Dawn of the Dawg
Fansided

Georgia Basketball: Moving up in ESPN Bracketology

By Matt Green

Feb 25, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) drives the ball against LSU Tigers guard Jalyn Patterson (11) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA defeated LSU 82-80. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) drives the ball against LSU Tigers guard Jalyn Patterson (11) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA defeated LSU 82-80. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Things are trending up for the Georgia Bulldogs, and now the national media is starting to take notice.

Must Read: Georgia Basketball: Best case scenario

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi started his Bracketology page of ESPN.com several years ago and with how accurate he’s been over the last several years, his predictions can almost be taken as gospel.

I’m not sure if it takes a four-year degree to become a certified bracketologist, but if so, I may have picked the wrong major.

If you’re not aware of how the page works, Lunardi projects every team in the NCAA Tournament and seeds them from the 1 to 16. Then he names the last four teams in the field, the first four out, and then the next four out.

In Lunardi’s latest edition of Bracketology, Georgia is now one of the first four out. While still being outside of the field is nothing worth celebrating, it does show that the Bulldogs are gaining some traction in the committee’s eyes, or at least in Joe Lunardi’s eyes, although I’m not sure how to differentiate the two.

Georgia is listed alongside Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Rhode Island as the first four out.

Here’s how Georgia stacks up against the other three teams:

Georgia Tech – 16-13 (7-9 in ACC)

  • RPI: 91, SOS: 51
  • Remaining Schedule: vs. Pittsburgh, @ Syracuse

For playing in the ACC, the Yellow Jackets have a surprisingly low strength of schedule. After back-to-back wins over top 15 teams about a month ago, Tech has lost five of their last eight games. What the Yellow Jackets do have going for them is four wins over RPI top 50 teams.

Wake Forest – 16-12 (7-9 in ACC)

  • RPI: 44, SOS: 24
  • Remaining Schedule: vs. (8) Louisville, @ Virginia Tech

Wake Forest has one of the tougher schedules in the country, but their problem is similar to Georgia’s, they haven’t beaten any of those good teams. The Demon Deacons are 1-9 against the RPI top 50 this season, but they will have two more opportunities to close out the regular season against no. 4 Louisville and no. 38 Virginia Tech.

More from Dawn of the Dawg

Rhode Island – 19-9 (11-5 in Atlantic 10)

  • RPI: 42, SOS: 42
  • Remaining Schedule: @ St. Joseph’s, vs. Davidson

Rhode Island is an interesting case. They’re tied for third place in the A-10 right now, a league that is currently projected to get two teams in the tourney, but they’ve only played five games against RPI top 50 teams.

Major conference bubble teams will be actively rooting against the Rams when the A-10 tournament comes around, because they’re the type of team that could steal a spot in the big dance.

Georgia – 17-12 (8-8 in SEC)

  • RPI: 52, SOS: 20
  • Remaining Schedule: Auburn, @ Arkansas

The Bulldogs have the toughest schedule of these four teams, and while that sounds great, you need to win some of those tough games if you’re going to get into the tournament. Georgia is 1-7 against the RPI top 50 this season, and they’ll have one more opportunity when they travel to no. 29 Arkansas to close the season.

Home/Georgia Basketball