Georgia Basketball: Bulldogs hope to exorcise demons in Oxford against Ole Miss
The Georgia basketball team travels to Oxford looking for a fourth consecutive win over the Rebels and a knock on the NCAA Tournament door.
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A February road trip to Oxford is as likely to result in a Southern short story as a basketball win. And with Ole Miss sick and tired of Georgia walking away with big wins, Andy Kennedy will have no trouble getting his Rebels ready for Georgia.
For Georgia, the math is getting simpler every night. A road win in Oxford will give Georgia an impressive road resume and 3-3 record over RPI top 50 teams. With a very troubled Missouri coming to Athens this weekend , a win over Ole Miss sets up a possible NCAA clincher at high noon on Saturday. A loss means Georgia fights through the rest of the season to overcome its two bad losses to South Carolina and Auburn.
Ole Miss last defeated the Dawgs on February 16, 2013, and it took overtime for the Rebels to get it done. Since then Georgia has won three straight by a combined eight points. Last year, Georgia single-handedly eliminated Ole Miss from post-season play.
After the last loss to Georgia on January 20, the Rebels have taken their frustrations out on the rest of the SEC, winning eight of their last nine. The Dawgs on the other hand have been out of sorts since losing Marcus Thornton to a concussion injury. Marcus has returned but is not producing as he was before the injury. Also, the Dawgs lost Kenny Paul Geno and Juwan Parker for extended periods, and played without Yante Maten and J.J. Frazier due to concussion as well.
Georgia Bulldogs
After two bitter home losses to SEC bottom dwellers South Carolina and Auburn, the Dawgs showed their familiar fight and resilience against Alabama to claim a one-point overtime win. If the Dawgs are themselves, they can challenge the Rebels in Oxford and win.
Georgia has played well on the road, and has an even 8-8 road SEC record across the last two seasons. Georgia has raised its season free throwing shooting percentage to 68.5% and lowered its season turnovers per game average by .5 to 13. Stellar numbers, no, but numbers the Dawgs can win with if Marcus Thornton and J. J. Frazier return to pre-concussion production.
It is hard to predict a Georgia win over Ole Miss. But the Dawgs have repeatedly proven their formula of equal parts toughness and resilience wins in the SEC.