Someone famously quoted, "You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat." Well, after Saturday's 89-59 blow-out loss to No. 5 Florida, Georgia basketball should have a novel-sized amount of reading material on their flight back to Athens.
This one got away from Georgia pretty quickly as Florida went up by ten points barely seven minutes into the contest. Florida (18-2, 5-2 SEC) were lead by senior guard duo Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, who finished the game with 17 points each.
Georgia (14-6, 2-5 SEC) guard Blue Cain was the only Bulldog to reach double figures in scoring with 10 points. Freshman Asa Newell chipped in with 8 points, 6 rebounds.
There was so much that went wrong, it is difficult to know where to begin. But we will give it our best shot.
Turnovers
Georgia plagued by turnovers one again. Mike White's Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers that Florida turned into 29 points. Another astounding stat was every player that touched the floor for Georgia had at least one turnover tonight. It is extremely difficult to win with that many giveaways.
3-point shooting
Georgia was 23.8% from three-point range. After shooting 50% (5/10) from the three-point line in the first half, the Bulldogs did not make a single three-pointer (0/11) in the second half.
Talent disparity
White deserves a lot of credit for the talent he has accumulated in Athens, but tonight showed that he still has a ways to go if he wants to take his program to the next level. On a night offensively where freshman phenom Newell was off, Georgia had no one that could take over in his place. Florida on the other hand has multiple players just as good as Newell that would be able to step up if someone else is having a night off.
That is the difference right now between Georgia and the top teams in the SEC.
What's next for Georgia?
After the Bulldogs' embarrassing loss to Arkansas earlier this week, Georgia has now lost four SEC games in a row and need to find answers quickly. They return to action Tuesday night in a home matchup against scrappy South Carolina.
This game is absolutely a must win as another loss could potentially put Georgia on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament.