It has to flip back in the positive for the Georgia Bulldogs at some point, right? After getting off to a dazzling 16-3 (4-2) start to the season, Mike White's team has hit the skids just a bit. Georgia has suffered three straight losses in SEC play. They got crushed in the second half on the road at Texas, lost one at home in overtime vs. Tennessee, all before getting crushed at home by Texas A&M, 92-77.
However, the Bulldogs' recent struggles on the hardwood were not enough to drop them down another spot in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology update for ESPN. He has the Dawgs staying as a No. 9 seed. They would play the No. 8-seeded UCF Knights out of the Big 12 in the Buffalo quadrant of the Midwest Region that runs through Chicago. If Georgia were to beat UCF, it would face Michigan.
While Georgia could face the harsh reality of missing the tournament all together, we still need to keep in mind that the Bulldogs' three most recent losses are all of quality. The road defeat at Texas and the overtime debacle at home were to Quad 1 opponents. Even getting shellacked by Texas A&M was a Quad 2 defeat. For as good as the Aggies have been in recent weeks, how was it not a Quad 1?
For the time being, Georgia remains one of 10 SEC teams Lunardi has making the field of 68 here.
Latest Bracketology update has Georgia's resume holding up quite well
After looking at Georgia's resume, the Bulldogs are 3-4 in Quad 1 games, 4-1 vs. Quad 2 opponents, 1-1 against Quad 3 competition, and 8-0 in Quad 4 games. They have nine more games in SEC play before the league tournament commences. The Dawgs do not play a midweek game this week, as their next game will be at LSU for a Quad 1 date on Saturday, Feb. 7. What else does UGA have left?
Including the LSU game, Georgia has five more games vs. Quad 1 teams. It has three more Quad 2 games, and a Quad 3 at home vs. South Carolina at the end of the month. With 16 wins already on the season, Georgia will be a lock to make the tournament if it finishes SEC play with four wins in their final nine games. If they win their Quad 2 and 3 games, that should be enough to make the field of 68.
However, any defeat the Bulldogs have vs. Quad 2 or 3 teams the rest of the way might need to be countered with a win over a Quad 1 opponent. If that does not happen, the Georgia may need to win a game or two in the SEC Tournament to ensure itself of back-to-back berths into the NCAA Tournament. For now, being well ahead of the cut line should have Dawg Nation exhaling just a bit...
At this time, White and his guys need to rest, recover, and stop the bleeding to avoid embarrassment.