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
this dawg want hunt!!
January 24th, 2012
6:14 pm
Fox is a joke. This guy couldnt win with 2 of the top 10 players in the SEC last year, and he has proven he has no clue when it comes to recruiting top talent in atlanta. This guy looks like a deer in the headlights during crunch time during games. He lost 3 games last year in the final minute because he had no clue what to do. The florida game in athens, the tenn. game in athens, and his moronic timeout during SEC tournament game against Bama. McGarity is the man to blame for this pitiful coach as well as for the other pitiful UGA programs. Under McGarity’s watch, none of UGA’s programs have over achieved. They all have under achieved, yet McGarity gets a free pass on this middle of the SEC athletic dept. McGarity is nothing but a yes man for Adams, and he is full of hot air. For him not to demand that Richt upgrade his offensive coaching staff says all you need to know about this guy. Add that to the fact UGA will never come close to signing 25 prospects again this year, and you can see where this program is headed. Funny UGA fans bitch about Saban, Miles, and S.C oversigning, yet they have a coach that can’t even sign 25, even when the state is loaded with talent. Such a pitiful state the UGA athletic dept is in.
phil
January 24th, 2012
6:34 pm
No.
Why even ask such a stupid question.
phil
January 24th, 2012
6:37 pm
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
********
calipari is a cheater, it is Corrupp Arena and of course none of those thugs attend class….
And yes, most UK folks are indeed inbred losers….
Kentucky by 25, if not more….
Who gives a damn. It’s not like we’re ever worth a damn.
Rabun Dawg
January 24th, 2012
6:41 pm
I would say the Dawgs have a shot until the opening tip. Then, UK will do as they please. I have tried to watch this bunch play( painful to say the least), but they cannot shoot, or to say it correctly, cannot put the ball in the basket, and that’s how points are scored. I knew they would suffer without Tompkins and Leslie, but as someone earlier mentioned they miss Price and Barnes for inside presence. If Fox cannot get better players to Athens, UGA will continue to be at the bottom of the SEC. I expect this bunch to be in the cellar in the end, probably about 3-13 I would guess right now.
John Kimble
January 24th, 2012
6:49 pm
Jeremy Price was a beast inside!
DawginSewer
January 24th, 2012
7:31 pm
We has not a chances. These kittys are tooosmarts for us hounds. Wes goes back to the sewers.
Send'em Uhauls
January 24th, 2012
8:41 pm
Fox looks more of a Tax Accountant than a basketball coach. I say after next year this clown will be fired.
Not just no, but
January 24th, 2012
8:45 pm
HELL NO
tony
January 24th, 2012
9:56 pm
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.
___________________________________________________
From my observation, Mann has a high bassketball IQ and he never appears to force the action. He has very good speed, tremendous wingspan and terrific hops, giving him the ability to guard just about any player on the court he faces.
Yes, I think Fox can land Tony Parker but he must show Tony that he will have a tremendous impact @uga if he join them and that Ga will be the team to beat in the sec with Tony dominating the post and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dominating the perimeter because teams can no longer triple team Kentavious because they will have their hands full trying to contain Tony in the post. Caldwell-Pope, and Tony Parker will have a bigger impact @uga than Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, because they are better players offensively and defensively. That’s No Joke!
chem
January 24th, 2012
11:13 pm
post hoc answer: no
Buzz2011
January 24th, 2012
11:46 pm
The Dawgs did better than I thought they would!! It was no worse than what we did against ” mighty” Miami tonight!!
Gt
January 25th, 2012
1:07 am
The rednecks are embarrassing in basketball & even more in football. Good luck rednecks!!!
Arena
January 25th, 2012
4:41 am
Georgia needs a first class basketball arena / practice facility like the big time schools if they are going to attract top recruits. Stegeman is an embarrassment. Adams and McGarity need to get some fatcat boosters to pump in big money to get a state of the art arena built.
CaliDawg
January 25th, 2012
5:37 am
All you Fire Richt and Fire Bobo people…if you want to get rid of a coach and feel good about yourself – look to the men’s and women’s basketball programs at UGA…especially the women’s team! One has more HOF’ers than you can count and has brought…zip, zero, nada. The other seems to always be in rebuilding mode. Yes, I understand he’s only been there a short time…but, they play like they don’t practice together.
Fair n Balanced
January 25th, 2012
7:04 am
When Fox was hired at Ga, is this where we thought we would be at this time…3 years later, at the bottom of the conference….at 500, in last in almost all statistical categories? Is this really where we expected to be with this new coach 3 years in? Let’s be honest, there is no improvement, in fact we are going backward. Just saying.
Rickster
January 25th, 2012
8:39 am
Mark Bradley: Does Georgia have a prayer against No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday? Sure.
Rickster: “No.”
Score another one for me!
2010 BCS CHAMPS
January 25th, 2012
10:12 am
Mark,
I just wanted to let you know that Cam Newton, a guy that you hate, just won ROTY in the NFL and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Taylor Wooten
January 25th, 2012
10:30 am
UGA basketball sucks. Dumpy arena. Mediocre coaching.
Play the Rome kid already! He will put up a fight!
UGAFan
January 25th, 2012
10:32 am
Why doesnt Fox play the Rome kid?? Hes a competitor….a winner!
The rest of the team has no fire.
juststoppingby
January 25th, 2012
10:33 am
Play the Rome kid! Obviously not winning with the others……
UGA = Yawn
January 25th, 2012
11:30 am
Ah…no they don’t.
phil
January 25th, 2012
9:04 pm
Fire MF!!