If this were to happen, there is no telling how high up the NCAA Tournament bracket the Georgia Bulldogs could climb. Right now, they are 17-6 on the season, 5-5 in SEC play, and a projected No. 10 seed in the latest Bracketology update. What we are talking about here is Georgia effectively punching its ticket into The Big Dance with its most impressive win of the season up to this point, y'all.
That is what could be in store when the Dawgs welcome arch rival Florida to Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday night. While Florida boat raced Georgia earlier in the season, that early SEC game was in Gainesville. With Florida being the No. 14 team in the country, do the Dawgs have a shot to protect their home court? The latest betting odds may not be in their favor, but they are not a huge underdog.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Georgia will be getting 6.5 points at home from visiting Florida. The associated moneylines for this game are Florida -300 and Georgia +240. The projected point total is 163.5. We are looking at a potential final score of Florida 85, Georgia 78.5. This is clearly a Quad 1 game for Georgia, as it is easily the hardest remaining game left on the slate for the Bulldogs.
If Georgia were to pull off the slight home upset over Florida, the Bulldogs will be tournament bound.
Georgia can effectively clinch an NCAA Tournament bid with Florida win
Look. Georgia still has time to put a few pelts up on the wall before the SEC Tournament commences. In most estimations, a Power Five team that wins 20 regular-season games has likely done enough to make the NCAA Tournament. With Georgia at 17 wins already with eight more chances left, the Bulldogs are likely getting in should they avoid any mess-ups along the way. What do those entail?
Of Georgia's eight remaining games, five are of the Quad 1 variety, while the other three are Quad 2 and 3 games. Simply put, if Georgia wins its finally three non-Quad 1 games over Texas at home, South Carolina at home, and on the road at Mississippi State to finish the season, UGA will be 20-11 (8-10) and likely a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Of course, the quadrants constantly change.
We just saw a Quad 1 win at home over Auburn become a Quad 2 game in the most recent Bracketology update. The Auburn win may go back into Georgia's favor in due time, but you simply cannot bank on that. What you can bank on is if Georgia beats another ranked team like Florida at home, that could be more than enough to merit inclusion into the field of 68. UGA should want this.
In the end, Georgia has been at or above a No. 10 seed exiting the non-conference slate and throughout SEC play. The Bulldogs have been as high as a No. 7 seed, but they will need to pull off another big upset over a team like Florida to get that good of seeding. At this time, Georgia being home dogs to Florida means an upset win over the Gators should be enough to make them a lock.
If Georgia beat a national championship team at home to make the field last season, why not again?