, 2011
8:19 pm
I read National Geographic….the 5 wives all get welfare $$$..(technically that aren’t wives) we’re paying for those children….now u know..!!!!!!
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:19 pm
A Mormon man fell in love with me 5 times in 2 years. He never shaved or cut his hair so I thought he was a different guy every time. After Rumspringa he had some NEW moves so to speak. That Farmer could PLOW.
Terry Funk @ Delta
March 17th, 2011
8:21 pm
he’s a cheater and he likes um young….calm down..he’ll hurt you Delta
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:21 pm
Enter your comments here
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:26 pm
Terry actually you are wrong about the WELFARE. The Mormon women do not do Govt. assistance like the Blacks, Whites and Hispanics do. I don’t agree with their lifestyle, but they provide for their own. You will not see a Mormon town looking for help like New Orleans.
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
8:27 pm
I am saying Kansas or Duke are this years NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. I am getting back to the Basketball Talk.
smittydawg
March 17th, 2011
8:35 pm
Our guard play is no where it needs to be; Robinson, Ware, Leslie all turn the ball over in pressure situations (hence, why we lose so many leads). Only Ware has been consistent shooting from the outside and he only shoots 2-3 times per game. It’s hard to win in the tourney without good, consistent guard play and we simply don’t have it.
HERE YOU GO Priceless
March 17th, 2011
9:12 pm
Mark Price Craig Neal Mark Price Craig Neal Mark Price Craig Neal
wow big surprise, a quote from former GT player Drew Barry on who ought to coach at GT:
(I think that’s all overrated,” Barry said. “[Price] has played at every level and been highly successful. If you don’t think he doesn’t know basketball and can’t teach it, you’re crazy. Coaching is all about knowing the game and getting the maximum about every players you have.
“I’ve trained with Mark, I know he’s capable of doing that. I’ve worked out with Craig Neal, I know he’s capable of doing that. You can’t go wrong in hiring people like that.”)
thank you a Drew Barry for your comments, how some of you think that you have to start at Grad Assistant and work your way up is how it is, it may be if you are the 3rd string walk on or the water boy. But how any of you GT people could think Price isn’t qualified is beyond me. I guess you same people would tell Larry Byrd the same thing had he called a few years back that he must start at grad assistant. ha
dawgerbrown
March 17th, 2011
9:24 pm
Mark, I agree with everything you say about the DAWGS. They are athletic, talented, and well coached. However, I think their shortcoming is something that can’t be measured. A team that blows as many second half leads and gets out rebounded in the second half, or, when the game is on the line lacks heart. That is something that can’t be coached. The kids have to commit to giving all they have when the game is on the line.
30% graduation rate for most UGA basketball players
March 17th, 2011
10:06 pm
Not so good.
DHD
March 17th, 2011
10:20 pm
A shot at WHAT? One win? So does Morehead State. That’s the nature of these games.
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
10:27 pm
Terry Funk @ Delta
March 17th, 2011
8:19 pm
I read National Geographic….the 5 wives all get welfare $$$..(technically that aren’t wives) we’re paying for those children….now u know..!!!!!!
Ok…mormons don’t believe in polygamy…..its is illegal and the ones that do it have been excommunicated from the church. I think hating on jimmer just because he is mormon is stupid…he is a very good player….get over it.
JD
March 17th, 2011
10:28 pm
Look I’m really crossing my fingers here hoping the Dogs don’t just roll over now that they’re in the Dance. But after watching UW and AZ last weekend, Isaiah Thomas is a force at PG. We get to see just how good we can play defense when we want to I guess….ought to be a close game…
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
10:29 pm
I hope no one giving the dawgs a chance motivates them to prove everyone wrong!
70 tons of trash
March 17th, 2011
10:34 pm
Yep.. The sec is weak and it will show vs. Wash..
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
10:34 pm
Kat
You know there is no Man that can EVER be MAN ENOUGH to be a husband to 1 woman much less 2+. HHAHA we know better no matter what the men think.
