A few short weeks ago, many people were wondering if Georgia basketball was any good. Now, many of those same people are wondering just how good Georgia can be. But Wednesday night in Nashville, just being good was not good enough as Georgia dropped their first round game of the SEC Tournament against Oklahoma 81-75.
Georgia (20-12, 8-10), winners of four in a row, came into the SEC Tournament riding a tremendous wave of confidence that had been building ever since their 88-83 win over No. 3 Florida two weeks ago.
Oklahoma (20-12, 6-12 SEC) came into this contest playing some of their best basketball of the season having won three of their last five games. True Sooners came to play from the opening tip, specifically in the first half where they would go 10-18 from three-point range, taking a 43-39 lead into halftime.
Silas Demary Jr. had another strong showing for Georgia, leading the Dawgs in scoring with 24 points, to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Those were certainly impressive numbers for Demary, but the only problem was his final field goal of the game would be scored with 16:11 still left in the contest. Demary would go on to score just two more points (via the free throw line) for the remainder of the game.
Demary's backcourt teammate Blue Cain would add 17 points, 4 rebounds and an astounding 5 steals for Georgia. Freshman sensation Asa Newell would throw in a double-double effort of his own, with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Top Performers
Silas Demary Jr. - 24 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Jeremiah Fears - 29 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds.
This and That
There were 10 lead changes in this contest before Oklahoma finally took the lead for good with 5:52 remaining in the game.
Field Goal Percentage: Georgia: 28-63 (44.4 percent) | Oklahoma: 26-54 (48.1 percent)
Three Point Percentage: Georgia: 10-28 (35.7 percent) | Oklahoma: 12-25 (48.0 percent)
Rebounds: Georgia: 38 | Oklahoma: 32
Turnovers: Georgia: 12 | Oklahoma: 12
Points of Turnovers: Georgia: 13 | Oklahoma: 12
Points in Paint: Georgia: 28 | Oklahoma: 24
Bench Points: Georgia: 8 | Oklahoma: 17
Biggest lead of the night: 10 (Oklahoma)
Parting Shot
Georgia came into tonight's game playing with house money. While Mike White would have liked to have added another high-quality victory onto his team's resume, Georgia had the advantage of knowing they were already heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015,l and did not need a strong showing in the SEC Tournament to get in.
Whether Georgia considers this a throw-away game or not, they will need better play from other members of its frontcourt other than Newell. For all intents and purposes, RJ Godfrey, Somto Cyril, Dylan Names and Justin Abson were not very effective tonight. They combined for a total of just eight points, seven rebounds and zero blocks.
Georgia's senior backcourt backups did not fare much better either, as Dakota Leffew and Tyrin Lawrence combined for five points, five rebounds and four assists. The next time the Dawgs step back on the court, expect to see a team playing with more urgency and focus.
What's Next for Georgia?
Georgia came into this contest widely considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament. They will now have to wait until March 16, which is Selection Sunday, to see where they will be seeded.