Hoops insider: Does UGA have a shot versus No. 1 Wildcats?
A stressful night for Coach Cal at the Stegasaurus? (AP photo)
(Yet again, let me note that this feature is part — but only a small part — of our weekly college basketball package, which runs every Tuesday in the print AJC. I offer my contribution for your digital perusal.)
Hoops Hysterics
1. Does Georgia have a prayer against No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday? Sure. As good as the Wildcats can be, they trailed in the second halves of both SEC road games, and neither of those — at Auburn, at Tennessee — was against top-shelf competition. At 1-4 in league play, the Bulldogs aren’t top-shelf, either. But they’re at home, which means something.
2. If you had to pick one team against the field to win the national championship, would it be Kentucky? North Carolina? Missouri? Syracuse? None of the above. I’d pick the same team I picked — incorrectly — last March. I’d pick Ohio State because I think Jared Sullinger, whose numbers are almost the same as a sophomore as they were as a freshman, will be the man for this March. (And April.)
3. Is the state of local college basketball as bad as we thought it might be? It’s pretty close. Georgia State has been a pleasant surprise, surging to the top of the Colonial before losing at Northeastern and at Delaware last week. But Georgia is 10-9, Georgia Tech is 8-11 and Kennesaw State lost at home Monday to the North Florida Ospreys to fall to 3-18 and 0-9 in the Atlantic Sun. Aggregate record of the four locals: 35-44.
My Super Sweet Sixteen
1. Kentucky: The Wildcats couldn’t pull away from Alabama at Rupp Arena on Saturday, which was surprising given that Vanderbilt had handled the Tide rudely two nights earlier.
2. Missouri: Those seeking the early leader for Best Conference Road Win By Anybody In Any League need look no further than the Tigers’ one-point escape from Baylor.
3. Ohio State: Talk about having a separation gear. The Buckeyes have won five Big Ten games, and the average margin of victory in those five has been 28.8 points.
4. Syracuse: The Orange finally lost, falling Saturday at Notre Dame. But Syracuse responded nicely, subduing a rugged Cincinnati team on the road Monday night.
5. Kansas: Last week was huge for KU. The Jayhawks routed Baylor in Lawrence and beat Texas in Austin. Feel free to look ahead to Feb. 4, when Kansas meets Missouri.
6. San Diego State: The Aztecs are at it again. They haven’t lost since November, and they won at New Mexico last week. This week they face 16-3 Wyoming on the road.
7. North Carolina: The Tar Heels won a game but lost a key man last week. Guard Dexter Strickland, the best perimeter defender on a team that doesn’t defend much, tore his ACL.
8. Murray State: The last unbeaten could remain that way awhile. The Racers’ toughest remaining regular-season game will come at Southeast Missouri State on Feb. 15.
9. Georgetown: In most of the nation, Feb. 1 will be big news because of football signees. In the hoops-centric Big East, it’s the day Connecticut plays the Hoyas.
10. Baylor: Time for the Bears to regroup after losing to Kansas and Missouri, and it won’t be easy. They play Oklahoma in Norman on Tuesday and then get Texas in Waco.
11. Duke: The home loss to Florida State only underscores a point become increasingly apparent: By Duke standards, this isn’t a terribly imposing band of Blue Devils.
12. Creighton: The Missouri Valley Conference is generally considered the best of the mid-majors, and the 18-2 Bluejays appear to be the giant of the Valley.
13. Michigan State: The Spartans’ one-point loss at rival Michigan threw the Big Ten into a three-way tie. But Michigan comes to East Lansing on Feb. 5.
14. Saint Mary’s: Yet another brand-name mid-major, the Gaels have won 17 of 18 and seized a 1 1/2-game lead over Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference.
15. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs went 1-1 on on the road last week, losing at Ole Miss but winning at Vanderbilt in OT. This is probably the SEC’s second-best team.
16. Florida State: The strangest team in the country. The Seminoles went 0-2 against Ivy Leaguers Harvard and Princeton but are 2-0 against North Carolina and Duke.
By Mark Bradley
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122 comments Add your comment
Nobis
January 24th, 2012
11:29 am
Hell NO.
Sad Sack
January 24th, 2012
11:33 am
UGA has two chances against KY – slim and none.
Slim just left town.
wes
January 24th, 2012
11:34 am
LOL
Good headline Mark!
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wes
January 24th, 2012
11:35 am
UGA. The same basketball program who turned away Bob Knight when he said he was interested in the job.
Now y’all got some no-name balding loser leading your program.
I guess that’s what happens when you hire a drunk to run your athletic program.