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
10:37 pm
I will pull for my dawgs but HUSKIES run as a pack as a team. I don’t think the Dawgs have a TEAQM ready to make a run. I hope for better but I am not sure the boys can do it.
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
10:48 pm
Delta Stewardess
March 17th, 2011
10:34 pm
Kat
You know there is no Man that can EVER be MAN ENOUGH to be a husband to 1 woman much less 2+. HHAHA we know better no matter what the men think.
umm…well I personally don’t care what people do or who they are “married” to lol I don’t see why those women short change themselves though….
just the truth
March 17th, 2011
10:56 pm
Come on ………. can’t you see that Bradley is reeling you idiots in just to sucker punch you !! No wonder you pull for the Dawgs. Bunch of idiots !!
Otis My Man
March 17th, 2011
10:59 pm
Let me start with… who is Otis? Well he is (otis my man-aka otis for UGA on facebook) Anyway, Otis knows these dogs and he is not about to give into some cold weather “huskies” we are playing in the south and after we dispatch the “Huskies” we will take care of the ??”orange men”?? what the hell is and orange man? next are the Tar Heels (just refer to 1982-1983 for that answer) Finally we have some competition against OSU and win at the buzzer. Unfortunately we lose to Duke on the fianl shot and Duke Wins it all against ND. But overall a win for the Foxy’s DAWGS!!
just the truth
March 17th, 2011
11:00 pm
Also for you people who think that the Tech job will or should go to a tech man how loud can I say NO IT WANT !!. It already been decided and the new coach has accepted and is waiting.
Otis My Man
March 17th, 2011
11:02 pm
I think I messed up the order of our conquests– but is doesnt matter UNC then Syracuse.. We win either way. It just symantecs!
Tuna
March 17th, 2011
11:02 pm
I will root hard for my Dawgs (Georgia, that is) but the only way I see them getting past UW is if Price and Ware show up with big performances (to take the pressure off of Thompkins and Leslie) and Robinson gets his head out of his rear-end and doesn’t force stupid turnovers. Also need solid bench minutes from Thornton, Brantley and the Williams duo. Would love to see Brantley stroke some three’s off the bench.
Otis my BEE
March 17th, 2011
11:04 pm
We want the Babul Brothers for Techs next coach(s) Jon for Head and Mike for Asst. Get some smart youthful talent there!
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
11:06 pm
just the truth
March 17th, 2011
10:56 pm
Come on ………. can’t you see that Bradley is reeling you idiots in just to sucker punch you !! No wonder you pull for the Dawgs. Bunch of idiots !!
Go away loser….we can root for our team with no apologies…..go root for your team and mind your own business.
EDIMGIUSAFAD
March 17th, 2011
11:09 pm
UGA – One and done…………count on it.
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
11:11 pm
EDIMGIUSAFAD
March 17th, 2011
11:09 pm
UGA – One and done…………count on it.
It can happen to the best of teams…ask louisville. You don’t know anything yet….why don’t you just wait and see…they might surprise you..but I have a feeling you aren’t a dawg fan anyway and just want to try to start trouble….who is your team btw?
Artie
March 17th, 2011
11:12 pm
I want some of what MB is smoking!!! UGA gets ousted in the first game!!!
Artie
March 17th, 2011
11:13 pm
Uh, Katherine…UGA’s last game is ALL the proof I need.
Katherine
March 17th, 2011
11:27 pm
Artie
March 17th, 2011
11:13 pm
Uh, Katherine…UGA’s last game is ALL the proof I need.
Are you a dawg fan? If so then you just have to have fun, watch the game and be happy if they win. If not…why are you here?
Buckeye
March 17th, 2011
11:29 pm
5 games – self imposed by Tressel. Good enough for you or do you want more blood?
Buckeye
March 17th, 2011
11:30 pm
Stewardess,
Go de-ice something, will you?
