Georgia Beats Auburn (Seven Lessons Learned)

Great job by the Dawgs.

1.  Bruce Pearl ain't all that

Lots of people love Bruce Pearl, and think that he's a terrific coach.  If Georgia had lost the game, fans would have rushed to praise him.

Pearl has his merits, but he's not the kind of coach I would look for to coach up my team.  His system, drive and kick basketball on offense and the press on defense, works when he has the players.  He will eventually get players.  With that said, I wouldn't trade him for Fox.  He's just not the right guy.

2.  Maten and Frazier

Enough said.  When those two guys are on, Georgia is a tough out for anybody.  Tonight, they were definitely on.

3.  Use the Chuck Mann Strategy

Charles Mann used to keep Georgia in games by getting to the free throw line.  He wasn't a great foul shooter, however, and he sometimes had too many turnovers.

The point still remains.  Drive the ball to the basket and good things happen.  Maten, J.J. and Jordan were terrific.

4.  J.J. is one tough hombre

He got bowled over a couple of times tonight.  He got back up and finished the drill.  Plus, he had five steals.  His defense was the catalyst that led the Dawgs to victory.

5.  Juwan is knocking the rust off

Hit a couple of key baskets tonight.

6.  Supporting cast came up big

We were one point shy of having all of our starters score in double figures.  Derek Ogbeide scored nine for the game.  We had five guys shoot 50 percent or better from the field.

Proud of KPG and Kessler for hitting two key baskets.

Turtle was off for the game.  See point 3, above.  I have mentioned his shooting form before, so I won't post anything about it now.

Turtle will contribute for us in future games.  With that said, I'd love to see Tyree Crump get some minutes, just to see what he has.

7.  The zone and press are tools

We might not want to be Syracuse, constantly in the zone, or Arkansas, trying to press all game.  But these tools help us win.  Fox went into the shed tonight and brought out the right equipment.  He needs to do it more


Again, great game for the Dawgs.  May have to watch that one again.

Texas A&M Game

Didn't get to see that game, and glad I missed it.  I won't post the statistics here.  Too depressing.

Bottom line:  It's very disappointing to see Georgia lose by a huge margin at home.  I remember when Felton had scholarship limitations and a depleted roster in his second year, and I expected that team to lose big.

Why Fox's team should play so poorly is a mystery to me.  On the other hand, sometimes the shots don't fall for you.  Besides, A&M is undefeated for a reason.  They're a good squad.

I haven't been a huge Fox supporter because I disagree with some of his recruiting, roster and game strategy moves.  However, I'm not on the fire Fox now bandwagon, either.

I am concerned that Auburn seems to be turning things around with their huge win over Kentucky.  I would like to see Georgia be more competitive.  I just don't know.

Let's regroup.  Beat Missouri.  Get some good recruiting news.  Maybe I'm a glass half-full guy, but we can still turn the ship around.

Proud of the Dawgs!

Great season.  20 wins.  Will make the NCAA Tourney.

Great game.  Beat a tough Auburn team at home.  Shot 90 percent from the free throw line.  If we made 90 percent against Kentucky, we would have beat them, if you count the second end of the one-and-ones that would have followed.  Would have won a number of the other games, too.

Great coaching.  Fox kept the team together despite all the energies.  Sure, we could have won a couple more, here and there, but on the whole, I say, good job, Coach Fox!

How about Charles Mann!  Hit 3 for 5 from the field and an amazing 9 for 9 from the free throw line.  That's what we've been hoping for from him.

Yante has come along nicely.  J.J. Frazier, Marcus Thornton and Nemi Djurisic made huge strides this year.  Kenny Paul Geno, Juwan Parker and J.J. Frazier have given incredible effort, considering their injuries.  Same for Kenny Gaines.

Let's make some noise this month!

No Pearl, No Problem?

Bruce Pearl won't be in town when the Volunteers face off against the Dawgs.

According to some of Tennessee's players, they won't need Pearl's motivation. They were humbled last year at the Steg and now they want revenge.

UGA vs. UT

Dawgs hand it to them, same score.

Georgia Picked to Finish Fifth in the SEC East

Well, there are a couple of compliments thrown Georgia's way in the attached Rivals article (Team on the Rise and all that), but the writer still predicts that Georgia will finish the year near the bottom of the SEC East.

What say you? How will Georgia do in the Division?

Bruce Pearl

I don't think that Bruce Pearl will resign from the University of Tennessee. He has a huge contract with the school, with lots of protection to keep him from being fired, and I doubt he would walk from it.

From every indication I've seen, his personality is wrapped up in who he is as a coach. Although he'd likely be better off if he gave the game a rest, in my opinion he'll stay until UT either fires him or opts not to renew his contract in 2014.

Five SEC East Teams to Dance?

Athlon Sports predicts that 5 SEC East teams will make the NCAA Tournament. Everybody but South Carolina.

I don't see how the SEC East can get that many teams in. Even with the slight tournament field expansion, the SEC West will send somebody, the ACC is bound to have a number of teams in the tourney, and there are just a lot of good teams out there, not to mention the surprise teams that win their conference tournament and get an automatic berth. Besides, one of the SEC East teams is bound to disappoint, if for no other reason because they get knocked off by the other good teams in the Division.

