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.
Showing posts with label Recaps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recaps. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Revisiting the Kentucky Game
As painful as this is, yes, I'm going to go there.
Kentucky is just man-handling teams in the NCAA tournament. The game against West Virginia was brutal. Didn't watch it. Didn't need to. Knew Kentucky would win in convincing fashion.
Hard to believe that UGA gave Kentucky one of its toughest outs of the year. Sure, there were the games against other SEC foes. Sure, Kentucky barely outlasted a couple of teams(LSU and Missouri?), winning late or in overtime. But neither of those teams were beating Kentucky by 9 points in the second half.
Besides, I don't care about the other teams.
Georgia should have won that game. The game in Athens. The game in which we were beating them soundly, and the Kentucky guys looked confused.
We needed a few things to go our way:
1. Free throws.
Maddening to watch us go 9 of 18 in the most important game of the year. 50 percent!
2. Balanced Scoring.
By and large, we had it.
3. Good game by J.J. Frazier
Didn't get it. He went 2 of 8 from the field, 1 of 5 from behind the arc. He even missed his two free throw attempts.
4. Great Game from Our Bigs
Was so proud to see Marcus Thornton, Nemi Djurisic and Yante Maten all shoot 50 percent or better from the floor. Our three big men each outscored Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein. Nemi played out of his mind.
5. Take away the Lob Pass
Mission accomplished. Sure they must have had a couple, but I don't remember any.
6. Great Coaching by Fox
We had it. Great game plan. We bodied their big men and made them shoot over the top. Slowed the game down. Made them defend our big men off the dribble.
7. Win the Turnover Margin
They only had 3 turnovers the entire game. We had 11.
8. Get some Home Cooking
Think the refs hurt us more than helped us.
9. Out-Shoot them from Deep
We went 3 of 17. They shot 4 of 15.
10. Be Tough on the Glass
We actually out-rebounded them, 41 to 38.
On the whole, we did what we needed to do.
Their big man, Towns, was 8 of 12 from the floor. He was hooking our defensive player with his elbow and shooting the jump hook. I was practically screaming at the t.v. for Fox to call a double-down to make Towns go to his left. Every time he bounced the ball, I would have had one of our guards running at him full speed.
In the end, we lost by 8. We were right there, though. If we had hit two more three-pointers, just 5 for 17, and shot 70 percent from the line, we would have won.
Woulda, coulda. I know. Frustrating. They'll probably go 40 and 0 and win the whole thing, but we had them.
Kentucky is just man-handling teams in the NCAA tournament. The game against West Virginia was brutal. Didn't watch it. Didn't need to. Knew Kentucky would win in convincing fashion.
Hard to believe that UGA gave Kentucky one of its toughest outs of the year. Sure, there were the games against other SEC foes. Sure, Kentucky barely outlasted a couple of teams(LSU and Missouri?), winning late or in overtime. But neither of those teams were beating Kentucky by 9 points in the second half.
Besides, I don't care about the other teams.
Georgia should have won that game. The game in Athens. The game in which we were beating them soundly, and the Kentucky guys looked confused.
We needed a few things to go our way:
1. Free throws.
Maddening to watch us go 9 of 18 in the most important game of the year. 50 percent!
2. Balanced Scoring.
By and large, we had it.
3. Good game by J.J. Frazier
Didn't get it. He went 2 of 8 from the field, 1 of 5 from behind the arc. He even missed his two free throw attempts.
4. Great Game from Our Bigs
Was so proud to see Marcus Thornton, Nemi Djurisic and Yante Maten all shoot 50 percent or better from the floor. Our three big men each outscored Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein. Nemi played out of his mind.
5. Take away the Lob Pass
Mission accomplished. Sure they must have had a couple, but I don't remember any.
6. Great Coaching by Fox
We had it. Great game plan. We bodied their big men and made them shoot over the top. Slowed the game down. Made them defend our big men off the dribble.
7. Win the Turnover Margin
They only had 3 turnovers the entire game. We had 11.
8. Get some Home Cooking
Think the refs hurt us more than helped us.
9. Out-Shoot them from Deep
We went 3 of 17. They shot 4 of 15.
10. Be Tough on the Glass
We actually out-rebounded them, 41 to 38.
On the whole, we did what we needed to do.
Their big man, Towns, was 8 of 12 from the floor. He was hooking our defensive player with his elbow and shooting the jump hook. I was practically screaming at the t.v. for Fox to call a double-down to make Towns go to his left. Every time he bounced the ball, I would have had one of our guards running at him full speed.
In the end, we lost by 8. We were right there, though. If we had hit two more three-pointers, just 5 for 17, and shot 70 percent from the line, we would have won.
Woulda, coulda. I know. Frustrating. They'll probably go 40 and 0 and win the whole thing, but we had them.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Dawgs Beat Vandy
Final score, 70 to 62.
Didn't see the game, but I might try to watch the replay. In any case, I like having J.J. Frazier starting and the move to put Mann at the 3. Takes pressure off of Mann and gets another scorer on the court to begin the game.
Still worried about bench strength, but we seem to be managing with Yante Maten and Cameron Forte being the key subs, and Taylor Echols coming in for spot minutes. Good game for Nemi, with 15 points and 9 boards.
Nice win last night.
Didn't see the game, but I might try to watch the replay. In any case, I like having J.J. Frazier starting and the move to put Mann at the 3. Takes pressure off of Mann and gets another scorer on the court to begin the game.
Still worried about bench strength, but we seem to be managing with Yante Maten and Cameron Forte being the key subs, and Taylor Echols coming in for spot minutes. Good game for Nemi, with 15 points and 9 boards.
Nice win last night.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Best Game Ever
for a UGA player.