JSS
March 17th, 2011
11:39 pm
@ Buckeye…
You know everyone outside of the Ohio State family wants more blood… Thus happens when Caesar comes in the Public square… Your enemies will await your fall…
patrickfromseattle
March 17th, 2011
11:45 pm
UW really has been inconsistent, losing to teams like Stanford and Oregon who aren’t very good, but before they lost some guys to injury they were one of the best teams in the country. At the same time UGA sounds a lot like USC with their bigs who can clog the lane, which gave the Huskies trouble. Should be a good game but UW has the experience and Romar knows how to win in the Dance. They’ve won 4 first round games in a row. If UW can keep playing like they did in the Pac 10 tourney they’ll get past UGA and UNC. They’ve got the talent. Good luck.
SE GA UGA Fan
March 17th, 2011
11:51 pm
Thanks so much for writing a positive blog about the UGA Dawgs! Let’s hope they follow all the good recommendations from you and their coaches to a first round victory. (Hey, it’s rare you AJC writers do any positive commentating about UGA!) Love it, and please keep it up…..
Hoopster
March 17th, 2011
11:56 pm
UDub will run them out of the gym.
JSS
March 17th, 2011
11:59 pm
Actually Patrick, they (UGA bigs) did not do that well excluding Thompkins. Price, while vastly improved is an adventure every game. Leslie on the other is as athletically gifted as any player in this Nation. He can be jaw dropping spectacular. Their problem is they have no ability to handle extended pressure or take care of ball.
icedawg
March 17th, 2011
11:59 pm
I want to believe the DAWGS will win their first one. They have a penchant for getting the early lead only to fade in the end. If they can avoid that they can stay in the comp. Go DAWGS!!
thwg
March 18th, 2011
12:11 am
I used to have respect for you Mark, but this is one of the most hysterical predictions you’ve ever made. Don’t dimish your credibility by being such a pathetic homer to get view. UGA is a pathetic team from a pathetic conference and will loose big to the Huskies, so they will never get a shot at the Tarheels. Looking forward to coming back tomorrow night and rubbing it in.
patrickfromseattle
March 18th, 2011
12:15 am
JSS, that could really work in the Huskies favor. They’re at their best when they’re forcing turnovers and getting up and down the court like they were in the Pac10 tourney. They started a smaller lineup in those games but even when they go small they have a lot of length. Each guy is athletic and active defensively. You’re going to hate Venoy Overton by this time tomorrow. One of the best man to man guys in the conference but one of those players that everyone hates but his own teams fans. You’re going to be impressed with Isaiah Thomas though. Every bit as good as Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Kyrie Irving just doesn’t get the love cause he’s 5′8″ and plays in the Pacific Northwest. If your bigs can’t slow him down and our guys are hitting shots, it could get ugly. Terrence Ross and CJ Wilcox could have big games.
patrickfromseattle
March 18th, 2011
12:18 am
JSS, that could really work in the Huskies favor. They’re at their best when they’re forcing turnovers and getting up and down the court like they were in the Pac10 tourney. They started a smaller lineup in those games but even when they go small they have a lot of length. Each guy is athletic and active defensively. You’re going to hate Venoy Overton by this time tomorrow. One of the best man to man guys in the conference but one of those players that everyone hates but his own teams fans.
patrickfromseattle
March 18th, 2011
12:19 am
You’re going to be impressed with Isaiah Thomas though. Every bit as good as Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Kyrie Irving just doesn’t get the love cause he’s 5′8″ and plays in the Pacific Northwest. If your bigs can’t slow him down and our guys are hitting shots, it could get ugly. Terrence Ross and CJ Wilcox could have big games.
Lone ranger
March 18th, 2011
12:20 am
Hey Lone Ranger…I mean Mark Bradley.
Weren’t you the same blogger that criticized UGA for hiring Mark Fox, calling it a “bad hire”?
