Dawgs Lose to South Carolina

When you lose to a team that is as bad as South Carolina, you would think you could look at the box score and have something just jump off the page at you. Disparity in turnovers or shots taken or free throws. Something.  But...there isn't. Georgia just showed up and didn't play like it mattered if they won or loss.

We can blame poor ball management in the last minute for the loss, but it was an entire game of not being smart. We had two 7 point leads, yet still didn't do anything to stem runs by a team that isn't geared to make runs or score much for that matter. We again switched from an offense that was creating problems for them handle to one that they disrupted easily or we couldn't run (insert your own Bobo joke here). There is a stunning lack of outward care in Georgia basketball. I have no doubt these losses gnaw at the coaches and players, but from the outside, it looks like all anyone is saying is 'one of those basketball deals' [shrugs shoulders and walks away from the mic].

The last week was nothing but fools gold. Fools Gold, y'all. 
TD

PS. I feel for KCP, as he is shouldering the blame with the big turnovers in the last SC run and the cold day shooting, but he was hustling on defense the whole game. He took some ill advised shots, but often he was the only one that wanted to actually take open looks instead of passing the ball.

Caldwell-Pope Not Considering NBA Draft

He's very talented, but the NBA can wait for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.  There is some hope for next season.

KCP wants to work on conditioning, defense and some ball handling skills.  Very mature move for a talented young player.
TD

Dawgs Beat Bizzaro Dawgs

If you say Gerald Robinson only scores five points in 40 minutes, you have to assume Georgia loses any basketball game they are playing in. In the same week he goes off against Arkansas for 27, Mississippi State kept him off balance to the point he only managed five points in 40 minutes.  KCP has something to say about that now, though.

Kentavious goes off on both ends of the court, Georgia out rebounds an opponent again, this time an opponent that is very good at rebounding (3rd in the conference at nearly +4 margin on the season) and Georgia forces Mississippi State into overtime, where the Gerald Robinson show began.  Gerald comes up big with 8 of Georgia's 11 points.  The other three? KCP's long distance dagger to win it.

Importantly, Georgia played another full (or full+5 minutes) of solid basketball. We are hustling and everyone is playing tough and aggressive defense.  Yes, some shots are falling, but yesterday, we took nearly 20 more shots than Mississippi State and had nearly our same % of shots fall. We have to keep out rebounding teams to have a chance at winning these games.

Right now, all Georgia has is playing to ruin other team's post season plans. Keep this up and it could be more than that. As I said the other day, I don't know what Coach Fox told them after the double tech in Knoxville, but he needs to write it down and make posters.

TD

Well, That Happened: Georgia Dominates Arkansas

Gerald Robinson doing his thing
(AP Photo/The Athens Banner-Herald, AJ Reynolds)

You know, after getting my hopes up and having them dashed against the rocks of cruel realism, last night was salve for my basketball soul.  Georgia so thoroughly dominated Arkansas that it felt like we were winning by more than 20 the entire second half.

We've been down this road before: play well in the first half, come out flat in the second half.  Didn't happen this time. I'm not sure what Mark Fox said to his team after getting the very quick double technical in Knoxville, but he needs to write it down. Make some posters and sell them to Successories.

The technical details? Robinson played with the confidence he has shown at time, but hasn't captured for a whole game. The front court dominated the boards and didn't play weak when the ball was shot.  Our offense was consistent and well run. We out rebounded Arkansas, we out hustled Arkansas, we out defended Arkansas. Marcus Thornton showed the promise of the strong front court player we signed. Neme showed his defensive performance against Alabama wasn't a mirage (plus he drained two beautiful threes, hello European basketball). It was 40 minutes of hell, but for the wrong reasons for the Hogs.

The Hogs are a middle of the road SEC team. Until last night, they were a tournament bubble team. Last night put them squarely in next four out territory. You don't lose to a team that has played such bad basketball by 20 and make the NCAA tournament.

For one night, one glorious night, Georgia played a full game of good basketball. It might have been fools gold, but it sure glitters right now.
TD

Georgia and Auburn Set Basketball Back 65 Years

I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Georgia basketball is not far removed from the Felton days right now. We have more talent. Regretfully, the team is playing like it doesn't have more coaching than it did.

Last night, I wanted to do a very long rundown of all that went wrong. Now, suffice it to say that list is depressingly long. If we win any more, beyond South Carolina, it'll be a surprise. Losing to South Carolina won't be a surprise.

