Prediction: Dawgs win big over Colorado

KPG?  What you got?

I think we get production from K squared.  A little bit of Kenny Paul Geno and a big game from Kenny Gaines.

Hopefully can watch the game after church.

Dawgs should win against Chattanooga

Expecting a good game for UGA.  Would like to see us continue to work on fundamentals.  I'm okay with Fox using his deep bench as long as the game is in hand.

Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines should have an advantage on the perimeter.  If Brandon and Forte drive the ball they should be able to finish at the rim. Wish Fox would experiment with both Brandon and Cam on the floor at the same time.  Just slide Morris down to the power forward position.

If Donte plays big, he might start to get his confidence back.  Marcus Thornton has been playing much better this year.  

If we get to a 3 and 4 record with a victory tonight, Coach Fox and the squad will start to feel better about their prospects for the season.  As I said previously, we have to take it a game at a time.

Curious to see how Andrew Houts will do for the Mocs.  Hoops fans may remember that his sister Ashley was a McDonald's All-American and an all-everything player for UGA.  Ashley is playing in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics.  Andrew can shoot the three, so it's important to cover him on the perimeter. 

Predicting a ten-point win for the Dawgs, 73 to 63.  Something like that.

Go Dawgs!

Georgia will beat Davidson

Here's why:

1.  Tech beat us

I imagine that practice this week was rigorous.  Not wanting to start the season at 1 and 2, the Dawgs will hunker down early and play to win.

2.  Morris will play

Brandon Morris won't start, but he'll see action.  Anything more than a 3-game suspension would have been in the news.

Brandon will spell Cameron Forte and Morris will remind Dawg fans what he can do:  play above the rim, score in the post, get to the free throw line.

3.  Georgia is bigger in the post

There's a reason they're 0 and 3.  Davidson was really good last year, but they have played this year against schools with bigger athletes and have yet to win.  Georgia will have an advantage on the boards.  When we out-rebound a team, we will win.

4.  Kenny Gaines will have a good game

He didn't shoot well against Tech.  Neither did Parker.  Expect both to bounce back.

5.  Charles Mann is a stud

As I have said previously, Mann will likely finish his career as Georgia's best point guard ever.  Mann has the size of Vern Fleming, the willingness to drive of Sundiata Gaines, and the intangibles of Rashad Wright.  He has changed the release on his shot, which makes him a threat to score from deep.  He'll have 18 or 19 points this evening.

This one won't be as close as the experts have predicted.  Dawgs win by 14.  Game starts at 5:00.

Oops.  Game starts when it starts.  Double-overtime game pushes back the start.

Dawgs Whip Tech

Sure it's a bold prediction, but with the exception of the most recent history, we always beat Tech at the Steg.

This game sets up well for us.

1)  It's at home.

Hopefully we'll have a good, noisy crowd.

2)  It's early in the season

On paper, Tech has the better team.  However, their talent might not gel as well during the first half of November as it will next month, when we usually play them.  If an upset is to happen, better to catch the superior team early, rather than late.

3)  Guards' Game

The new emphasis on hand-checking makes college basketball even more of a guards' game.  That should neutralize some of Tech's size in the post, and play to the advantage of UGA's physical guards, Mann & Gaines.

4)  Morris vs. Bolden

UGA has apparently suspended Brandon Morris.  He won't play tonight.  Bad news for Georgia, but the loss of Brandon and his 4 points and 2 boards is offset by Tech's loss of Chris Bolden and Bolden's 7 points and 2 boards.

Dawgs win 72 to 61.

Can't do it

My head tells me that Florida will win, that our defense will be poor and our offense anemic.  Jarvis Jones was so huge in the last two victories.  This year we don't seem to have a playmaker on defense.  Malcolm Mitchell made the huge catch and run.  Who will do that for us this year?

However, since I hate Florida so, so much, I have to predict a Dawgs win.  UGA 21, Florida 17.

Dawgs vs. LSU

Call me crazy, but I think the Dawgs win 2 or 3 games this SEC Tourney.  Doesn't mean we go to the post-season, of course, but if we win the first one and somehow get by Florida, we would have a great shot to get to the SEC Tournament championship.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me focus on today's game.

We start against LSU today at 1:00.  We match up pretty well with them, winning by 9 points over the Tigers back on January 19. 