patrickfromseattle
March 18th, 2011
12:24 am
Enter your comments hereYou’re going to be impressed with Isaiah Thomas though. Every bit as good as Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Kyrie Irving just doesn’t get the love cause he’s 5′8″ and plays in the Pacific Northwest. If your bigs can’t slow him down and our guys are hitting shots, it could get ugly. Terrence Ross and CJ Wilcox could have big games.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
12:32 am
@ Patrick… Yep, that is the deep fear of the Georgia fans. They see so little of the PAC-10 that they think they are those soft jump shooting teams like Oregon and Stanford was back in the mid decade. I’ve been warning folks that don’t let that mid season hiccup fool you. Once they got that kid’s legal problems straightened out, the Huskies were the team that closed out last two years minus a rebounding machine like Brockman. I just think a lot of them hope the team that beat Kentucky is going to pull a rabbit out of Fox’s hat… I’m not a UGA fan, so I have no dog in the fight as they say…
Cinco de Julio
March 18th, 2011
1:07 am
As GT fan first and a BB fan 2nd ( after Clt 49ers), I hope ( hard to say) that UGA does well ..good coach!
reality check
March 18th, 2011
1:15 am
The “hounds” win but of the purple variety and not the red and black.
Big East is over rated, SEC is not strong enough and ACC is weak.
reality check
March 18th, 2011
1:17 am
Purple hounds win this one. Dawgs on the rise but not there yet. Trouble is we loose many stars for next year. Kind of under achieved in many respects even though we are a good team.
Big East is over rated, SEC not as strong as maybe we thought. ACC is weaker than water other than Duke and NC.
college is forever
March 18th, 2011
1:41 am
http://www.collegelunchboxes.com Go Dawgs, Beat the Huskies!!
jadams
March 18th, 2011
3:22 am
i hope you get beat by 50. I hate you and all of you
Hot news about: ncaa scores : 11 News - Your Dose of Daily News at 11 o'clock
March 18th, 2011
3:48 am
[...] Others wonder why this team made the NCAA tournament field. So I asked Lorenzo Romar about … But there’s not much Georgia can’t do: They can shoot it and they can score down low and they can defend and they’re seasoned. (They start four juniors … read full article… [...]
Mark Bradley`s Booster
March 18th, 2011
5:00 am
Delta Stewardess is either an imposter or a very old retired woman. The airline industry changed the title
to Flight Attendant back in the 1960 era.
UGA-Washington notebook from Charlotte… | UGA sports blog
March 18th, 2011
5:03 am
[...] Mark Bradley’s column. [...]
Buh Bye
March 18th, 2011
6:01 am
Buh bye, dawgtards.
Yogi
March 18th, 2011
6:16 am
I agree with what UGA should be able to do, but what I’ve seen of what they haven’t done makes me think they won’t do it.
Will
March 18th, 2011
6:31 am
Mark:
Your youthful-like excitement and giddy loyalty to Mark Fox and UGA is charming and greatly appreciated in Athens (at Tech you are still “Bark Madly”) but holds no place as a journalist.
This is why you feel like the “Lone Ranger”. UGA completed an under achieving regular season masked as a great season by failures of the recent past. Berfore the season UGA was a consensus “dark horse” to win the SEC, Trey Thompkins was the pick for SEC Player of the Year and no credible source saw UGA as anything but a “lock” for the tournament.
When the ball was tossed, UGA lost 11 games, finished closer to the cellar than the penthouse in the SEC and Thompkins had a subpar season.
While you see Mark Fox as a “great” coach, others see him a good coach who also under achieved and who was outcoached on numerous occasions – most notably in the Xavier and Alabama games where he and his staff were slow to recognize and react changes in game schemes.
No, UGA will not win tonight even though they are playing against another bunch of underachievers.
Mark Fox is a good fit at UGA but the program will take a step back next year with the loss of Thompkins and Leslie. This time next year, because you have a maddening habit of writing to the moment with little or no vision, you will be writing about your disappointment with Fox and his failure to build on this year’s “greatness”. And you will be wrong again.
mowreck
March 18th, 2011
6:36 am
Jeezzzz, I must have been thinking about football on that Missouri / Cincinnati game!
Marietta Resident
March 18th, 2011
6:49 am
Go Dawgs!
From Where I Sit
March 18th, 2011
6:59 am
Right! Really? Until they actually win something, then you can get on the bandwagon.
Gators are in the Final Four!
Enough Said!
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
7:42 am
If, and it’s a big if, UGA can keep it close, and make free throws down the stretch, they can win. All of their losses were close this season, and the common denominator in them was they didn’t make the free throws in the last 4 or 5 minutes.
