Georgia Basketball: Worst case scenario for SEC Tournament

Jan 14, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox looks on against the Florida Gators during overtime at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 80-76 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox looks on against the Florida Gators during overtime at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 80-76 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday we discussed the best case scenario for Georgia basketball going into the SEC Tournament, what about the worst case scenario?

Must Read: Georgia Basketball: Best case scenario

With the no. 5 seed being the best Georgia could finish, now let’s take a look at the flip side and discuss the worst case scenario for the Bulldogs.

Currently, the 8th and 11th place teams in the SEC are separated by just two games.

8. Georgia – 17-12 (8-8)

  • Lose BOTH vs. Auburn and at Arkansas

While Georgia did beat Auburn 96-84 earlier this season, don’t get it twisted, the Tigers are a talented team and you can never count out a Bruce Pearl-coached team. If the Dawgs can find a way to beat Arkansas, that would be their best win of the entire season, but it will be tall task without Yante Maten.

9. Tennessee – 15-14 (7-9)

  • Win BOTH at LSU and vs. Alabama

Tennessee has two very winnable games remaining on their schedule, and if they win each of them while Georgia loses each of their final two games, they’ll jump the Bulldogs. But that may be a lot to ask from a team that has lost five of their last seven games. If the Volunteers only win one of their final two games, the Dawgs would win the tiebreaker.

10. Texas A&M – 15-13 (7-9)

  • Win at Missouri OR vs. Kentucky

Texas A&M only needs one win to tie Georgia’s conference record. And while the matchup with Kentucky will be a difficult one, facing the 7-21 Missouri Tigers should provide an easy victory. But because of the last-second clock debacle that happened earlier this year in College Station (that we’re not going to get into right now), the Aggies would win the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulldogs.

11. Auburn – 17-12 (6-10)

  • Win BOTH at Georgia and vs. Missouri

Auburn has a chance to knock off the Bulldogs when they travel to Athens on Wednesday. Then they close the season with Missouri at home. Those are two winnable games for the Tigers, and if they win both and Georgia loses both, the two teams would be tied at 8-10

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A win on Wednesday would mean the Tigers and Bulldogs split the season series, so then the next tiebreaker would be decided by how each team has fared against the top team in the conference.

Strangely enough, since each team has lost to Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, and Arkansas (if Georgia loses to Arkansas), the tiebreaker could be decided by the outcome of the Alabama/Ole Miss game.

If Alabama wins, Auburn swept the Crimson Tide this season while Georgia split the season series, giving the Tigers the nod. If Ole Miss wins, Georgia beat the Rebels and Auburn lost, giving the Bulldogs the nod.

So if all these things do go wrong for the Bulldogs, not only can they kiss their NCAA Tournament hopes goodbye, they would also fall all the way to the no. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament.

That would likely match them up with LSU in the opening round of the tournament for a chance to play Ole Miss.