TD

Georgia Plays Tough Against Cats

I'll not go into the break down of the game, except to say this: if Georgia plays with the same intensity and focus the rest of the season, we'll win nearly all of our home games and at least three road games.  We held Kentucky to their lowest point total since last season's national semi-final loss to UConn (when they scored two fewer points). We held Kentucky 20 points below their season average. Easily this was the best defensive game we have played all season.

Why did Georgia lose? Because we only have two (maybe three) players that would ever get significant playing time at UK.  At most. On any given night, one team can beat another. If we'd kept up the hot shooting, that would have happened last night. It didn't, and Kentucky's talented, deep, and more physically gifted players took over.  Between Davis' five blocks, his and Kidd-Gilcrist's eleven rebounds each, Georgia just had nothing to match the talent differential.

Now, this is a common refrain from nearly every team playing Kentucky. This isn't a post about Fox's success or lack thereof in recruiting. It does bear pointing out that recruiting has to be significantly improved if Georgia is going to consistently be in the NCAA tournament every year. We don't have to have six McDonald's All-Americans every year. Get a KCP every year and win recruiting battles with Tech, Clemson, FSU, 'Bama, Tennesee, and Vandy more often than not, we'll be a very strong tournament contender. And Auburn and Memphis. Especially Auburn and Memphis! Right now, we lose way more of those than we win.

For now, this team plays like the young team it is. That will improve, but we have to have another big recruiting win this season if we have any hope of being in the tournament discuss this time next year.
TD

A Simple Request

Beat Ole Miss this afternoon.  Col. Akbar's Bears haven't won on the road since the week after Thanksgiving. They've lost to Auburn...AUBURN...on the road. We need this win.

Play stout defense and do just enough with the offense, we win. Assle around with the ball and play slappnut defense, they win.  Pretty simple, right?

Tip is at 4pm at Stegeman.
TD

Richt Approves...

Of Georgia's defensive minded win over Tennessee in OT last night.  

During the game, I kept thinking this is ugly basketball.  Then it hit me: As ugly as it was, it was the brand of basketball Georgia has to play to win right now.  Yes, the running game is much more exciting. The problem with the running game is one of depth and defenders for Georgia. We are getting deeper with Marcus' reintroduction, but we still have foul issues (both Neme and Marcus had four in regulation).  We did run some, but only when it was absolutely there (think the Florveus dunk on the half court feed by Ware). 

So, that leaves us with having to play smart offensively, both from shot selection and from a ball protection standpoints. We finally did that a whole game (actually, a game +5minutes).  We also have to play aggressive defense, something we can do a bit more with Marcus back. The up side is we created a season high 20 turnovers, also a season high in turnovers by Tennessee, netting a 17-8 point differential on points off turnovers. Between that and slowing down the game, we got a win. 

Georgia still has a long way to go, but this was easily the best total team effort we've seen defensively. With what we saw in the loss to Vandy and this win, I have hope that there is something to look forward to. Tennessee isn't as good as Vandy, but with Maymon and Stokes in, they are much better than the team that lost to Oakland and College of Charleston.  They beat Florida and gave Kentucky all they could handle. Overall, this is a good win for the Dawgs, as they came back from a deficit late and put a decent team away. 

We get to try to make it two SEC wins in a row Saturday afternoon at Stegeman against Ole Miss. 4pm tip on the SECNetwork.

TD

Dawgs Play Significantly Better...but Still Lose

Dawgs lose on the road 77-66 to Vandy.  While it was an eleven point loss, it was more like a four or five point game that free throws made into a bigger win. Vandy definitely was rattled by the Dawgs ability to stop the inside game and by Caldwell-Pope's shooting.  It was good to see Coach Fox's substitutions and him playing guys that are hot instead of worrying about guys fouling out.  Free throws are still a concern, both in numbers missed and the numbers the other team are taking. Not counting the 8 attempts during the last minute or so, Vandy still had 15+ more attempts than Georgia. Georgia shot 80% on 20 attempts, so that part of the misery that was the Florida game was much, much better.

Not saying it was a moral victory, but I have to say this game was the best effort from the team from start to finish against a quality opponent we've seen all season.  We play this way during every game, we'll sneak up on someone we have no business beating. We almost did it yesterday. I'll not get into the officiating (but boy, could I), but it was interesting to see Vandy's Taylor push his luck with the officials and get T-ed up at home.

This is partially the team I'd hope we'd see when we hired Mark Fox: Playing hard from whistle to horn, making good decisions with the ball, working the hot hand, and making the other team figure out what to take away.  Right now, we have a lot of growing to do before we will be a legitimate night in and night out threat to the big boys. We need to develop more of an offensive identity, even if it is a three point shooting team. However, if we continue to make the big boys earn their wins, get better every game and figure out a way to overcome some talent differential, and we'd have reason to look forward.  It won't hurt to get Marcus Thornton back soon.