I've been around Georgia basketball for a little while. Won't say how long, but even my Blog will soon go into its 8th year.
I have never seen a performance like the one J.J. Frazier had on Saturday. 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. 12 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from behind the arc, and 6 of 8 from the line. And he rebounded his own missed free throw late in the game.
Frazier reminded me of Chris Jackson from way back when, playing for LSU. Jackson used to have incredible games, but his supporting cast, guys like Stanley Roberts and Shaquille O'Neal, was much better. I'm not saying that Frazier will have the career that Jackson had, but Frazier was all money all game for UGA against Mississippi State.
Frazier's outburst also reminds me of Litterial Green. Green had big scoring outings, too, back in the 90's. People expected Green to score, though. He was a highly recruited 2-guard from Mississippi.
Frazier's game was better than any of my memories of Green's exploits, in that nobody imagined Frazier would explode. No one expected him to pull down 7 boards, either.
Besides that, Frazier runs the point. He had responsibility for bringing up the ball against pressure. He wasn't just floating around the perimeter, waiting for someone else to drive the ball and kick it out to him.
I'll leave it to the stats guys to see if anyone has gone shot the ball as efficiently as Frazier. I doubt it. Dustin Ware went bonkers back in 2010, hitting 7 three-pointers on 9 attempts. I think that was the game at Tech. Ware was certainly good that day, but Frazier was better. The difference is that Ware scored 21 points for the entire game, meaning that the only points he scored were from behind the arc. Ware didn't hit any two-point baskets, and never went to the foul line.
Bottom line is that Frazier gets my "best game ever" designation because he played way above his 5' 10", 150-pound stature. He hardly missed a shot, hit big shots and got the key rebound, then iced the game at the free throw line.
When Frazier was recruited, I wondered how he would finish against bigger guys. Well, if he can gun it from deep and throw in an occasional finger roll like he did Saturday, the big guards in the league are going to have their hands full.
Great game, J.J. Best I remember. Congratulations.
DM
I've been around Georgia basketball for a little while. Won't say how long, but even my Blog will soon go into its 8th year.
I have never seen a performance like the one J.J. Frazier had on Saturday. 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. 12 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from behind the arc, and 6 of 8 from the line. And he rebounded his own missed free throw late in the game.
Frazier reminded me of Chris Jackson from way back when, playing for LSU. Jackson used to have incredible games, but his supporting cast, guys like Stanley Roberts and Shaquille O'Neal, was much better. I'm not saying that Frazier will have the career that Jackson had, but Frazier was all money all game for UGA against Mississippi State.
Frazier's outburst also reminds me of Litterial Green. Green had big scoring outings, too, back in the 90's. People expected Green to score, though. He was a highly recruited 2-guard from Mississippi.
Frazier's game was better than any of my memories of Green's exploits, in that nobody imagined Frazier would explode. No one expected him to pull down 7 boards, either.
Besides that, Frazier runs the point. He had responsibility for bringing up the ball against pressure. He wasn't just floating around the perimeter, waiting for someone else to drive the ball and kick it out to him.
I'll leave it to the stats guys to see if anyone has gone shot the ball as efficiently as Frazier. I doubt it. Dustin Ware went bonkers back in 2010, hitting 7 three-pointers on 9 attempts. I think that was the game at Tech. Ware was certainly good that day, but Frazier was better. The difference is that Ware scored 21 points for the entire game, meaning that the only points he scored were from behind the arc. Ware didn't hit any two-point baskets, and never went to the foul line.
Bottom line is that Frazier gets my "best game ever" designation because he played way above his 5' 10", 150-pound stature. He hardly missed a shot, hit big shots and got the key rebound, then iced the game at the free throw line.
When Frazier was recruited, I wondered how he would finish against bigger guys. Well, if he can gun it from deep and throw in an occasional finger roll like he did Saturday, the big guards in the league are going to have their hands full.
Great game, J.J. Best I remember. Congratulations.
DM
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Great Effort, Guys!
No need to hang your heads after this one. We started off way too slow. We didn't give up, though, and we made it a game at the end. LSU wins, 68 to 63.
We needed a few baskets from our big guys. If we go 3 of 20 from the field for our 3's, 4's, and 5's, we're not going to win.
Great game, though, by KCP. Career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds. I think he improved his draft stock, so it's really, really doubtful that he comes back.
Charles Mann had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He's going to be a good one, folks. Kenny Gaines had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.
We end the season 15 and 17.
If KCP comes back, I think the team should be competitive. We still wouldn't have quality bigs, unless someone makes a huge step forward in the off-season. Didn't happen this year, so it's kind of discouraging, but you never know what another year of strength and conditioning could do.
In any case, put KCP out there with Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, and Brandon Morris, then see what Parker, Frazier and Kessler can do in a support role.
Although I think Kentavious will not be back in Athens, my sense is that Mark Fox will. His record over 4 seasons is not good. He is now 65 and 63 overall, which is 50 percent. He's just 43 percent in SEC competition, and has managed a losing record in 3 out of 4 years. I've said it before, but if a coach is judged on wins and losses, Fox is doing about the same job that Felton did before he was dismissed.
Ultimately, I think McGarity likes Fox and wants to give him at least another year to see what he can do.
Extremely disappointed with this season, especially Fox and his substitution patterns. LSU coach Johnny Jones decided to go small with his line-up, and they were tearing us up. Wish Mark Fox had done the same. Water under the bridge, at any rate.
Let's support the Dawgs and see if we can come back better next year.
We needed a few baskets from our big guys. If we go 3 of 20 from the field for our 3's, 4's, and 5's, we're not going to win.
Great game, though, by KCP. Career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds. I think he improved his draft stock, so it's really, really doubtful that he comes back.