The key today is that we have to hold down Johnny O'Bryant.  He had 16 points on 5 of 8 shooting and 14 rebounds against us.  Just a powerful guy in the paint.  6' 9", 262 lbs.  Donte Williams held his own last time out, almost matching O'Bryant's point production with 14 of his own. 

Kentavious was a 50 percent shooter, going 7 of 14 from the floor against LSU.  He always gives maximum effort, but he has started to wear down some, in my opinion, as the year has come to a close.  He was clicking on all cylinders middle of the season, but he went 27 for 80, right at 33 percent, the last 5 games.  Hope he is rested and ready to go today.

I think our guys step up.  We keep their short point guard Andre Stringer out of the paint, limit their second chance points, no easy baskets by O'Bryant, and our guys do enough to help KCP.  Dawgs by 8 today.

Dawgs Beat UT

Once again, I missed the game, but for the first time this season, I got a prediction right.  What is that they say about a blind squirrel?  Ha!

Congratulations to Coach Fox, KCP and Kenny Gaines.  I understand that Charles Mann had a fantastic game.  He didn't shoot the ball well from the field, going 3 of 9, but he had 8 assists against 0 turnovers, nailed his free throws, and shut down the other guy.  That's what you want a point guard to do. 

I still believe that Mann will be one of UGA's best ever point guards by the time he leaves the program.

Jordan McRae was unconscious.  Dude had 35 points on 10 of 15 shooting overall, 8 of 11 from behind the arc and 7 of 7 from the line.  We couldn't stop him, but we limited Stokes' touches and ultimately did enough to get the win.

Can we win these next two?  I'm still waiting on Brandon Morris to have a huge outing.  He can get us 16 and 9.  When he gets confident, look out.  Maybe it'll happen against Kentucky.

I'm seriously going out on a limb here, but without Nerlens Noel, UK can be had.  Dawgs in a shocker over the Cats. 

Dawgs to Face Tennessee

Tennessee is playing pretty well right now, having rattled off 6 victories in a row since they lost to us in Knoxville.  They're now 17 and 10 on the year.  UT beat Florida in their last game, so now is not the best time to be facing the Volunteers.  At least we'll have home-court advantage.

We'll likely have a hard time handling Stokes down in the post.  Big guy, good hands.  He's 6' 8" and 270 pounds--  the kind of build that Mark Fox dislikes.  I wish Fox would recruit some of the football-player types.  Nothing against any of our guys, but tall and skinny doesn't work out too well in the SEC.  Not unless you have a lot of quickness and can hit the outside shot.  Our returning post players need to be seriously hitting the weights during the off-season.

In the meantime, let's play hard today, double-team Stokes and make his touches difficult.  He had 16 points and 11 boards against us on 4 of 6 shooting in our last contest.

Jordan McRae is definitely coming on.  He had 27, 23 and 34 points in his last three games.  Anybody know if we tried to recruit him?  McRae is a 6' 5" player with a good jumpshot, hailing from southeast Georgia. 

If memory serves me, I think we did try to bring in Trae Golden.  When Golden is on his game, he's a handful.

We need to win tomorrow's game since we close the year with Kentucky and Alabama.  Surpassing .500 in the regular season is a realistic goal for our squad, but we'll have to win two of three to do it.

Dawgs Face Iona

I think the Dawgs take this one. 

Won't be easy.  They're far from a cupcake.  Iona plays a fast pace and they have two guards from New York, both of whom are averaging right at 20 points per game.  Iona beat Wake Forest by almost 30.

Got to bring our "A" game today.  We're rested and I think Fox will let his freshmen play.  We either lose by twelve or win by five.  I think the latter.

Dawgs to Face Gamecocks, KCP to Return

South Carolina is weak where the Dawgs are weak. They don't have much scoring and from what I remember, don't have skilled post players. That gives the Dawgs a chance to pick up a road win.

UGA vs SC

Glad to see that KCP will be around for at least another year.

We ought to be able to beat the last place team in the SEC, so I'm picking Georgia on this one.

Dawgs Over USC (Prediction)

USC isn't very good, but that will be offset somewhat by the fact that the Dawgs are playing out west. Of course, Georgia hasn't played well either, but I think Fox and the hounds will benefit from the break they have had and finally play decently in the second half.

Think that Gerald Robinson will get going early again and Dustin Ware will hit free throws late.