Still it's hard to poke too many holes in Athlon Sports' analysis. If you just look at the talent on the rosters, the East is stacked. Florida brings everybody back and adds Patric Young and Casey Prather. Vanderbilt lost some talent in A.J. Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal, but they will be plenty tough if their point guard play holds up. Kentucky has all those talented freshmen. And for all his troubles, Bruce Pearl has been able to hold things together. Even South Carolina has size and athleticism. The Gamecocks will miss Devan Downey, for sure, but Coach Horn will throw some teams out of whack by using his traps and pressure defense.

Basketball is definitely back in the SEC, and especially so in the SEC East. Are you ready to get started?

Not Surprised, Not Disappointed

I don't have high expectations for the hoops Dawgs on the road. Getting a win against #20 Tennessee with most of their key players back in the line-up was a tall order for the Dawgs.

Not being surprised does not mean that I liked what I saw from the team. UT pretty much outplayed us at every position.

Of particular concern was the fact that Tennessee doubled our output at the normal scoring positions. UT's shooting guard and small forward combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds. UGA's had 13 and 6. Even worse, their two point guards had 18 points, and ours had 2. We're not going to win with that kind of production.

Trey Thompkins played a good game, scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds. I thought Thompkins would score 40, but Coach Fox pulled him out of the game-- I thought at an inopportune time. I always like riding the hot hand, so I probably would have kept Thompkins in. I know that Thompkins played 35 minutes and Fox has to be careful not to wear out his star player. My point is more about timing. After sitting on the bench for a spell, Thompkins came back in. He was rested, but the magic was gone. He didn't score for the remainder of the game.

I also do not like line-ups with no shooters. Georgia had a decent lead, but when we went to our second unit, the wheels fell off. I'd rather keep at least one scoring threat on the floor at all times. We're not deep enough to do otherwise.

We're 11 and 13 on the year, 3 and 8 in the SEC. Let's learn from last night's game and get ready to play Alabama on Saturday.

UT Game will be much Tougher

than the one played in Athens. Chism has had an injury, but I fully expect him to be back in action tonight. Brian Williams has been reinstated, and he's had a couple of weeks to get his timing back.

Goins and Maze, the two point guard types that Bruce Pearl has at his disposal will likely be on the court at the same time. Pearl has had more time to understand and prepare to defend the triangle offense. And the Volunteers will be at home.

It will be critical for the Dawgs to start the game well. If Tennessee gets quick turnovers and their team runs out to a 12 to 2 lead, our young Bulldawgs squad may have a difficult time recovering in front of a hostile crowd.

UT will probably win this one, but I'm hoping that the Dawgs find a way to beat Tennessee at their place.

Bruce Pearl Re-Loading for Georgia?

Bruce Pearl has brought all of his suspended players back in time to get the rust off for the contest against Georgia day after tomorrow.

Brian Williams is back on the court. Goins and Tatum had previously returned, and played against Georgia in Athens.

UT's front line will be much more stout with the return of Williams. Ajax will be back from a one-game suspension, so I guess it'll be time to let the big players play. Should be a great game.

Let's sweep UT!

Seven Superlatives from the UT Game

Travis Leslie got the Player of the Week award from the SEC. Great accomplishment.

Based on my review, however, there were some other guys out there whose contributions to the game and atmosphere deserve some sort of acknowledgement. So here, for all to see, or at least the five readers of the Blog (thanks, Mom) are my Seven Superlatives.

1. Most Likely to Succeed in MMA

Sorry Herschel, but Ajax gets the nod here. Jackson smoothly transitioned from a tussel underneath the hoop into an over the shoulder arm bar on Wayne Chism. The referee wisely jumped in to give Jackson the victory by submission.

2. Hop Along Cassidy Award: Trey Thompkins

What Travis Leslie lacks in demonstratives, Thompkins makes up. After he hit his three-pointer against UT, Thompkins rode the bronco back down the court.

3. Rocky Award

Whoever that Dude is in the stands.

'Nuff said.

4. All-Orange trophy: Bruce Pearl.

He wears orange. It may have been my cable system, but against Georgia, he even looked orange. Great that he won't be taking to the stairs, thanking all the UT fans, in the Steg any time soon.

5. Shimmy, Shimmy: Ebuka Anyaorah

Anyaorah got the bounce on the three-point attempt. He jumped up and shimmied down the court.

Pearl went ballistic afterwards. Had something to do with the clock, apparently, but his team wasn't going to win anyway. Pearl's reaction did make Ebuka's shot that much more enjoyable.

6. Most Likely to Break the Backboard

Jeremy Price. Scott Howard was spot on when he evoked Darrell Dawkins after the Jeremy Price first half thunder dunk.

Price gets some points taken off for having his shot blocked in the second half by Bruce Pearl's son. Very un-Dawkins like, that part.

