Yes, that is right; I will finally talk about Georgia Basketball. Months into the season, I will start talking about the Georgia hoops for once. Many of the readers of this blog are like me and care about the success of other sports for The University of Georgia, but Football will always come first, and it is not even close. Also, given the Basketball program's history and trajectory as of late, this season seems too good to be true. But here we are in January, and I am completely bought in on Mike White and this Dawgs basketball team.
The Dawgs lost Saturday to the hated Flordia Gators. Yes, they were down 21 points in the second half, forced overtime, and almost forced a second overtime. But it still stung losing to Florida. I do not care if we play hopscotch against Flordia; I want to win. So does Mike White, the former Flordia Basketball coach who was run out of town.
Yes, the Dawgs were 7.5-point underdogs on the road, but they did not act like it. I went to the LSU game earlier last week. I have never seen Stegaman with that much energy, ever. This Dawgs team feeds off of that home court and plays hard. I am a fan of the way Mike White has this team playing right now. They hustle and play smart basketball. That is the formula to win games in college basketball.
I am unsure if this team will make it to the big dance; they should, but with how little the media pays attention to the surging Dawgs basketball program, I would not be shocked if they do not get the invite. But I am seeing Mike White's vision for this basketball program. The recruiting has been fantastic, and the play on the court is starting to get better.
Furthermore, I like the heart the team has played with all season. Being down 20 points in the middle of the 2nd half, many teams would fold up and look for the nearest exit. But not these Dawgs, something you could not say when Tom Crean was the coach.
Even though the Dawgs lost Saturday, if you care about the University of Georgia, you should devote 2 hours to watching this team play. Georgia is hosting Alabama at 6:00 pm on Wednesday. The Tide comes in ranked in the top 25, ranked at 24. If the Dawgs can win this one, their chances of making the Big Dance would go a long way.
So, I would suggest you watch this Dawgs team play. See how they play hard until the final whistle, and you will become a believer like I am. It is never too late to jump on the “bandwagon’.