Final score: 62 to 56.

Got a Good Feeling about the Xavier Game

Think we'll get an early season road win. Georgia 67, Xavier 59. Maybe Gerald Robinson will show us all what he's got.

Dawgs Big Over Auburn (Prediction)

I think the Dawgs win by double digits, assuming we don't get into a "small ball" game with them. If we successfully play to our strengths in the post, it should be a fairly easy victory.

I should note that we'd better get these guys while they're down. Auburn has some talented big guys coming in next year. If you put their new post players with the developing players on the outside, then Auburn could have something.

But as for now, I hope that this game gives us the opportunity to get the bench more minutes. Thornton seems to be rounding into shape with his rebounding and blocked shots. If he gets his "ups" back, then he can definitely help later in the year.

Vincent Williams has looked better. He'll never be 6' 5", but even with his small stature he can give us quality minutes if Dustin Ware or Gerald Robinson get into foul trouble. Vincent's jump-shot looks to be true. He needs the confidence built from extended playing time for him to consistently hit the pick and pop shots and the floaters toward the rim.

I'd like to see Travis Leslie get his swagger back today. Maybe we can break from the triangle offense some and try to isolate him on the block.

One of the keys for Travis is to not jump with the ball until he is near the basket. It seems that with all of his leaping ability he has picked up the habit of taking a couple of dribbles, jumping and then deciding what to do with the ball. It's leading to him shooting the ball on the way down, which negates most of his athletic advantage. And when he confronts a player tall enough to contest his shot, then he tries to make a pass before he hits the ground, and opposing players keep their hands up and steal the pass.

If we pick up the W expected from playing the last place team in the league at the Steg, then Georgia may be able to build some momentum going into the rest of the SEC schedule. Either Florida or Kentucky will have an additional L stemming from their contest tonight, and maybe Alabama can knock off Tennessee, which would put Georgia back into the thick of things in the SEC East.

Arkansas Over Georgia (Predictions)

Well, I predicted Georgia would win against Florida and at Kentucky, and the team did neither. Maybe I'll use reverse psychology this time.

In all seriousness, I'm believing that the convoluted travel arrangements and the cold temps will impact the Dawgs. We will start off poorly and fall behind while Arkansas builds and maintains a lead.

Hate to do it, but my best guess is Hogs over Dawgs.

Dawgs Win! (Prediction)

Odds are against us, I know.

And Calipari has them playing "kill ball." I think that's what we used to call it when basketball was played like football and no fouls could be called.

The article is correct that Kentucky is playing better. And they will be at home. Likely to get all the calls.

I'm still saying that Kentucky is a much weaker team than last year. Then, they had Demarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson and John Wall. They could bring in length off the bench with Perry Stevenson.

Lamb and Knight are terrific guards. They'll score a lot of points before their careers are over. Still neither one projects to be the first draft pick taken.

Meanwhile, Georgia is a much-improved team. At least it is when Gerald Robinson plays well. I don't think we'll be bullied by these guys.

Let's play the 3-2 zone and see if these guys can shoot it from the outside. Meanwhile, if one of our guards gets hot, we can run out to a quick start and keep the crowd out of the game.

Time for us to win a close one. Dawgs over Cats (as it should be), due to our fast start and their missed shots and free throws down the stretch, 86 to 82.

Dawgs Win Big! (prediction)

Okay. UF has had our number in just about every sport but equestrian or gymnastics over the last I don't know how long. Time to turn the tide.

We have a sell-out, a packed house, a national audience and a chance to make an impression to the watching world of sports fans. If we win, we're in first place in the tough SEC East.

I think our crowd makes a difference. Dustin Ware hits the spot-up jumper, Travis goes to the basket with abandon, and everybody else gets involved.

We'll have to watch out for their traps. Billy Donovan always tries to neutralize the opponent by trapping along the sidelines or in the backcourt. Will Gerald Robinson be able to make them pay? Will his jumper be on tonight?

I think we can do it. Dawgs win by 15, 75 to 60.

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.

Not Feeling Good about the Game Against Tech

It will be a blow-out either way. They either press us to death and we wilt because they have more depth at guard, or we push them around inside and Trey and JP have field days.

Shumpert can score. We'll have to control him. Brian Oliver can shoot it, and Udofia can get streaky. Jason Morris had a nice outing off the bench last game for them, and Glen Rice goes to the hoop pretty effectively.

