For the first twenty minutes of the game, Georgia basketball showed a lot of moxie in their matchup against No. 21 Missouri, but ultimately gave way to the Tigers in a 87-74 home loss on Saturday that essentially sends the Bulldogs' season into a tailspin.
The Bulldogs (16-10, 4-9 SEC) have now lost three consecutive SEC games after the Tigers (19-6, 8-4) solidified their dominance over the Bulldogs for good with a 15-0 second half run.
For the second time in as many games, the Georgia Bulldogs carried a lead into halftime only to suffer a second half meltdown that resulted in a double digit loss. What is more significant about this defeat in comparison to some of the others was the sense that there was still a beam of light at the end of the tunnel for Georgia basketball. But after this defeat, that beam now resembles more a flicker.
After a very promising start to their season, Georgia have now become a shell of their former selves and have dropped their third game in a row, eight of their last ten and most importantly appear to have no answers to solve their current skid.
Top Performers
Georgia freshman Asa Newell ledGeorgia with a monster effort, scoring 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, giving him his 6th double-double of the season.
Missouri was led by guards Anthony Robinson III and Caleb Grill who both had 15 points each for the Tigers.
This and That
Missouri outscored the Bulldogs 49-33 in the second half.
Field Goal Percentage: Missouri: 33-70 (47.1%) to Georgia: 31-59 (52.5%)
Rebounds: Missouri: 36 to Georgia: 27
Turnovers: Missouri: 3 to Georgia: 9
Points of Turnovers: Missouri: 18 to Georgia: 2
Points in Paint: Missouri: 44 to Georgia: 42
Bench Points: Missouri: 30 to Georgia: 13
Biggest lead of the night: 19 (Missouri)
Parting Shot
There really isn't much to say. This was another bad loss for the Dawgs. It seems Mike White and his Georgia Bulldogs have reached a crossroad. Given recent results, some would justifiably believe that the season is lost. It is not. Georgia still has a chance to turn these final four regular season games into an opportunity to make a statement about what kind of team they are.
The SEC is a brutally difficult conference this year and has unquestionably taken its toll on Georgia. At this point, Georgia simply needs to take it one game at a time and extinguish any conversations about the NCAA tournament for now. This is about survival.
What's Next for Georgia?
Georgia returns to the court next Saturday at No. 1 Auburn.