NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tom Crean already knows that six seniors played their final game for Georgia in Wednesday’s 71-61 loss to Missouri in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

But might there be more?

Crean was asked that very question in a post-game interview session with beat writers, acknowledging that attrition, as in all sports, is just part of the game.

“I don’t think there’s any program—from college football, college baseball, college basketball, women’s basketball—that doesn't deal with attrition. The bottom line for me is, everybody gets coached, every day. There are opportunities that you take advantage of or you don’t,” Crean said. “There are decisions that have to be made that as you go through it and that becomes part of it. That becomes part of the game.

"I always tell them about the old saying that the worst of all frauds is to cheat yourself and as coach the last thing I’m going to do is cheat them on getting better. That doesn’t always mean that everybody is going to play the way they want to play or play the number of minutes, but that becomes part of it. However, I don’t put a lot of thought into that right now. Those things work themselves us. We haven’t really crossed that bridge yet.”

That includes sophomore forward Nicolas Claxton in regards to any thoughts he has given about leaving early for the NBA.

The 6-foot-11 Claxton, who averaged 13 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, declined to give a definite yes when asked if he would be returning for his junior year, indicating that he plans in speaking with father Charles Claxton before coming to a final decision.

“We don’t know yet,” Claxton said. “Right now, we just lost, I’m focused on that.”

He did acknowledge, that he still has much to learn.

“Oh yeah, a lot of areas, just being able to read the game,” Claxton said. “I got a lot of attention this year, just being able to find my teammates in different ways, making the pass to them, getting stronger, of course, continue to getting stronger, developing my shot, and of course, free throws.”

Crean was asked if he was concerned about his second-team All-SEC player leaving early for the pros.

“I’m in a great place with Nic, so we’ll just ride all of that out. I’ve been down this road so many times with guys and you want that. You want guys that aspire, and you want guys that have potential. It works itself out,” Crean said. “Whatever ends up being the absolute best for him is what’s going to happen, and there’s a lot of improvement left in him, and he’s got a lot of basketball in his future, and he made a lot if strides this year. We’ll just ride it out.”

Among the players some have wondered about include freshmen JoJo Toppin and sophomore Teshaun Hightower.

Hightower, a Lithonia native went from playing over 20 minutes in 14 of Georgia’s first 24 games, to just under five over the Bulldogs final seven games, including seeing no action against Florida, South Carolina and again Wednesday against Missouri.

Toppin – who didn’t play at all in 14 of the Bulldogs’ final 19 games – didn’t have an answer when asked in the locker room after the game.

“I really can’t talk about the future right now,” Toppin said. “I’m not focused on that. We just lost a game.”