And this happened in their last game – they missed the front end of one-and-ones four times during Bama’s run at the end of regulation. If the Dawgs make any one of these free throws, Bama loses by a point.
chiefdawg
March 18th, 2011
7:43 am
Dawgs will fade at the end just like every other big game they have played in. They have no heart, stamina,and don’t know how to win. When he is faced with a little adversity Tompkins folds his tent and quits.
joe
March 18th, 2011
7:46 am
How did UGA miss on a kid out of Peachtree Ridge HS in Gwinnett Co. 45 minutes from Athens, they have needed backcourt help for years. His name is Kevin Anderson and he has played at Richmond all 4 years. He has been great there and he hung 25 on Vandy last night to help Richmond in the upset ! We could sure use him…..
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
7:58 am
“…how loud can I say NO IT WANT !!.”
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just the truth, you did mean WON’T, right?
And you call us idiots?
Indydawg
March 18th, 2011
8:09 am
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are talking about UGA basketball making the NCAA tournament. Regardless of the outcome, I’m personally pleased that we at least have some sense of basketball direction. Anything past this point this year is house money.
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
8:35 am
I had UGA in the NCAA’s prior to the SEC Tourney, even with all the bubblespeak. That makes me 1-0 with them. Any game remaining for UGA now is to not squander a halftime lead ala too many times this season. Finishing is the key in the NCAA’s…Good luck. Show them West Coast shooters that speed kills…
General Ledger
March 18th, 2011
8:42 am
The UW press has me extremely concerned. We have not responded well when we get pressed. Too many turnovers. We also have not handled the big games too well. Blown too many leads. It’s going to be tough, I’m afraid.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
8:43 am
That Gonzanga-St Johns game last night might be a harbinger of things to come today. Their guards are nowhere as talented as the Washington back court; but they took one the most aggressive defensive teams in D-1 and broke them down all night long. Once they did that, and the Zags spent the rest of the night turning over the Red Storm bigs too… Robinson and Ware must break pattern. All I can say is geez!
Rickster
March 18th, 2011
8:45 am
After the first day’s carnage, I’m at 26 points. Mark B is at 14.
I ROCK!!
Moof,Moof---TheHairLipDog
March 18th, 2011
8:46 am
What will Mark do when the dogs lose?
Yuppy Puppy
March 18th, 2011
8:47 am
Who cares? Georgia athletics is a joke. Richt can’t win and never will get a national championship. Alabama and Auburn’ new coaches accomplished that within 3 years on the job. Fox is terrible game coach. Perno’s program is on the slide, etc. Face it, Alabama should be here instead of you guys. You got owned twice in the last week by an inferior team with a better coach–Remember the blackout for Alabama a few years ago? Georgia Athletics–underacheiving since 1980! All hail to Jim Harrick, Ron Jirsa, Ray Goff, Dennis Felton and Jim Donnan. Hopefully the performance by your basketball team can exceed the Liberty Bowl performance.
D A DoubleU G
March 18th, 2011
8:47 am
It doesn’t matter what happens because spring training is just around the corner. Who cares about BB?
JSS
March 18th, 2011
8:55 am
Neyland…
Speed kills? Washington has speed! That is not a jump shooters team only… Why don’t you folks hit you tube some time?
Pete Van Weird
March 18th, 2011
8:58 am
Out-foxed–after not fouling Florida and then fouling up by calling a time out vs. Bama, “they might get it right” just yet. Maybe. But it’ll be a bigger miracle than the tornado tourney.
Bogus
March 18th, 2011
8:59 am
Some teams, like Butler, play better against ranked teams. Some, like Georgia, fold, and lose 75% of the games.
Gamboo
March 18th, 2011
9:01 am
Fox is similar to Mike Bobo. They both have mastered the art of buiulding up their stats against unranked teams. But when the smoke & mirrors clear, they got nothing substantial there.