Charles Mann had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He's going to be a good one, folks. Kenny Gaines had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.
We end the season 15 and 17.
If KCP comes back, I think the team should be competitive. We still wouldn't have quality bigs, unless someone makes a huge step forward in the off-season. Didn't happen this year, so it's kind of discouraging, but you never know what another year of strength and conditioning could do.
In any case, put KCP out there with Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, and Brandon Morris, then see what Parker, Frazier and Kessler can do in a support role.
Although I think Kentavious will not be back in Athens, my sense is that Mark Fox will. His record over 4 seasons is not good. He is now 65 and 63 overall, which is 50 percent. He's just 43 percent in SEC competition, and has managed a losing record in 3 out of 4 years. I've said it before, but if a coach is judged on wins and losses, Fox is doing about the same job that Felton did before he was dismissed.
Ultimately, I think McGarity likes Fox and wants to give him at least another year to see what he can do.
Extremely disappointed with this season, especially Fox and his substitution patterns. LSU coach Johnny Jones decided to go small with his line-up, and they were tearing us up. Wish Mark Fox had done the same. Water under the bridge, at any rate.
Let's support the Dawgs and see if we can come back better next year.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Still a Dawgs Fan
Proud of the team for beating Kentucky. That almost never happens.
UK's team is no slouch, either. They have some good athletes and have won 21 games on the year. Calipari's team will make it to the tournament, especially since they rebounded from the loss to us and went out and beat Florida.
At the end of the day, however, Kentucky - Nerlens Noel = beatable team. Since losing Noel to his knee injury, Kentucky has gone 4 and 4. They'll go to the NCAA's, but I doubt they do much.
The silver lining for Calipari is that there isn't a sure-fire one and done guy on his roster. He may actually have talented sophomores next year. Bring a healthy Noel back, add in their all-world recruiting class and-- let's just say I'm just glad we beat them this year.
After the victory over Kentucky, we lost the close one to Alabama. I've said it before. I don't like losing to Anthony Grant. He's beaten us 5 times straight, I think. Somehow, someway, he seems to have our number.
We're having our third losing season out of four. Not doing much on the court or on the recruiting trail. Meanwhile, Grant just notched his third-straight 20-win season. He has momentum and he's going to be around for a long time. He's also our main competition for some of the blue-chip recruits we're targeting for 2014.
Bad enough that Grant out-athletes us. Now he outlucks us to boot.
Shouldn't have gotten down to luck or a last-second heave. We needed to jump on them early, establish a lead and put pressure on them to score. We had to have a good-shooting game from KCP and didn't get one. We needed a good game from our bigs. Didn't get that either.
Alabama's Nick Jacobs is an Atlanta kid I hoped Fox could bring in. He had 11 points on 3 of 5 shooting, 5 of 5 from the line. He's just a sophomore and if he stays healthy, he could really blossom over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, Dixon, Florveus, Donte and Cannon were a combined 2 of 5 in 51 minutes. I really want those guys to step up. They have enough talent, in my way of thinking, but for some reason, aren't quite playing to their potential.
Although Charles Mann had the late turnover, I am confident he will be a good player for Georgia. Nemi had a solid outing and Brandon Morris showed that he can score the ball, shooting 4 of 5 from the floor and 2 of 2 from behind the arc. If Morris can add an on-target outside shot to his driving ability, the sky's the limit for him.
Georgia ended its regular season at 15 and 16. I wanted us to at least do better than .500. Having a winning season would have been a morale boost after we started so poorly. The good news is that we can still get into the NCAA's by winning the SEC tourney. If KCP regains his form, Brandon Morris shoots well and we have scoring from one other guy, like Nemi or Kenny Gaines, it could happen.
A dose of good luck wouldn't hurt, either. Here's rooting for a tornado!
UK's team is no slouch, either. They have some good athletes and have won 21 games on the year. Calipari's team will make it to the tournament, especially since they rebounded from the loss to us and went out and beat Florida.
At the end of the day, however, Kentucky - Nerlens Noel = beatable team. Since losing Noel to his knee injury, Kentucky has gone 4 and 4. They'll go to the NCAA's, but I doubt they do much.
The silver lining for Calipari is that there isn't a sure-fire one and done guy on his roster. He may actually have talented sophomores next year. Bring a healthy Noel back, add in their all-world recruiting class and-- let's just say I'm just glad we beat them this year.
After the victory over Kentucky, we lost the close one to Alabama. I've said it before. I don't like losing to Anthony Grant. He's beaten us 5 times straight, I think. Somehow, someway, he seems to have our number.
We're having our third losing season out of four. Not doing much on the court or on the recruiting trail. Meanwhile, Grant just notched his third-straight 20-win season. He has momentum and he's going to be around for a long time. He's also our main competition for some of the blue-chip recruits we're targeting for 2014.
Bad enough that Grant out-athletes us. Now he outlucks us to boot.
Shouldn't have gotten down to luck or a last-second heave. We needed to jump on them early, establish a lead and put pressure on them to score. We had to have a good-shooting game from KCP and didn't get one. We needed a good game from our bigs. Didn't get that either.
Alabama's Nick Jacobs is an Atlanta kid I hoped Fox could bring in. He had 11 points on 3 of 5 shooting, 5 of 5 from the line. He's just a sophomore and if he stays healthy, he could really blossom over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, Dixon, Florveus, Donte and Cannon were a combined 2 of 5 in 51 minutes. I really want those guys to step up. They have enough talent, in my way of thinking, but for some reason, aren't quite playing to their potential.
Although Charles Mann had the late turnover, I am confident he will be a good player for Georgia. Nemi had a solid outing and Brandon Morris showed that he can score the ball, shooting 4 of 5 from the floor and 2 of 2 from behind the arc. If Morris can add an on-target outside shot to his driving ability, the sky's the limit for him.