7. Most Likely to Make us Barf

Peanut Butter Boy. Dude got his own write-up from ESPN. I thought sure he was a UT fan, with all that stuff smeared on, but he's all ours. Yuck.

Feeling a Dawgs Win

Dustin Ware will have to play the game of his life. He'll have to keep Bobby Maze out of the paint. And on offense, he has to make good decisions with the ball and help us keep it a half-court game.

The other guys have to step up, too. Does Ebuka have a jumpshot or two in him? Can Drazen spell Travis Leslie?

If we can out-physical their bigs, get Wayne Chism in foul trouble, then I think we win. Hopefully, their guards will come out cold. We're well-rested and fresh, and we need the victory more than they do.

Besides, we already whipped UT once this week. If we can can beat Pat Summitt, Bruce Pearl ought to be easy. We're on a roll, here. Let's keep it going.

Dawgs by a whopping 8 points. 68 to 60. I'm calling it.

Tyler Smith Dismissed

Not a total surprise.

I said earlier this week that I doubted that any of the players would see the court again this year. And this is Smith's last year. Remember that some thought that he would opt to forego his final year of eligibility and head to the pro's, but he came back to Knoxville. He may get picked up by an NBA team, despite his legal issues. We'll see.

It will take the police a good while to get to the bottom of their investigation. In the meantime, now that Smith is no longer with the team, there may be a push to let the other three guys continue playing while things get resolved.

I think their indefinite suspension will be just that. We're already in the second week of January, conference play begins this weekend, and the pace of the season, matched against the pace of the investigation process, is not in favor of the remaining three players suiting up for Bruce Pearl again this year.

Maybe one or two of the guys will transfer.

Tyler Smith

Trae Golden commits to UT

Hats off to Bruce Pearl on this latest commitment. He and his staff have recruited the state of Georgia well.

UGA had a shot with Golden. In the end, we couldn't quite get it done.

Recruiting Recap

By now, readers of this Blog probably know that Terrance Shannon committed to Florida State. Since Shannon seriously injured his knee in an AAU game, he will focus on rehabilitation during the 2008/2009 year to be ready to play for in Tallahassee his freshman year (2009/2010).

Would have loved to see Shannon in Athens, but it didn't happen.

I reported earlier that Billy Humphrey is enrolled at University of New Orleans. There is a full article in the Blog Archive, in case you missed it.

Josh Selby and Jordan McRae have committed to UT for the 2010 class. Selby is a 5-star point guard from Hyattsville, Maryland, and Jordan McRae is a 4-star shooting guard from Midway, Georgia. Both are considered top-30 recruits.

Ari Stewart, 2009 wing player, is going to Wake Forest. He joins Tony Woods and Al-Farouq Aminu, two other highly ranked players from Georgia who signed with Wake for the 2008 class.

Georgia State received a commitment from Rashanti Harris. This one was a surprise to me. Rashanti Harris is a stud, folks. If his academics are in order, Harris will make Georgia State much, much better.

Avery Bradley to Texas. He may try to leave early. Might not be a "one and done" guy, but we'll see how this all pans out.

Aaron Craft Commits to Bruce Pearl

Aaron Craft, a 6' 1" point guard from the 2010 class, has committed to play for Bruce Pearl.

Craft averaged 18 points per game last year. He shot 53% from the field, 36% from behind the arc.

Craft also carries a 4.0 GPA.

UT has a talented class of freshmen this year, and brings in Kenny Hall, a post player from the Atlanta area in their 2009 class.

Bruce Pearl on Incoming Freshmen

Pearl calls his freshmen his best signing class ever. That means, "watch out, SEC."

Cameron Tatum is a guy who will help him this year. I know the focus is on Scotty Hopson, but Tatum might be just as good. As a redshirt freshman, Tatum has not played in the SEC before, so Pearl will have plenty of new weapons to use this year.

And Hopson can score the basketball. Negedu might be a guy utilized like Tyler Smith. If his point guard play is where he needs it to be, Pearl will be able to utilize his full-court pressure system, and rotate players in and out of the line-up.

Pearl apparently has some skill as a speaker, too.

I expect UT to win the SEC this year, despite the loss of Lofton and Smith.

Pearl

Like UT Needs More Talent

Fox Sports has information on how Emmanuel Negedu is performing. Negedu de-committed from Arizona, signed with Bruce Pearl's group, and is a freshman at UT this year.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox/2008/08/18/NEGEDU_RUNS_A_435_GRIFFIN_EXPANDING_RANGE

All I'll say is that UGA's squad better be working hard this off-season.

Unfinished Business

Much as I hate to see it, UT has the talent to win it all this year. Pearl feels they have some unfinished business left to do, since they haven't made it past the Sweet 16.

Cameron Tatum is better than advertised. Scotty Hopson can score. They have enough bigs to rebound and block shots, and Tyler Smith is the glue that holds everything together.

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/aug/16/ut-all-business-with-new-slogan/

Sundiata Gaines played out of his mind last year to put Georgia in a position to almost beat UT, but his last second three was off. Somebody will have to have a huge game for Georgia to hang in there against them in the 2008/2009 season.