My prediction: I just can't bring myself to pick Tech over UGA, even if it is at their place and the home team almost always wins in this series.

I'm saying 75 to 62, UGA over Tech.

Tip-off is in 10 minutes. Go Dawgs!

Hope I'm Wrong, but

tonight could be a trap game for the football Dawgs.

Not the kind in which a highly ranked undefeated team loses to a lower ranked squad. We only wish Georgia were that good. But the fact is that Georgia should be able to win handily over an underperforming Tech team. We've had a week off to prepare. We're playing at home. Murray is back. Nesbitt is not.

Yet and still, Tech is very dangerous. They have a better record than we do. Sure, they play in the ACC, but they are 6 and 5 and we are 5 and 6.

Losing Nesbitt could ultimately prove to be a net positive for Tech. Tevin Washington apparently gives them the same skill package. Crafty with the ball. A strong runner in their option game. Can he throw it? He had over 5,000 yards of passing in high school. They might establish the run and surprise us with a long ball or two, then play keep-away for the rest of the game.

We have a new defensive scheme. The 3-4, with its emphasis on pass rushes from the linebacker position might be totally over-matched against a grind it out option attack. Besides that, we haven't stopped anybody all year.

You'd think we would be able to out-physical them on the offensive line. Well, our offensive line play has been an enigma. Expected to be a strength this year, our line play has been less than stellar. We're scoring lots of points, but we really need to be able to run the football tonight, use the same game plan as last year. They'll probably load the box and hope to get a quick three and out on our first possession. Are we man enough to take it to them?

We're playing to protect home turf. To become bowl eligible. Avoid a losing season. Honor our senior class. They're playing for revenge. Because a win over Georgia would make their year. Because they hate our guts.

Which team will be more inspired? Will Murray be gun-shy coming off of his injury? Is he ready to play? Will our defensive linemen get tired of the cut-blocks in the fourth quarter? Will our backs hold on to the football?

Hope I'm wrong, but I think it will be a close one and Tech could surprise us. Prediction? 30 to 24, Georgia Tech.

Dawgs Lose

About as I expected.

We looked terrible against the zone. We shot 50 percent from the line. Let entirely too many defensive rebounds slip through our hands.

On defense our bigs just sat behind their post player and didn't fight him for position. And we didn't adjust the defense when they kept going to him. When a guy gets the ball right in front of the rim, he's usually going to score or get fouled. How to play it? With an undersized post player, you front him and force the defense to throw the ball over the top. If you can't get in front then get three quarter post position and force him to his off-hand.

Bottom line: we didn't deserve to win this one. We were stagnant on offense and uninspired or unmotivated on defense.

Dustin Ware had a couple of key buckets, but his shot is definitely off. His biggest problem is with his lift. He points his feet inward toward each other and thus his lower body works against his upper body on the release. He needs to watch some film to get it corrected. Teams are playing off of him, so although I don't recommend a lot of tinkering with a guy's mechanics during the season, in this case it's warranted. If he's going to shoot 8 or 9 threes during regulation and 13 for the game, then he needs to get it right.

A continuing concern is that Ware has no game going toward the basket. That was my point when he was recruited. He had a lot more three-point shots than a good point guard should have, especially when compared to the number of free throws he shot. He just has to take it toward the basket sometimes. Develop a floater, spin move, or learn to draw contact and get to the line.

If teams zone us, we might want to experiment with Robinson at the point and Brantley at the 2-guard. Not that Brantley is a particularly true shooter, either, but if Ware is off, let's try someone else.

And we need to develop an offense against the zone. We seemed to not know what to do. We looked confused and out of sorts and decided to just swing the ball around the perimeter. You do have to swing the ball, but if there is no movement through the paint, the zone will just shift. I like to overload one side and put a double or triple screen on to free a shooter. Tubby's offenses were great against the zone and Bruce Pearl has effective schemes. Either we run the normal triangle or we come up with a different offense against teams that zone us.

Wasn't a terrible game, but we had our chances. We'll get better as Trey gets acclimated to being on the floor again. You can tell that he doesn't have much lift.

When the guy banked in the three-pointer during the second overtime, I figured we weren't going to win it. They played just good enough to win and we have a lot of work to do.