Georgia ended its regular season at 15 and 16. I wanted us to at least do better than .500. Having a winning season would have been a morale boost after we started so poorly. The good news is that we can still get into the NCAA's by winning the SEC tourney. If KCP regains his form, Brandon Morris shoots well and we have scoring from one other guy, like Nemi or Kenny Gaines, it could happen.
A dose of good luck wouldn't hurt, either. Here's rooting for a tornado!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Missed the Game Last Night
Glad I did.
Dawgs lose 63 to 62 to Vandy. Don't see how we were able to blow a 17-point lead.
We're now 13 and 15, and chances for a .500 season are fading away. Best I can tell from the various web sites, this one was a game in which we desperately needed our big men to step up. KCP didn't shoot the ball well in the second half and had a late turnover. Somehow the game got away from us.
Frustrating to see the box score from the Tech game. They went up against a pretty good 19 and 8 Maryland squad which already had victories over #14 N.C. State and #2 Duke this season. Tech won by 10. Tech's Robert Carter had 19 points and 10 boards on 7 of 11 shooting. Former UGA signee (and possible Mark Fox cast-off) Daniel Miller had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Miller has blocked 200 shots in just three years.
It's hard to go into Vandy's gym and come away with a victory, but they're not very good this year and we needed the win.
Dawgs lose 63 to 62 to Vandy. Don't see how we were able to blow a 17-point lead.
We're now 13 and 15, and chances for a .500 season are fading away. Best I can tell from the various web sites, this one was a game in which we desperately needed our big men to step up. KCP didn't shoot the ball well in the second half and had a late turnover. Somehow the game got away from us.
Frustrating to see the box score from the Tech game. They went up against a pretty good 19 and 8 Maryland squad which already had victories over #14 N.C. State and #2 Duke this season. Tech won by 10. Tech's Robert Carter had 19 points and 10 boards on 7 of 11 shooting. Former UGA signee (and possible Mark Fox cast-off) Daniel Miller had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Miller has blocked 200 shots in just three years.
It's hard to go into Vandy's gym and come away with a victory, but they're not very good this year and we needed the win.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Dawgs Lose to Arkansas
I missed the game, so I don't have much to offer on what happened during the game or the final few minutes. I saw from the box score that KCP had 15 and 4 on 4 of 8 from the floor. Sherrard Brantley had an efficient 10 points. Would have been nice if we had one more scorer step up.
Tired of losing. The season is getting away from us. We're now tied with LSU and the Aggies for 8th place in the SEC. Based on our overall record, it feels more like we're in 10th place since both LSU and TAMU have winning records and we don't.
We can still finish the season strong if we take care of business against South Carolina and Vandy, and then win two of the three against Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. We'd then have a 10 and 8 record in the SEC and a 16 and 15 mark on the year. Not what any of us expected at the beginning of the year, but at this point I'd take a .500 or better season.
Tired of losing. The season is getting away from us. We're now tied with LSU and the Aggies for 8th place in the SEC. Based on our overall record, it feels more like we're in 10th place since both LSU and TAMU have winning records and we don't.
We can still finish the season strong if we take care of business against South Carolina and Vandy, and then win two of the three against Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. We'd then have a 10 and 8 record in the SEC and a 16 and 15 mark on the year. Not what any of us expected at the beginning of the year, but at this point I'd take a .500 or better season.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Dawgs Robbed in Mississippi
Best game of the year, by far. UGA loses by 10 to Ole Miss in overtime.
Would have liked to see Kenny Gaines start the second half. I think he earned it. Gaines was on a roll at the end of the first half and had scored 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting.
Since Marshall Henderson had three fouls and he wasn't quick enough to guard Gaines, I would have gone right after Henderson by isolating Gaines in the post or on the wing.
Fox has to recognize that you have to go with the hot hand. Yanking Gaines out after good plays and letting him sit until the second half is half over won't get it done. Gaines went in somewhere around the 10:00 mark and hit two quick buckets. He could have done that earlier had he started after intermission.
The story of the game was that Georgia set up an alley-oop play at the end of regulation. Djurisic threw the ball in and Donte Williams caught it and laid it off the glass. He was undercut by an Ole Miss player who also fouled Williams up top. The referees didn't call it. That play was just the most egregious biased call of the night. There were plenty of others. They shot 36 free throws and we only got 19.
Hard to fault the Dawgs on this one, though. We had 8 players shoot at least 50 percent from the floor. Gaines finished the night with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting, and 2 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Sherrard Brantley missed two three-pointers and went 0 for 2 from the field. KCP shot 7 for 19. Not his best shooting night, but he still finished the contest with 19 points and 12 boards.
Other than the substitution patterns, Mark Fox seemed to call a good game. We'll have a tough finish to the season since we have away games at Alabama, Vandy and Arkansas, and we still have to play Kentucky.
We're now 6 and 6 in the SEC and 12 and 13 overall.
Would have liked to see Kenny Gaines start the second half. I think he earned it. Gaines was on a roll at the end of the first half and had scored 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting.
Since Marshall Henderson had three fouls and he wasn't quick enough to guard Gaines, I would have gone right after Henderson by isolating Gaines in the post or on the wing.
Fox has to recognize that you have to go with the hot hand. Yanking Gaines out after good plays and letting him sit until the second half is half over won't get it done. Gaines went in somewhere around the 10:00 mark and hit two quick buckets. He could have done that earlier had he started after intermission.