Most importantly, we can't lay anymore steaming turds like we did in Gainesville Tuesday night. That just can't happen again.

Dawgs take on a very hot Tennessee squad at home Wednesday night at 8pm on the SEC network. We need a huge crowd, as this is a nearly must win if we have any hope of doing anything other than finishing the season just under .500.
TD

.111

1 for 9

That is Georgia's free throw line for the 22 point loss at Florida last night. A full 100 points lower than Michael Jordan's batting average. 15 points below the Rams and Colts' records this season. They nearly missed more free throws than they had assists.

Those eight points won't make up for the 22 points, but it is illustrative of how far this team has to go before they are a legitimate threat to do more than fill another team's 40 minutes of play time twice a week.

TD

Fox's Hounds are on ESPN Tonight

As part of their SEC Super Tuesday schedule. 7pm tip off from the O'dome in Gainesville. The 19th ranked Gators are coming off a loss to Tennessee on the road.
TD

Dawgs Drop Conference Opener to Alabama

Georgia's basketball program has a long way to go to be a major player in SEC basketball. The loss last night to Alabama is a good example of why. Last night also showed that we can compete in the conference, as we closed a 12 point halftime deficit to within 4 points by the mid point of the second half.  We did it with strong defense, particularly with Djurisic's play on JaMychal Green, and smart offensive sets.

Regretfully, we continue to go through long stretches of games where the offense looks stagnant and we end up taking a very low percentage shot as the shot clock expires. I am not sure if the issue is chemistry on the rotations or the play sets, but we seem to just fall apart during at least one 4-6 minute stretch every second half. We also have a tendency to pull out a player when he gets hot, something that is confounding to me. I know we have depth issues, but sometimes you just have to ride the bee, and trust your hot guy to stay out of foul trouble. Not like you can roll those fouls over.

Strangely, though, we were still in the game. The difference was Alabama's 3pt shooting. They had a season high...by halftime. The also hit over 15% more of their shots, although we got off more shots than they did. That and they out rebounded us 35-20. We played well with a team that will undoubtedly make the NCAA tournament and could make some noise in the SEC. Figure out a way to stop the five minute dead time in the second half, and we are on to something.

TD

SEC Hoops Opener

In case you haven't noticed (and judging by the numbers at Stegeman, you haven't...badabing!), Fox's Hounds have finished the pre-SEC schedule at 9-5. Breaking down the schedule, there is little rhyme or reason to the wins or the losses.

On the plus side, we have wins over RPI #64(?!?) South Dakota State, as well as Notre Dame, which is currently RPI#128 and USC, currently RPI#126. Both ND and USC will rise once they get into their conference schedules. On the negative side, we've lost games to #109 Cincinatti and #161 Georgia Tech (both RPIs there will move up, too). More damning, we've played very inconsistent basketball. We imploded against Tech, nearly did so against Deleware State and Winthrop, and haven't had any consistent full game offensive efforts yet. Our maddening propensity to go on 5-7 minute scoring droughts in the second half continues. In short, we've got a long way to go or the NIT is a mere pipe dream.

The upside is there are pieces that can come together. Caldwell-Pope is getting stronger, is becoming more of an explosive scoring threat, and is leading the team in scoring. Gerald Robinson is showing improvement in pass/shot selection. Marcus Thornton and Donte Williams are both getting better at going after the ball in rebound situations and showing more awareness when they get offensive rebounds.

Right now, Coach Fox's team is raw. We foul too much, take too many bad shots, rotate to cover the low post too slowly and lose our composure at times. I had hoped the non-conference schedule would work out some of the rawness and only time will tell if it has. Either way, the SEC schedule is here. Looking forward, I think the Dawgs have to have 9+ SEC wins, at a minimum, to have a legit NCAA shot, unless a couple of the non-conf wins or losses become substantially better.

Can we do that? Sure, if we play much better and smarter basketball. Fox's offensive is predicated on ball control and good shot selection. We have the ability to make any game a 63-59 type deal. I like our chances in those games.

Dawgs get their first shot at the SEC against a very good Alabama (11-3) team tomorrow night at 7pm. Coverage is on FSN.
TD

Dawgs in the CBE

Between Munson's passing and gearing up for Tech, I've let the hoops team's CBE tourney experience kind of pass by.  I got to see the uninspired win last week against South Dakota State and watched the manhandling Cal put on the Dawgs last night.