Dink
March 18th, 2011
9:03 am
Mark:
Good call on Morehead State yeterday, kudos to you sir.
gdawginkalamazoo
March 18th, 2011
9:06 am
Regarding all the polygamy comments above. There is this dude here in Michigan that was just arrested for polygamy. He had a wife in Rhode Island and just married one here in Michigan. His first wife saw the wedding pix on facebook. He now faces four years in prison. I am thinking he opts for all four years then does something to stay locked up. Can’t imagine the honey-do list with two wives.
Buckeye. I remember that fable that Tressel is living out. “Don’t throw me in the briar patch” said Burr Rabbit. I would be happy with the 5 and the season vacated and the two years of no bowl games. Maybe a reduction of 5 scholarships per season for two years. This one was blatantly bad.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
9:07 am
5 freakin 8 inches! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arV-ITIZxqA&feature=related
gdawginkalamazoo
March 18th, 2011
9:08 am
Back to basketball. I think UGA needs to play a full 40 minutes without letting up. Maybe that goes to the lack of depth that some people are mentioning. Regardless, I am proud of this team for what they have accomplished this season and what our coach has accomplished in his second year.
Finally UGA basketball is getting some good press for a change. Please make it a W tonight.’
Boise Dawg
March 18th, 2011
9:10 am
I do think they have a shot to win today, but the premise of this article is lame. If a team like Georgia hasn’t gotten it figured out by late March, then it isn’t going to happen. Lets enjoy Georgia for what it is… a good team and a program that is remarkable better off today than it was a year ago. But to expect the light switch to all the sudden go on and for them to make a deep run by beating the type of teams they struggled against all season? Likely not going to happen. Good luck today Dawgs!
To Buh Bye
March 18th, 2011
9:15 am
There are probably not many, but for sure a few Washington fans on here, and to refer to them as Dawgtards is not showing Southern hospitality at all.
robodawg
March 18th, 2011
9:17 am
Great column. I expected more this season too. I was with Billy Donovan thinking we would challenge for the East title.
Tonight I think we can slow the pace to our liking. My biggest concern is their press — too many teams have gotten back into games against us by forcing turnovers in critical situations. We have not handled the press very well.
Gamboo
March 18th, 2011
9:18 am
Look for Washington to expose Georgia’s lack of depth, Georgia will hang first for a while, then fade due to poor conditioning, as usual.
Shug
March 18th, 2011
9:19 am
You’re in trouble if your chief source for a scouting report is the opposing team’s coach—”they’re well coached and very physical/fast/mentally tough.”
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
9:21 am
The Dogs have a shot, about a 25% shot, at winning (that’s their record against strong teams with a 1-50 rpi, 3-9). The Dogs will fall apart in the last 5 minutes like they pretty much always do. They’re not suddenly going to find a deep bench, and play with depth, it’s not goign to happen. Teams will just run them until the 5 starts are gasping for air.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
9:26 am
Respecting what a team does well and what another team does not, does not make one a “fan of Washington.” They are a battle hardened team. You don’t overlook that kind of a résumé.
bucket
March 18th, 2011
9:29 am
IF UGA plays perimeter defense and limits turnovers, they have a chance. We shall see! Also, not sure how a team underachieved when they won more games overall than last year, including more league wins and qualified for the NCAA tourney. Looking back over the season they certainly could have won more games, but the game is 40 minutes long and they were outdepthed most nights. This is Fox’s second year – give the dude a chance! Next year the team will definitely be in transition if Thompkins and Leslie leave. Circle 2012-2013 season to see where Fox can take UGA.
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
9:29 am
Mark,
Fox only has 3 wins, out of 20, against good teams.
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
9:32 am
Well, Rufus, at least the Dawgs were in all of their games this season. I seem to remember your boys getting their asses handed to them a few times this season . . .
Nobody thinks UGA is suddenly a BB school, but it is nice to win 21 games this season after what we’ve seen the past few seasons.
Baby steps . . .
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
9:43 am
Fox has NEVER sdvanced past the 2nd round of the NCAA’s. Fox doesn’t build his teams for the tournament.