The story of the game was that Georgia set up an alley-oop play at the end of regulation. Djurisic threw the ball in and Donte Williams caught it and laid it off the glass. He was undercut by an Ole Miss player who also fouled Williams up top. The referees didn't call it. That play was just the most egregious biased call of the night. There were plenty of others. They shot 36 free throws and we only got 19.
Hard to fault the Dawgs on this one, though. We had 8 players shoot at least 50 percent from the floor. Gaines finished the night with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting, and 2 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Sherrard Brantley missed two three-pointers and went 0 for 2 from the field. KCP shot 7 for 19. Not his best shooting night, but he still finished the contest with 19 points and 12 boards.
Other than the substitution patterns, Mark Fox seemed to call a good game. We'll have a tough finish to the season since we have away games at Alabama, Vandy and Arkansas, and we still have to play Kentucky.
We're now 6 and 6 in the SEC and 12 and 13 overall.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Dawgs Lose to Tide
Well, we lost by 7. I'm okay with that, though. Not happy about it, but just okay.
Earlier in the year I had high expectations. I figured that if Thornton came back healthy and Fox put Gaines, Morris and KCP on the floor at the same time, we might do some damage.
We were terrible at the beginning of the season and then I wasn't sure if we would beat anybody. Wonder of wonders we got to the middle of the season and won 5 straight. I knew we were playing the SEC's worst teams, but I thought we might develop some confidence and manage a break-even season.
Welll, Georgia is at 6 and 5 in the SEC and we're at .500 on the season overall. We may still make it into the NIT. Right now we're in the top half of the SEC. Sure, it's a down year for the conference, but we were in last place not too long ago. Sadly to say that after being a homer for so long, I am now a disappointed realist.
At any rate I didn't expect us to beat Alabama. I hoped that we would since they beat us in football. But the fact remains that the Bama hoops squad is a notch better than South Carolina and Texas A&M.
At some point we'll have to break through against Anthony Grant's team. He beat us this year at home, last year at home (2011/2012) and twice the year before (2010/2011). The issue is that he's a good recruiter and he is developing a better record than Fox as the two coaches go head to head and make the pitch to Atlanta-area recruits.
My main beef with the loss last night is that I don't understand why Kenny Gaines cannot get more minutes. He got 8 tonight. We are an offense-challenged team and he played well during our winning streak. Was he hurt?
Watch. After KCP leaves next year, Gaines is going to get major minutes and display his talent. Some people are going to praise Fox for "developing Gaines." The truth is that Kenny can play now. A good coach adjusts his system to his talent. Fox is doing just the opposite. The end result is that we can't score the basketball.
Maybe I missed something since I couldn't watch the game on t.v.
KCP had another great game. The ESPN box score had him initially with a double-double, 22 points and 10 boards, but I later saw that the official numbers had him with 8 rebounds total. Hopefully, the team will somehow ride his coattails and finish the season with a flourish.
Earlier in the year I had high expectations. I figured that if Thornton came back healthy and Fox put Gaines, Morris and KCP on the floor at the same time, we might do some damage.
We were terrible at the beginning of the season and then I wasn't sure if we would beat anybody. Wonder of wonders we got to the middle of the season and won 5 straight. I knew we were playing the SEC's worst teams, but I thought we might develop some confidence and manage a break-even season.
Welll, Georgia is at 6 and 5 in the SEC and we're at .500 on the season overall. We may still make it into the NIT. Right now we're in the top half of the SEC. Sure, it's a down year for the conference, but we were in last place not too long ago. Sadly to say that after being a homer for so long, I am now a disappointed realist.
At any rate I didn't expect us to beat Alabama. I hoped that we would since they beat us in football. But the fact remains that the Bama hoops squad is a notch better than South Carolina and Texas A&M.
At some point we'll have to break through against Anthony Grant's team. He beat us this year at home, last year at home (2011/2012) and twice the year before (2010/2011). The issue is that he's a good recruiter and he is developing a better record than Fox as the two coaches go head to head and make the pitch to Atlanta-area recruits.
My main beef with the loss last night is that I don't understand why Kenny Gaines cannot get more minutes. He got 8 tonight. We are an offense-challenged team and he played well during our winning streak. Was he hurt?
Watch. After KCP leaves next year, Gaines is going to get major minutes and display his talent. Some people are going to praise Fox for "developing Gaines." The truth is that Kenny can play now. A good coach adjusts his system to his talent. Fox is doing just the opposite. The end result is that we can't score the basketball.
Maybe I missed something since I couldn't watch the game on t.v.
KCP had another great game. The ESPN box score had him initially with a double-double, 22 points and 10 boards, but I later saw that the official numbers had him with 8 rebounds total. Hopefully, the team will somehow ride his coattails and finish the season with a flourish.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Songs from the Dawgs?
Wow. I loved today's article from the AJC.
Sound of Music
Just in case the AJC ever gets rid of the link, here's a quote:
As soon as coach Mark Fox stepped inside the door on the lower-level concourse, he was engulfed in a sea of black jerseys who jumped up and down as they chanted something that sounded like “yeet, yeet, yeet!” Moments later, that noise morphed into a rendition of the school fight song, “Glory to Old Georgia.” Only this was an abbreviated, rap-style version. The celebration was finished with some loud, timed applause.
The message: The Bulldogs are starting to get this basketball business down, and they’re thoroughly enjoying it.
“We’re feeling good,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points. “There’s a lot of confidence going around. We’re helping each other and picking each other up. Everybody’s stepping up every night now.”
Asked about the musical postlude, Caldwell-Pope laughed and grinned wide.
“We’re just re-mixing a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got Houston Kessler providing a little beat box and Kenny Gaines singing for us. We’re just singing and having fun.”
Houston Kessler beat-boxing? Are U kiddin' me?
Maybe anything is possible in this season. Heck, if they can sing, perhaps they might find a way to get invited to the Big Dance.
