It may very well come down to the wire for the Georgia Bulldogs when it comes to making it into back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. While Mike White's team improved to a strong 17-6 on the season and 5-5 in SEC play after Saturday evening's beatdown of LSU on the road in Baton Rouge, this 83-71 victory was not as impressive at it probably should have been for Georgia. Why is that the case here?
After seeing the latest Bracketology update, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Bulldogs as a No. 10 seed once again. He has Georgia playing the No. 7-seeded Saint Louis Billikens in the St. Louis quadrant of the East Region running through Washington. If Georgia were to get past the "hometown" Billikens, the Bulldogs will likely face the No. 2-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini in the Round of 32 this postseason.
Not moving up a seed is a tinge concerning. Lunardi has Georgia listed as one of the last four byes with Saint Mary's, UCLA, and USC behind them. This means Georgia is probably being viewed as the best No. 10 seed, but you do not want to get into the last four in discussions and be a part of the First Four as a No. 11 seed. So why did Georgia not move up after this win? Well, the Auburn one dropped...
Georgia's SEC home-opening win over Auburn is no longer seen as a Quad 1 win, but a Quad 2 now...
Georgia does not get the break it needed in latest Bracketology update
Looking at what Georgia has left on its regular-season slate, the Dawgs are 17-6 overall, 5-5 in the SEC with eight conference games remaining. It has five more games vs. Quad 1 opponents, two more against Quad 2 teams, and a Quad 3 game at home vs. South Carolina at the end of the month. As long as UGA beats Texas and South Carolina at home, and Misssippi State on the road, they are fine.
Georgia has four more home games in SEC play and four away from Stegeman Coliseum. While Wednesday night's home date vs. Florida could be a doozy, Georgia won this game at home a year ago to propel itself into the tournament. A win over the defending national champion Gators would solidify UGA as a tournament lock. In reality, one more Quad 1 win or no more slip-ups will do that.
Right now, Georgia is 3-4 vs. Quad 1 teams with wins over Arkansas, Missouri, and LSU. In Quad 2 games, Georgia is 5-1 with its only loss being at Texas in that sector. The Quad 3 home loss to Ole Miss in overtime is looking worse by the week. Otherwise, Georgia has won all of its other Quad 3 and 4 games. Again, it is all about being steady and winning the games you should. Georgia can make it.
The LSU win should have been more of a bump but it did not counterbalance the Auburn one enough.