Bear down
January 24th, 2012
11:37 am
Mark!!! You forgot about Mercer! We can win the A-Sun! And make it to the NCAA tourny!
We’re the best team in Georgia! Come down to Macon and see how Baptists pkay hoops!
tony
January 24th, 2012
11:41 am
BjohnDawg
January 24th, 2012
10:10 am
With Ware and Robinson gone you will have an inexperience backcourt to boot. I think we are in for a two year drought.
___________________________________________________
I think Charles Mann(pg/sg) is going to be an upgrade over Roberson and Ware. He has a tremendous upside and he is very created with the ball in his hands. He will be a plus at the point for the dawgs. Now, if they can somehow land Tony Parker, they will have a strong inside and outside presence next season. I also believe Kenneth Gaines will be a huge upgrade over Brantley because remember, Brantley played center @Dublin High so he’s not a natual 2.
News | MrSEC.com
January 24th, 2012
11:47 am
[...] at times. But that probably won’t be an issue tonight at Georgia. Granted, UK hasn’t looked good on the road this year — heck, no one ever looks good on the road anymore — but Fox’s Dawgs just [...]
dixiedawg
January 24th, 2012
11:58 am
They have about the same chance as Tech has of beating Georgia in football next year.
eastbound and down
January 24th, 2012
12:11 pm
wiill braves make the playoffs? will the falcons beat the giants?
nobody
January 24th, 2012
12:30 pm
can we win?…uh….no
Kenny G
January 24th, 2012
12:37 pm
No and no way.
Georgia Tide Fan
January 24th, 2012
12:51 pm
Kentucky’s two potential road losses are @Mississippi State and @Vanderbilt. Vandy could surprise them in Lexington, but they will be playing in Corrupt Arena, so, probably a UK win.
I grew up in Kentucky. Never liked those darn Cayuts.
I don’t think the Dawgs have a chance, but, you never know. Go Dawgs!
Dogs Smell
January 24th, 2012
12:54 pm
BobDawg , What did UGA do when they had those 2 NBA players ? Nothing more than they will do this season. KY beats them like a “Dawg” tonight!
Dogs Smell
January 24th, 2012
12:56 pm
tony – What did you do when you had them in the back court? Not any better than this season.
Dogs Smell
January 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
Georgia gets beat like “Dawgs” tonight ……again.
Atlanta87
January 24th, 2012
1:00 pm
Slow day at the office Mark? Does anyone who goes to UGA know how many points a three pointer is? I missed that day of class and no one will let me borrow their notes.
Phildo
January 24th, 2012
1:01 pm
UGA couldn’t beat UK if all the UK players were blindfolded and required to put marbles in their shoes.
Dogs Smell
January 24th, 2012
1:04 pm
Visions of granduer ! Isnt that the life of a dawg fan?
Dr. Phil
January 24th, 2012
1:26 pm
One of these SEC teams will upset UK on the road. It could be UGA.
BjohnDawg
January 24th, 2012
1:29 pm
Tony,
I hope Mann can come in and play right away. My I always worry about first year point guards in the SEC. Most tend to be prone to T0s. As for Parker, do you think Fox can landed him? That would make for an interesting lineup next year.
BuckheadBill
January 24th, 2012
1:29 pm
And what year did you play in there, HAROLD?
Go UNC!
January 24th, 2012
1:49 pm
Mark, how can you say the Heels “don’t defend much”? KenPom has the Heels as the 9th best defense!
Skeezix
January 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
Mark: Can’t buy that Murray St. is really a #8 (weak, weak schedule), but overall your rankings looks pretty good.
The state of college hoops at GTech and Univ. of Ga. is sad, sad, sad.
Techster
January 24th, 2012
1:53 pm
The BB dogs will get the same kind of beat down from Ky. that the FB dogs got from LSU.
Joe
January 24th, 2012
1:53 pm
UGA beat UK???? HA! When Pigs Fly
Joe
January 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
Hey Techster……maybe so but nothing spells beatdown like 51-7……hahahahahahaha
Kyle
January 24th, 2012
1:55 pm
PERFECT COMEBACK JOE!!!! Love it!!
gregpatrick
January 24th, 2012
2:36 pm
We need to hasten the exit of Coach Fox. A recruiter and teacher is badly needed. If not, we’ll always be a football/tennis/gymnastics school.
Nobis
January 24th, 2012
2:42 pm
this is what Trophy Dwags like to show fans.