Sound of Music
Just in case the AJC ever gets rid of the link, here's a quote:
As soon as coach Mark Fox stepped inside the door on the lower-level concourse, he was engulfed in a sea of black jerseys who jumped up and down as they chanted something that sounded like “yeet, yeet, yeet!” Moments later, that noise morphed into a rendition of the school fight song, “Glory to Old Georgia.” Only this was an abbreviated, rap-style version. The celebration was finished with some loud, timed applause.
The message: The Bulldogs are starting to get this basketball business down, and they’re thoroughly enjoying it.
“We’re feeling good,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points. “There’s a lot of confidence going around. We’re helping each other and picking each other up. Everybody’s stepping up every night now.”
Asked about the musical postlude, Caldwell-Pope laughed and grinned wide.
“We’re just re-mixing a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got Houston Kessler providing a little beat box and Kenny Gaines singing for us. We’re just singing and having fun.”
Houston Kessler beat-boxing? Are U kiddin' me?
Maybe anything is possible in this season. Heck, if they can sing, perhaps they might find a way to get invited to the Big Dance.
Woo-Hoo! Dawgs Win! Gaines Gets PT.
UGA beats South Carolina in Columbia. Final score: 67 to 56
I missed most of today's game and I missed the Auburn game, too. However, from the little bit I caught of today's action, it's apparent that Coach Fox has finally seen fit to give Kenny Gaines substantial playing time (24 minutes). Bravo! He even played Gaines and KCP at the same time. Together on the floor with Mann! Amazing.
Now, if he would just put Brandon Morris at the 4 position and slide Donte over to center. That line-up would be the starting five that I thought we would have before the season began. Guys who can catch and finish in the post, guards who can put the ball on the floor and drive. Players who can advance the ball against the press.
In the pre-season I thought that UGA would be good enough to maybe get into the top five in the SEC. Needless to say, I was disappointed with with the fact that we started out of the gates poorly and then lost to Georgia Tech and Florida. Ugghh. I hate losing to those guys in anything.
Given our early season losses, I figured that Fox was set on his line-up. If he hadn't seen enough during the practices and the Italy trip to figure out the relative strengths of the players on his roster, then I didn't see much hope for the SEC calendar. However, here we stand today at 4 and 4. Sure, the SEC is weak this year, but so were a good number of the teams we played prior to the SEC part of the schedule. The difference, in my humble opinion, is that KCP is playing a lot better, and Fox is starting to put his most talented guys on the floor.
A lot of fans called for Kenny Gaines to get more minutes. We were so bad before at scoring the basketball that we were hard to watch. Playing Gaines could hardly hurt the team. We desperately needed more offensive production. In fact, I wrote earlier in the season that I was "calling Gaines out." But in fairness to him, Gaines can only perform to the extent that he is allowed to play.
Fox had insisted on making Gaines back up KCP, which is a losing proposition for Kenny. Now that KG finally got major minutes, he has shown to the fans and to the coaching staff what he can do. Having been inserted into the starting line-up for the second half of the South Carolina game also proves that he and KCP can be on the floor at the same time.
It's not hard to figure out. Putting guys that can drive the basket on the floor makes the whole team more efficient. Against the Gamecocks, it worked. We 'bout had 4 guys to score in double figures (KCP had 19, Gaines had 11 and so did Charles Mann-- John Cannon had 8). As it stands, our four top scorers for the game all shot 50 percent or better from the floor.
Best game of the year, in my opinion. Shucks, we may indeed finish the year in the top, rather than the bottom, third of the SEC. Right now we're number six, so if we can keep the streak going a few games longer, the team will develop a lot more confidence.
I missed most of today's game and I missed the Auburn game, too. However, from the little bit I caught of today's action, it's apparent that Coach Fox has finally seen fit to give Kenny Gaines substantial playing time (24 minutes). Bravo! He even played Gaines and KCP at the same time. Together on the floor with Mann! Amazing.
Now, if he would just put Brandon Morris at the 4 position and slide Donte over to center. That line-up would be the starting five that I thought we would have before the season began. Guys who can catch and finish in the post, guards who can put the ball on the floor and drive. Players who can advance the ball against the press.
In the pre-season I thought that UGA would be good enough to maybe get into the top five in the SEC. Needless to say, I was disappointed with with the fact that we started out of the gates poorly and then lost to Georgia Tech and Florida. Ugghh. I hate losing to those guys in anything.
Given our early season losses, I figured that Fox was set on his line-up. If he hadn't seen enough during the practices and the Italy trip to figure out the relative strengths of the players on his roster, then I didn't see much hope for the SEC calendar. However, here we stand today at 4 and 4. Sure, the SEC is weak this year, but so were a good number of the teams we played prior to the SEC part of the schedule. The difference, in my humble opinion, is that KCP is playing a lot better, and Fox is starting to put his most talented guys on the floor.
A lot of fans called for Kenny Gaines to get more minutes. We were so bad before at scoring the basketball that we were hard to watch. Playing Gaines could hardly hurt the team. We desperately needed more offensive production. In fact, I wrote earlier in the season that I was "calling Gaines out." But in fairness to him, Gaines can only perform to the extent that he is allowed to play.
Fox had insisted on making Gaines back up KCP, which is a losing proposition for Kenny. Now that KG finally got major minutes, he has shown to the fans and to the coaching staff what he can do. Having been inserted into the starting line-up for the second half of the South Carolina game also proves that he and KCP can be on the floor at the same time.
It's not hard to figure out. Putting guys that can drive the basket on the floor makes the whole team more efficient. Against the Gamecocks, it worked. We 'bout had 4 guys to score in double figures (KCP had 19, Gaines had 11 and so did Charles Mann-- John Cannon had 8). As it stands, our four top scorers for the game all shot 50 percent or better from the floor.