Tonight, we take down Notre Dame.  Coach Fox's Hounds take third place in the Progressive CBE Classic.  This is a potential tournament resume win, depending, of course, on how the Irish's season pans out.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is showing to be everything you'd hope, netting 16 points, including the go ahead 3 with just under 4 minutes to play.  The Dawgs avoid the long runs that have plagued them last season (and in the Cal game), although they did have a 9 point second half lead that Notre Dame whittled down before Kentavious' trey.

Still a win over a Big East team is a win.
TD

Basketball Tip Off Friday Night

Both of Georgia's basketball teams tip their seasons off Friday night in a double bill at Stegeman.  The ladies take on TCU at 6pm, with the men taking on SoCon power Wofford at 8.  

As we start year three of the Fox regime, we are looking to rebuild.  I know that is a hard thing to think about after a first round NCAA exit, but when you lose two guys to the NBA draft (at least at Georgia), that is cause for rebuilding.  I'll get to Fox's recruiting hits and misses later, but for now, we are desperately reliant on solid guard play from Ware and Robinson, with Caldwell-Pope developing into a solid contributor and quickly. Oh, and Florveus to play bigger than his 230lbs.

If you are going to be in town tomorrow night, go support the Lady Dawgs and the Dawgs.  

TD

Caldwell-Pope Cleared to Play

According to Coach Fox. I was worried they'd find a less familiar relationship between the AAU coach and Kentavious.  I haven't seen the finding, so not sure why he was cleared.

I'm just glad he is.

TD

Hoops Schedule Update

ESPN today announced the semi-final pairings for the CBE Classic. Georgia will face California and Missouri will face Notre Dame in Kansas City on Nov. 21st. Win or lose, the Dawgs will play on Nov. 22nd in either the championship or consolation game.

Cal finished the season with an RPI of 76. It's a good neutral site match-up...especially compared to facing Missouri in a near home game. As we've said before, the UGA basketball schedule is much more ambitious than our talent level would suggest we can handle without Travis and Trey. At least, we'll be battle tested by the time the SEC schedule rolls around.

UPDATE: Rumblings on the scheduled game time for Xavier are Nov. 25. If that's true, we're looking at a stretch of games that includes (via MemphisDog):

Date	Team
11/21	California (in Kansas City)
11/22	Missouri or ND (in Kansas City)
11/25	@ Xavier (rumored date)
11/28	at Colorado
12/2	vs. Cincinnati
12/6	vs. Georgia Tech
12/17	at USC

There's a blackout period of sorts from around Dec. 8-13th for final exams, and we already have smaller games booked post-Christmas. If that's when they plug the Xavier game into the schedule...


See Also:
-- Tentative 2012 Schedule - SicEmDawgs.com

PWD

ESPN upgrades UGA Hoops Commit

Charles Mann was upgraded by ESPNU into their Top 100 recruits for 2012.  Like I said earlier...there's no way Jim Calhoun is flying 800 miles to recruit a 3 star kid. Ht - dawgwithabone via dawgpost.

PWD

Trey and Travis Reunited in LA

No, not the Lakers.

Good news, they were drafted.  Bad news, they were drafted by the Clippers. In the second round.  Trey went with the 37th pick, Travis with the 47th pick.  They will join Blake Griffin in LA, so the Clippers are building on something.

Hopefully, both will end up getting signed (neither are guaranteed contracts) and being part of that something.  As Paul put it, the basketball program needs them to succeed.

Good Luck to Travis and Trey Tonight

Tonight's NBA draft is enormous not just for those two kids, but also for Mark Fox and the basketball program.  As we've said numerous times here, Fox's basic pitch is "come to Georgia and your dreams can come true.  There's no reason to leave the state when your dreams can come true while you play in front of your friends and family."

To make that pitch truly come to life reality, he had to prove:
-- That he could convince Georgia fans to sellout SEC games. (Done)
-- Get Georgia into the NCAA Tourney. (Done)
-- Put kids from in state AAU programs into the NBA (Pending)

Neither player is a lock first round draft pick, and it's possible that both could go completely undrafted.  Given the league's rule that only first round picks have guaranteed deals, I still can't fathom Travis going pro.  But that's water under the bridge.

The reality is...Georgia basketball desperately needs these two kids to get drafted as high as possible, and it would certainly energize our recruiting pitch.  Heaven knows, Fox needs all the assistance he can get on the recruiting trail right now.

Good luck to Travis and Trey. We need this to work out for you.

PWD