“Dalton police are looking for a Wal-Mart customer with a fondness for the Georgia Bulldogs – and for exposing himself.”
rabundog
January 24th, 2012
2:48 pm
It will not be close – could be very ugly
DawginLex
January 24th, 2012
3:07 pm
I love all the Booby Knight impersonators on here bashing Calipari as a cheater, calling Rupp corrupt arena and making up crap about the players not going to class.
You are all so typical of a bunch of inbred losers who believe all the rumors and lies as facts.
LOL as Kentucky cuts down the nets in 2012
DawginLex
January 24th, 2012
3:08 pm
UK by 12
beachwriter
January 24th, 2012
3:14 pm
O…M….G…..better be on the lookout for flying swine and check the Weather Channel for reports of icicles in hell…..Mark Bradley actually said something complimentary of Mississippi State. The end of the world is truly near.
LOL
January 24th, 2012
3:47 pm
In a word….. you make me laugh and you’ve got to be kidding!
The only way is if Kentucky forgets how to get to Athens and the game is cancelled and Georgia is awarded the win.
If Kentucky shows up. It will be over in warm ups.
CP
January 24th, 2012
3:50 pm
Yes. They have a chance.
Alphare
January 24th, 2012
3:50 pm
In Basketball, there is #1 Kentucky to face, in football, there is #1 LSU to face.
Can dawgs ever have its day?
Beast from the East
January 24th, 2012
3:51 pm
Mark,
No love for the Gators, huh? We’ll see you in the sweet sixteen when all is said and done.
Go Gators!
Alphare
January 24th, 2012
3:54 pm
Well, dawgies vs cats in football, dawgies vs tigers in basketball.
You may have something going there.
KevinM
January 24th, 2012
4:00 pm
DawginLex bringing in real news on this blog…and by far the most basketball knowledge here.
Follow me to Athens tonight with 5K of my closest Big Blue Nation fans. We sell out Stegman every year.
What looks like a road game on the schedule may sound more like a home game when you enter the barn. But I will say I like Fox and his attempts to build a real basketball program.
And Georgia, yes, bring back Harrick basketball or Knight…funny how both guys are available.
Football Guy
January 24th, 2012
4:01 pm
Not even in Hell
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahaha…………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………….
Chuck UGA
January 24th, 2012
4:10 pm
All I know is I have two tickets to the game that are going to waste because I cannot find anyone to buy them. Always have heard this game sells out…apparently not. Pitiful.
Dirty Dawg
January 24th, 2012
4:10 pm
Have Thompkins and Leslie seen any playing time this season? Or have just seen dollar signs?
KevinM
January 24th, 2012
4:29 pm
The only game Stegman can sell out….pitiful.
Fox is not the recruiter he needs to be for this state.
I’m eager to see Marcus Thornton tonight and see how he fares against the team he turned down….let’s see how he is developing under Fox.
Calipari not good on road games, but the Cats should have enough to keep the #1 slot in the SEC, and in the country.
Michael
January 24th, 2012
4:46 pm
Mark, regarding Robert Carter, I saw him play during the holidays, and I wasn’t impresses. Fat and lazy, especially on defense. I’m a Shiloh and UGA alum, but I’m glad he’s going to Tech and not UGA. He’s way overrated.
Bob
January 24th, 2012
4:48 pm
Coach Cal is an uber recruiter and an above average coach. His teams, even with three or more freshmen, play like NBA teams. However, at crunch time, usually sweet 16 or elite 8, they revert to school yard ball, and get beat. And they lose a game or two on the road. I think UGA can win tonight.
Buckeye
January 24th, 2012
4:56 pm
Little to none. Like Howard “now I’m NBA” Thompkin’s playing time.
Plenty of time to tweet but most box scores I’ve looked at say “DNP – Coache’s decsion.
Hope he’s banking most of the $400K plus salary. Chris Paul, on the other hand banks $16K plus MIL this year. Talk about income inequality. Jeez.
Shoulda stayed in school. I would have watched the dogs game tonight. Guess I’ll have to watch Obama class warfare drama instead.
At least Howard, “now I’m NBA” is, at present anyway, a 1%er.
Bigdawg
January 24th, 2012
5:08 pm
Sure, we can beat the Wildcats tonight…if their bus breaks down and they don’t show!
MS. Bully
January 24th, 2012
5:17 pm
You lose to Ole Piss at home and you think you got a chance against Reftucky? NOT!!!
J
January 24th, 2012
5:25 pm
nope but the Hawks do
Go Tech
January 24th, 2012
5:42 pm
the dogs beat cantucky? that is really funny, Mark.
thanks 4 the laugh.