Best game of the year, in my opinion. Shucks, we may indeed finish the year in the top, rather than the bottom, third of the SEC. Right now we're number six, so if we can keep the streak going a few games longer, the team will develop a lot more confidence.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Stopped Watching (Again)
We have 4 points in the second half, they have 21 and they're looking to totally blow us out.
We can't launch it from three all the time and expect to win. The first half was fool's gold and I knew it. The defensive clamp-down was coming. Once the second half began and they did a better job at double-teaming KCP, we couldn't score.
The most maddening thing is that here we are struggling offensively, and Kenny Gaines hits a pull-up three. Instead of feeding the guy and seeing if he has the hot hand, Fox immediately pulls him.
Meanwhile, Vincent Williams and Sherrard Brantley get a lot more minutes and they can't drive the ball to the basket and aren't hitting from outside either.
Doesn't Fox get it? We can't score if we can't handle the ball and get shot attempts.
Against the press we need ball-handlers. They go with a three-guard line-up continually. Therefore match up with them.
As bad as we're playing, the stats show that we are shooting the same percentage that they are. We have the same number of free throws, at least right now. We're even staying pretty close in rebounding.
The difference is that we have 3x as many turnovers. Play Brandon Morris and Kenny Gaines along with KCP and Charles Mann and we'd break their press. Keep Donte Williams against Patric Young and match Morris against Murphy.
Tired of losing by twenty points.
We can't launch it from three all the time and expect to win. The first half was fool's gold and I knew it. The defensive clamp-down was coming. Once the second half began and they did a better job at double-teaming KCP, we couldn't score.
The most maddening thing is that here we are struggling offensively, and Kenny Gaines hits a pull-up three. Instead of feeding the guy and seeing if he has the hot hand, Fox immediately pulls him.
Meanwhile, Vincent Williams and Sherrard Brantley get a lot more minutes and they can't drive the ball to the basket and aren't hitting from outside either.
Doesn't Fox get it? We can't score if we can't handle the ball and get shot attempts.
Against the press we need ball-handlers. They go with a three-guard line-up continually. Therefore match up with them.
As bad as we're playing, the stats show that we are shooting the same percentage that they are. We have the same number of free throws, at least right now. We're even staying pretty close in rebounding.
The difference is that we have 3x as many turnovers. Play Brandon Morris and Kenny Gaines along with KCP and Charles Mann and we'd break their press. Keep Donte Williams against Patric Young and match Morris against Murphy.
Tired of losing by twenty points.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Dawgs Beat LSU!
Feels good to win one. We hit our free throws and had some good defensive stops when we needed 'em. Final score: UGA 67, LSU 58.
We're not an elite team, but maybe we'll improve during the year. Good to see Donte Williams show some signs of life out there. If he can get us 14 and 5 every night, UGA can beat some of the teams on our schedule.
KCP filled up the box score with 22 points, 5 assists, 6 steals and 3 rebounds.
Sounds like we'd better beat LSU while we can. They'll be a lot better next year. Tough to hear that LSU is bringing in three top-100 players next year, when we don't have any.
Speaking of LSU players, I hope the guy for LSU that got injured there at the end turns out to be okay.
We're 7 and 10 on the year. We need to go on some type of win streak. Let's practice this week against the press because teams will be using that against us all year.
We're not an elite team, but maybe we'll improve during the year. Good to see Donte Williams show some signs of life out there. If he can get us 14 and 5 every night, UGA can beat some of the teams on our schedule.
KCP filled up the box score with 22 points, 5 assists, 6 steals and 3 rebounds.
Sounds like we'd better beat LSU while we can. They'll be a lot better next year. Tough to hear that LSU is bringing in three top-100 players next year, when we don't have any.
Speaking of LSU players, I hope the guy for LSU that got injured there at the end turns out to be okay.
We're 7 and 10 on the year. We need to go on some type of win streak. Let's practice this week against the press because teams will be using that against us all year.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Dawgs Lose 77 to 44
I turned the t.v. off.
Love Georgia basketball (obviously), but I get angry when it's so obvious we don't have the talent to compete. When we were coming off of NCAA sanctions, I understood we would be short-handed. What's our excuse now?
I'm also frustrated that we didn't prepare at all for their traps and double-teams. We had a million turnovers.
Meanwhile, when we could get it across the half-court line, we then run our offensive sets 25 feet away from the basket.
Hard to watch what we have become, and tonight I couldn't take it.
Love Georgia basketball (obviously), but I get angry when it's so obvious we don't have the talent to compete. When we were coming off of NCAA sanctions, I understood we would be short-handed. What's our excuse now?
I'm also frustrated that we didn't prepare at all for their traps and double-teams. We had a million turnovers.
Meanwhile, when we could get it across the half-court line, we then run our offensive sets 25 feet away from the basket.
Hard to watch what we have become, and tonight I couldn't take it.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Ugly
Bout the worst half of basketball I've ever seen. Mercifully, I had to take a call and missed the second half.
That's all I have to say about that.
That's all I have to say about that.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Dawgs Lose to Iona
Final score: 81 to 78 (OT).
We missed too many free throws. We shot 54 percent from the line for the game, but I think we went 2 for 8 in overtime. Something like that.
The good news is that the freshmen got experience. Charles Mann went 5 of 8 from the field, and finished the game with 18 points and 7 rebounds. He missed free throws, but the more he plays, the more settled he will be in crunch time. Brandon Morris shot 5 of 12 and scored 12 points with 7 rebounds. Kenny Gaines shot 3 of 6.
