The last time Georgia basketball took the court it resulted in a 90-69 beating at the hands of No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide. The SEC is juggernaut, this much is true. There are currently nine SEC teams ranked in the latest Top 25 Associated Press College Basketball Poll, which means Georgia will continue to be challenged each and every game.
As for Georgia, an already unforgiving SEC schedule is not going to get any easier as five of their last nine conference games will be against ranked opponents. That aside, Mike White and his Bulldogs have to start playing like they belong.
For all of the success Georgia has accomplished thus far, free throw shooting, defensive rebounding and turnovers have been a constant struggle all season long. When you are a team that does not shoot the ball particularly well from the floor, solid rebounding and taking care of the basketball are must-haves. Georgia has not been all that good at either this season.
As the end of the regular season nears, Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC) needs to start stringing together some wins. Georgia opened SEC play 2-1, with two of their victories coming consecutively against Top 25 opponents. Up to this point of the season, that would serve as the apex of the Bulldogs on-court success, as they were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2011.
Since that time, Georgia has lost five of six games. After a nine-year hiatus, if getting back to the NCAA tournament is the ultimate goal, Georgia needs a new pivot. This is where LSU comes into play, and the timing could not have possibly been any better.
LSU game on Wednesday is a must win
As badly as Georgia needs wins, LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC) comes to town having lost four games in a row, including most recently a 31-point thrashing at home to Texas. In a conference as deep as the SEC, when you have the opportunity to get a rebound victory against a quality opponent you have to take advantage.
The other good thing for Georgia is five of their next nine games will be played at home where Georgia is an impressive 13-1 this season. So, Georgia will be looking for some home cooking as they finish out the regular season, starting with LSU Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA.