Good Game, Dawgs

Gave it our all.  They have Malik Monk and we don't.

We lost by 9, but it was an overtime game.  UGA was right there.  If we had some outside shooting in the first half against their zone, we would have blown them out.  Like I said, they have Malik Monk and we don't.  He can rise up over defenders and knock down shots.  Monk scored 37 for the game and was 7 of 11 behind the arc.

Disappointed that we missed key free throws.  Yante missed two straight that we vitally needed.  Turtle missed one that would have put Georgia up three before their final possession.

All in all, no complaints here.  I don't particularly care for putting KPG in without having other scorers on the floor, but even so, Geno had a nice drive and dish to Ogbeide.  I suppose that it's not playing Tyree Crump earlier in the year that I have issue with.  Hard to expect him to come in at Rupp and do much.  Even still, Fox coached well enough to win.

J.J. didn't have his best game, struggling in the first half.  Hard to take him out, though, because we just don't have many other scoring options.  Frazier bounced back in the second and really toughed it out, especially after getting knocked in the head.

Really concerned that Turtle Jackson is not giving us much of a lift.  Kind of dribbles it around 30 feet from the basket.  Glad he can help break the press.  But like I said, if he does break the press and gets fouled, then he has to be able to knock down the free throws.

Anyway, after J.J. Frazier graduates, UGA could be in trouble.  Tyree Crump plays like a short two guard, and I fear that Teshaun Hightower will play like a tall one.

Yante played a great game. He had a few turnovers here and there, but he was doubled all night, so a few miscues are to be expected.  Maten still outplayed the higher ranked Bam Adebayo and Wenyen Gabriel.  Yante ended up with 22 points and 5 boards.

Great game for Derek Ogbeide.  He's a load in the post.  18 points and 13 boards on 7 of 9 shooting is one of the best games by a UGA big man at Rupp that I can remember.

Jordan Harris, for one, was not scared.  He was 3 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from long range.  When he gets his confidence up and his turnovers down, he will score a lot of points for Georgia.

Give it to Kentucky, though.  They find a way to win.

UGA is 13 and 9 overall and 4 and 5 in the SEC.  In danger of sliding down into the lower reaches of the SEC if we don't steal at least one of these next two.

Good start for the Dawgs,

but their zone on defense and their rebounding on offense has the game tied at the half.

A terrible stat:  UK had almost as many offensive rebounds (11) as UGA had defensive (12).

That's why I don't like taking Ogbeide out if he has just one foul.  He was 2 of 2 from the floor with 4 rebounds.  We need his toughness.  I understand that he might not be able to stick Derek Willis out on the perimeter, but if we stay in the zone and rotate quickly, Ogbeide would be a match-up problem for them on offense.  

Way too many turnovers.  You expect big men to not be as skilled with the pass or dribble, but Tyree Crump, J.J. Frazier, and Turtle Jackson are out of control going to the basket.

With that said, we're tied at Rupp.  Kudos to Fox for starting the game out in a zone.  Maybe we rebound better in the second half.

I'd love to see a game in which both Yante and J.J. play well.  Yante is 3 of 5 from the floor.  J.J., 3 of 9.  J.J. also has two turnovers.

Go Dawgs!  Pull this one out!

Georgia Beats Texas: Ten Good Signs

Georgia beat Texas by 2 yesterday evening.  Boy, did we ever need that win.  Fox needed that win.  Not sure he would have survived a third consecutive loss.  Since some UGA fans have wanted UT coach, Shaka Smart, to come to Athens, it was good to see Fox get the W.

There were numerous good signs in the game.

1.  J.J. Frazier has good second half

Frazier didn't shoot the ball well.  If memory serves me, he was 0 for 5 from the field in the first half.

His stats for the game weren't great.  I think he ended up shooting 5 for 16.  The key, however, is that he came back in the second half and hit some key buckets.  Frazier also resisted the urge to do it all by himself, passing up at least one long-range jumper and getting the ball to Maten.

2.  Maten had a good game

Yante seems to play well against big physical line-ups.  Shaquille Cleare, the Texas center, is a huge man at 6' 8", 275.  Jarrett Allen is 6' 11", 235, and they bring Georgia native, James Banks, off the bench at 6' 10", 240.  

Yet with all of their physicality, Maten was able to post up and still not get knocked out of position by the Texas front line.  Yante finished with 21 points and 7 boards, outscoring the combined total of their big guys.

3.  Georgia won the turnover battle

Texas had 14 turnovers.  UGA had just 12.  That's huge.

4.  We broke the press

Late in the game, when the Longhorns threw their press against us, Georgia maintained composure.  

The way we played against A&M, you would think that we never practice against the press.  Well, we did enough this game, using J.J. as a decoy, getting the ball in to Turtle and having him attack from one side, then J.J. from the other.  We narrowly avoiding a J.J. Frazier turnover toward the end, but we didn't give the ball back to them, and they didn't have any fast-break opportunities off of our sloppiness.  I don't think they got a single turnover off of their press.  Good work, Dawgs.

5.  Turtle Jackson played well

His stats won't overwhelm you, but he had 2 points, 2 steals, 2 assists and 0 turnovers.  I like Jordan Harris and his athleticism, but late in the game when you need someone to bring the ball up court, Turtle Jackson is a better option.

6.  Fox gave Tyree Crump some time

Crump has to get used to playing.  We'll need him before the year is out, and he will absolutely have to play major minutes next year.  No sense for Fox to keep sitting him at the end of the bench.  Granted, Crump played only 4 minutes, but that's more than he's been getting, and the experience will help him later on.

7.  Enough contributions from other guys

Jordan Harris hit two long-range shots.  Juwan Parker scored 9, including two huge buckets late in the game.  Derek Ogbeide and Mike Edwards were physical enough against their guys.  Derek needs to learn to set screens, though.  

8.  Fans showed up

Well, the Steg didn't look full from what I could tell, but there was enough of a crowd.  The commentators said that all the tickets were sold.  

9.  The clock issues continued, but...

When the officials went to the monitor to check on whether Derek Ogbeide got the ball up before the shot clock expired, I had a bad feeling.  Sure enough, Derek's bucket was disallowed.  Yet up two, Georgia tightened up on defense and found a way to win.

10.  Georgia got lucky

Looked like the shot by their guy was going in.  The refs could have called a foul on Yante.  But neither happened.  The shot went in, then twisted out.  Lady Luck smiled on us instead of her usual scowl.  Dawgs won by 2. 

Georgia is now 13 and 8, heading into a tough stretch of opponents, including Kentucky, South Carolina, and Florida.  Would be amazing if Fox can win two out of these next three.  It can happen.  

Go Dawgs!