At 22-9 on the season and having gone 10-8 in SEC play, it is safe to say that Mike White's Georgia Bulldogs are comfortably in the field of 68. While Georgia has been a tournament team since way back in November, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Dawgs slotted in as a No. 8 seed after his latest adjustments in Bracketology. He has Georgia slated to face a No. 9 seed in the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Although being a No. 8 seed does have UGA on the right side of the bracket, so to speak..., any improvement White's team can do when it comes to its overall seeding would be massive. Keep in mind that the winner of any No. 8 vs. No. 9 Round of 64 game will in all likelihood take on the No. 1 seed in their respective region in the Round of 32. Georgia could avoid that with a No. 7 seed or so.
So what we are going to do today is look at a few teams Georgia fans could be in favor of seeing fall in the early stages of their respective conference tournaments. Improving to a No. 7 seed would give Georgia its best shot of advancing in ages. Should Georgia play up to its potential, this could be a Sweet 16 team. Winning an NCAA Tournament game is a must, but can the Bulldogs do better here?
Without further ado, here are three teams Georgia fans should be in favor of seeing stumble soon...
3. UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are a team over in the Big Ten that has really come on of late. Lunardi has them as a projected No. 8 seed. They were at or around the bubble not that long ago. Right now, UCLA actually has a slightly worse NET rating than Georgia's at 34. UGA is one win better than UCLA across the board, and has a better mark in Quad 1 and 2 games. It might have something to do with reputation.
Entering the Big Ten Tournament, UCLA occupies the No. 6 seed. The Bruins will face the winner of No. 11 Minnesota or No. 14 Rutgers in their third-round game. If UCLA were to lose to either the Golden Gophers or Scarlet Knights, Georgia should skate past them in terms of seeding, assuming UGA beats either Ole Miss or Texas in the second round of the SEC Tournament. This is all possible.
Because Lunardi seems to be more enamored with the Big Ten than the SEC, this could be an issue.
2. Clemson Tigers
Well, what do you know... The Clemson Tigers, the same team who Georgia lost to for the first time earlier this season, is right around where the Bulldogs find themselves in terms of Bracketology. Lunardi has Clemson as a No. 8 seed as well. While they have identical 22-9 records, Clemson owns the head-to-head, as well as having a better mark in conference play at 12-6. UGA has the better NET.
When it comes to where Clemson finds itself in the ACC Tournament, the Tigers are the No. 5 seed. In a similar spot as UCLA, if Clemson were to lose to either No. 12 Virginia Tech or No. 13 Wake Forest, that could be enough to push Georgia past them. While Wake is a good bit out from making the tournament, Virginia Tech is the second team out of the field of 68 following Lunardi's latest update.
Georgia will need to win two SEC Tournament games to make sure it has a better seed than Clemson.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
It could all come down to Kentucky... There is no team in the SEC that Georgia fans should be rooting harder against than Mark Pope's Wildcats. Lunardi may have them as a No. 7 seed in Bracketology, but this is a team that has massively underachieved this season. They are 19-12 overall this season and 10-8 in SEC play. Georgia beat them head-to-head in Lexington, but still trails them in NET rating.
The arugment is Kentucky played a tougher schedule. That may be true, but why is UK a No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament? If they were to somehow lose to No. 16 LSU in the SEC Tournament, there is no reason to have the Wildcats getting a better seed than the Dawgs, regardless of what UGA does in the second round vs. Ole Miss or Texas. If UK loses to No. 8 Missouri, Georgia could still usurp them.
If Georgia wins its second-round game and is competive vs. Alabama, it should be better than UK...