With the freshmen playing, it is clear that we are a better offensive and defensive team.
Hate to say this, but Coach Fox needs to realize that Vincent Williams and Nemi Djurisic are liabilities on the defensive side. Vincent plays hard, but he is too small to keep the opposing point guard from getting good looks from outside. It would be different if he offset his lack of size with great offensive output, but Williams went 0 for 3 this game, 0 for 7 last game against Tech, and is shooting just 28 percent from the field for the year. He needs to back up Mann, not vice versa.
Nemi is too slow of foot. Besides that, he had five turnovers and went 0 for 5 from the field this game and 1 for 8 against Tech. Fox needs to rein him back as a three-point shooter. If memory serves me, Nemi is 1 for his last 16 from behind the arc.
We're 2 and 7 on the year. Not good.
The line-up, Coach Fox, is KCP, Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, Donte Williams and Brandon Morris. Please.
We missed too many free throws. We shot 54 percent from the line for the game, but I think we went 2 for 8 in overtime. Something like that.
The good news is that the freshmen got experience. Charles Mann went 5 of 8 from the field, and finished the game with 18 points and 7 rebounds. He missed free throws, but the more he plays, the more settled he will be in crunch time. Brandon Morris shot 5 of 12 and scored 12 points with 7 rebounds. Kenny Gaines shot 3 of 6.
With the freshmen playing, it is clear that we are a better offensive and defensive team.
Hate to say this, but Coach Fox needs to realize that Vincent Williams and Nemi Djurisic are liabilities on the defensive side. Vincent plays hard, but he is too small to keep the opposing point guard from getting good looks from outside. It would be different if he offset his lack of size with great offensive output, but Williams went 0 for 3 this game, 0 for 7 last game against Tech, and is shooting just 28 percent from the field for the year. He needs to back up Mann, not vice versa.
Nemi is too slow of foot. Besides that, he had five turnovers and went 0 for 5 from the field this game and 1 for 8 against Tech. Fox needs to rein him back as a three-point shooter. If memory serves me, Nemi is 1 for his last 16 from behind the arc.
We're 2 and 7 on the year. Not good.
The line-up, Coach Fox, is KCP, Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, Donte Williams and Brandon Morris. Please.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Dawgs Lose to Tech
We're 2 for 6. We lose to Tech. We scored in the low fifties yet again. By every measure, this season is spiraling out of control.
The most frustrating thing to me is that Coach Fox seems clueless on how to fix it. He has some help on the bench, but he won't use his roster effectively.
He insists on starting three power forwards. Do not start Nemi, Thornton and Donte Williams. They're not quick enough to cover shooters, and not talented enough to give us a scoring punch early in the game. Decide on one of them and sit the other two.
Putting Donte Williams at center is the most obvious answer. Meanwhile, slide KCP to the three again and start Kenny Gaines at the two. Since neither Vincent Williams nor Charles Mann played that well, then go with size and start Mann. More minutes for Morris! Please! The guy fills the stat sheet with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 19 minutes.
To give him more time on the floor, move Morris to the four position. He played it in high school. See if it works for a game or two. It's not like we're on a roll and in danger of breaking our winning streak.
I don't call players out on the Blog. But anyone can see that the guys who are 0 for 7 and 1 for 8 need to sit, and the guys that are 2 for 2 need to play.
The most frustrating thing to me is that Coach Fox seems clueless on how to fix it. He has some help on the bench, but he won't use his roster effectively.
He insists on starting three power forwards. Do not start Nemi, Thornton and Donte Williams. They're not quick enough to cover shooters, and not talented enough to give us a scoring punch early in the game. Decide on one of them and sit the other two.
Putting Donte Williams at center is the most obvious answer. Meanwhile, slide KCP to the three again and start Kenny Gaines at the two. Since neither Vincent Williams nor Charles Mann played that well, then go with size and start Mann. More minutes for Morris! Please! The guy fills the stat sheet with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 19 minutes.
To give him more time on the floor, move Morris to the four position. He played it in high school. See if it works for a game or two. It's not like we're on a roll and in danger of breaking our winning streak.
I don't call players out on the Blog. But anyone can see that the guys who are 0 for 7 and 1 for 8 need to sit, and the guys that are 2 for 2 need to play.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Dawgs Lose to UCLA
We're now 1 and 4 for the season.
We did show a few flashes in keeping the game close. We had an 11 point lead in the first half. John Cannon seems to be our answer at the center position. He had 8 points on 4 of 8 shooting, with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. 0 turnovers.
Kentavious scored 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting. Not great, but not bad either, considering the defense focuses so much on him. He did pad his shooting percentage somewhat with two lay-ups in the final minute when UCLA knew they were going to win. Although KCP is not an efficient scorer, Fox has to be pleased with Caldwell-Pope's other stats-- 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
Donte had an effective game with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Marcus Thornton got a block and 9 rebounds, but he's just not a factor offensively. 0 points on 0 for 2 from the field and 0 of 2 from the line.
Brantley continues to bomb away from behind the arc. That's a coaching issue. I would not let him shoot only three-pointers. He doesn't make enough of them to be taking 8 three-pointers during the game. He hit 2 at the beginning of the game, but missed the other 6.
Said it before, but I'll say it again. I don't see why Brandon Morris does not get more minutes. There must be something else going on behind the scenes.
I guess my main take-away from this game is that if our big men, who are getting healthy amounts of playing time, can all develop about the same time, we'll have a nice rotation in the front court. We know what KCP can do. Nemi is a known quantity, pretty much. Gaines has yet to score a basket, but he will score a bunch of them in his UGA career. Mann is coming along and Donte is staring to look like his old self.
The potential is there with this team, but when will it be realized? When will we see some real progress in terms of wins and losses?
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