At 21-9 on the season and 9-8 in SEC play, the Georgia Bulldogs have unofficially punched their ticket into March Madness. Mike White's team is likely going dancing for the second postseason in a row. Winning at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons has Georgia firing on all cylinders on the hardwood for the first time in decades. Of course, it will be all about the matchups in the tournament.
Following the latest Bracketology update on Friday, Georgia improved to a No. 8 seed. The Bulldogs would be taking on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game in Joe Lunardi's latest projection for ESPN. Not only are the Dawgs on the right side of the bracket as a higher-seeded team for the first time in months, but they could be getting a favorable series of matchups as well...
With the 98-88 home win over Alabama boosting their resume with a strong Quad 1 victory, Georgia now finds itself in the San Diego quadrant of the West Regional that will run through San Jose. Should Georgia beat NC State, it would face No. 1 Arizona in the Round of 32. While Arizona has been a great team all season long, the Wildcats are not as much of a lock at a No. 1 seed as Duke or Michigan are.
If UGA defeated NC State and Arizona in succession, it could play UNC or Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
Georgia may have its best chance in decades of advancing in the tourney
With how well Georgia played vs. Alabama on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs may have what it takes to potentially upset a team or two in the tournament with how relentlessly they can attack. If the shots are falling and Georgia is willing to be competitive on the glass, they could be playing into the second weekend of the tournament. Of course, that will require a great deal of discipline from everyone here.
Heading into the final game of the regular season, Georgia has a NET rating of 30. That number likely means they will be making the tournament as an at-large team, regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament next week. With a 21-9 overall record and a 9-8 mark in SEC play, a Quad 2 road win over Mississippi State could potentially get Georgia as high as a No. 7 seed entering the SEC tourney.
Right now, Georgia has a strong 7-7 record in Quad 1 games and a 4-1 mark vs. Quad 2 opponents. While the two-point home loss to Ole Miss continues to look worse by the week, Georgia rarely loses games to teams that are not of quality. Ultimately, Georgia is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, but a team with a ceiling of maybe getting to the Sweet 16. A first-round victory would be fantastic.
Keep in mind that Georgia has not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since the very early 2000s...