Georgia at South Carolina
WHERE: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C.
WHEN: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 18-11, 6-10; South Carolina 12-18, 2-14
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Richard Cross, Brandon Johnson); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
Just a week ago, the notion that we’d be sitting here rationalizing that Georgia controls its destiny for a spot in the NCAA Tournament would have been reason to break out some strait jackets.
But here we sit.
After beating No. 3 Florida in Stegeman Coliseum and picking up a huge road win at Texas, the Bulldogs (18-11, 6-10) suddenly find themselves in a position to earn a berth in the 68-team field.
However, there’s more work to do.
First up is Tuesday night’s game against a South Carolina team that’s trying to find some late-season mojo of its own before closing out the regular season at Vanderbilt Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.
If ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi is correct, the Bulldogs are currently in the field. If the season ended today, Lunardi would have the Bulldogs as the 41st overall team and an 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Per the NCAA’s NET Rankings, an analytical assessment tool the selection committee uses to help choose its at-large teams, the Bulldogs are 33.
But there’s little room for error.
Georgia cannot afford to lose to South Carolina and Vanderbilt, as that would pressure the Bulldogs to make a significant push at next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Lunardi currently has 12 SEC teams making the NCAA Tournament.
However, head coach Mike White is not worried about that—at least not yet. With spring break in session at Georgia, White and the Bulldogs flew directly from Austin, Texas, to Columbia, where the team has been since Sunday preparing physically and mentally for Tuesday’s contest, which tips off at Colonial Life Arena at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
It’s been a challenging year for the Gamecocks (12-17), who began 0-13 in SEC play before defeating Texas 84-69 on February 22. After suffering a defeat by Missouri 101-71, the Gamecocks bounced back to dominate Arkansas on Saturday, 72-53.
Georgia won the first meeting between the two on Jan. 28 in Athens, 71-60.
“Yeah, they just continue to battle,” White said. “The score (Saturday) speaks to the work that they've put in and the advantage that they have at home and the way that they're playing currently. It’s another tough test, extremely difficult place to play in.”
But it’s one Georgia needs to win. If the Bulldogs do, it will be just their second road conference victory after picking up their inaugural road win at Texas.
If White can keep his team playing like it is, the Bulldogs will have a chance.
With Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. both expanding their offensive capabilities, the trio, along with freshman Asa Newell (15.2 points per game), has Georgia playing more confidently offensively.
The numbers explain why.
Demary Jr. also is scoring at a double-digit pace of 12.9 ppg for the Bulldogs – including 20.5 ppg over the last six games – and sports team-high averages of 3.1 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 31.1 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Cain is contributing double figures in league play, upping his average of 8.2 ppg against non-conference competition by 2.1 points per game to 10.3 points per game, versus SEC teams.
“Some of it is them making shots, but some of it is the fact that they're making shots because we're getting shots, because we're not throwing it to the other team,” White said of his team’s burgeoning offensive confidence. “We just made a big jump in that category. We're doing a little bit more off the ball than we were.”
They’re also starting to make fewer mistakes.
After committing 17 turnovers against Florida, the Bulldogs committed just 10 at Texas while playing what White terms as smarter basketball.
“I just think it's just collectively; these guys have bought into making simple plays,” White said. “We’re hitting singles, passing it better, holding seals better, playing off of two feet, all the little things that lead to value in the basketball at a higher rate in this league.”