Clueless at the AJC
March 18th, 2011
9:49 am
No chance to go beyond the first round
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
9:55 am
Fox only averages 68 points a game, and his team shoots an abysmal 48%. Compare that to Kansas, 83 points, 58%, or even Washington, 81 points, 53%. Fox’s guys don’t take or make enough shots to win games.
Mark Bradley
March 18th, 2011
9:56 am
I hate to say it, Clueless, but technically UGA is already in Round 2.
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
10:02 am
JSS : JSS, JSS, JSS…
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
10:04 am
JSS : btw, I went 13-3 yesterday. Not great but pretty good. Today, who knows…and with apoligies to BHO, I don’t have Kansas…
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
10:13 am
So far in the toutney, the team with the better RPI has won 67%.
Rufus
March 18th, 2011
10:16 am
Washington also has much better Pomeroy ranking than Georgia, the team with the better Pomeroy ranking wins 70% of the time so far in the tourney (14-6 record).
At best, basing on RPI or Pomeroy score or Georgia’s record against top 50 rpi (3-9), Georgia has about a 25%-30% shot at winning this game.
wildbill
March 18th, 2011
10:34 am
We have good player talent. But where is the TEAM? AND conditioning? When we cover that, we will beat some teams.
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
10:50 am
“Fox has NEVER sdvanced past the 2nd round of the NCAA’s”
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“NEVER” being 7 years at NEVADA and UGA.
Fox hasn’t exactly been coaching at Duke or North Carolina, and yet he has been to the Big Dance 4 times. . .
John
March 18th, 2011
10:58 am
Really think Thompkins or Leslie will risk an injury in this game? Doubtful, both are headed to the NBA, they got bigger things to to think about than wining 1 tourney game.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
11:01 am
@ Neyland…
14-2 yesterday on ESPN’s challenge, so big whoop! And what does Obama have to do with you making a inane comment like “speed kills” regarding a team that lives and dies with the triangle? The person Price is going to outrun is the girl going from the dining hall buffet! Speed is not UGA’s calling card. If Ware and Robinson are playing fast, they are out of control. Leslie and Thompkins are very talented. I respect that…
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
11:30 am
JSS : Got a burr under your saddle..? Geez, lighten up or implode..! I don’t have time or to sit and watch utubes of BB teams much less blow time on games outside of watching Tennessee so I have to rely on my gut. All that time you spent watching utubes and you only bettered me by one. Congrats on time well spent…
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
11:33 am
Don’t think Leslie and Thompkins can carry UGA any further than today and today hasn’t started so even that’s a toss up. Again, good luck to UGA and GBO…
JSS
March 18th, 2011
11:55 am
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2011
11:30 am
“JSS : Got a burr under your saddle..? Geez, lighten up or implode.”
No, I’ll do neither of the above, just like many bloggers we actually comment on the teams, not to win some inane style points with clowns who don’t even know what a teams strengths might be… Those creeps who slither around here obsessing about the SEC like you bring down the blog…
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
12:19 pm
“Those creeps who slither around here obsessing about the SEC like you bring down the blog…”
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Pot, meet kettle . . .
NC DAWG90
March 18th, 2011
12:23 pm
Other AJC article about UGA’s long journey back to NCAA doesn’t have comment section for some reason, so this is in response to that.
Fox teaches his guys to understand that you can’t succeed consistently on the court if you are a mess off of it.
Hmmm, seems another UGA coach named Mark could pick up a tip or two from the basketball guy.
JSS
March 18th, 2011
12:41 pm
YardDawg
March 18th, 2011
12:19 pm
“Those creeps who slither around here obsessing about the SEC like you bring down the blog…”
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“Pot, meet kettle .”
You obviously have me confused with the of you college stalkers who live vicarouusly through the acquisition of 18-22 year old boys and use the word: “we.”
I blog on mostly on the pro game. I watch a lot of college hoops simply because I have two family members deeply involved in it… Sports is a distraction, I walk into a blog, I don’t slither… My user name unlike you college obsessive types doesn’t equate to some stupid team mascot or some coach who has been eating clay cakes and drinking root juice since 1962…
Stinger
March 18th, 2011
5:37 pm
One and Done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Count on it!!