Look at what we have here... After seeing all four first-round games of the SEC Tournament reach their respective conclusions, No. 7 Georgia will be taking on No. 15 Ole Miss in the second round on Thursday night. Tipoff from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville will be at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT. The winner of this second-round game will take on No. 2 Alabama in the third round on Friday evening.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Georgia will be laying 5.5 points on a neutral site to Ole Miss. The associated moneylines are Georgia -255 and Ole Miss +205 with a projected point total of 156.5 combined points. We could be looking at a potential final score of something around Georgia 81, Ole Miss 75.5. Of course, that would be a great outcome for UGA, given its recent history with Ole Miss...
On the hardwood, Georgia finished the regular season at 22-9 overall and 10-8 in SEC play. However, they suffered their worst loss of the season at home to Ole Miss in overtime. It may have only been a two-point home defeat, but it went down as a Quad 3 loss. Ole Miss finished the regular season with a sub-.500 record. As for the football team, we all know what happened to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl...
Should Mike White's team take care of business, it could end Ole Miss' season like Smart's could not.
Georgia in a terrific spot to end Ole Miss' season in the SEC Tournament
Look. Georgia beating Ole Miss in the second round of the SEC Tournament is not going to carry anywhere near the gravitas of defeating the Rebels twice in a season to advance in the College Football Playoff. Why would it? However, any additional win Georgia picks up in the SEC Tournament will do wonders in improving its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Can Georgia get to a No. 7 seed?
The good news is White has his team playing with such tremendous confidence down the stretch. The last time we saw a head coach look this good on the basketball court for Georgia might have been Jim Harrick, in all honesty. Georgia has a ton of talented and exciting players. They play with incredible pace. While they can be a tad too reckless at times, it often has other teams out of sorts.
In the event that Georgia beats Ole Miss on Thursday night, that should have the Dawgs in and around a No. 8 seed heading into the Alabama date on Friday evening. Either another win over the Crimson Tide, or at least a good showing vs. them, could help improve their seeding. While Georgia may not win the SEC Tournament, mostly because Florida exists, this team will be tournament bound.
Right now, a win over Ole Miss on Thursday night would be cathartic for the entire Georgia fan base.