Dawn of the Dawg
Fansided

Georgia Basketball: What can UGA learn from S. Carolina?

By Alistair Penny

Jan 21, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) takes the ball to the basket during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) takes the ball to the basket during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

Little bit of Luck:

Mar 9, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) talks with a referee during the second half of game three of the SEC Conference Tournament against the Tennessee Volunteers at Bridgestone Arena. Georgia won 59-57. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) talks with a referee during the second half of game three of the SEC Conference Tournament against the Tennessee Volunteers at Bridgestone Arena. Georgia won 59-57. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

Now this is a crucial component to anyone winning in such a crowded tournament as the NCAA. Nobody wins without the ball bouncing the right way and that’s something that has not happened to UGA this year.

It’s hard to look past the Texas A&M debacle this past year and not think that this is a prime example. Add this to having the misfortune of having several highly ranked teams lose in the final game of the season, put UGA right in the path of a Kentucky Buzz-saw during the SEC tournament. This loss meant UGA had essentially no chance to even make the tournament.

And what about UGA losing star player Yante Maten to injury during the critical final 4 weeks of the season? South Carolina’s best players were all remarkably healthy this year and that certainly helps. At the end of the day, balls have to bounce you way to win in a tournament like this. South Carolina deserve credit for putting themselves in the position to win, but it still takes  a little luck.

Georgia could do with a bit of this in more than 1 sport. Check out our recent 10 games fans would want back article for some painful memories…

Home/Georgia Basketball