Alan's Assessments?

Well things don’t always go as planned. This was the case against the Wildcats. The dawgs came but in the end, didn’t have the legs to finish. A 12-0 run by the Wildcats to start the second half didn’t help matters at all. This was also not the way you would want to send out the seniors. As I wrote yesterday, they have played and practiced and made the start to what many think is a move in the right direction.

Some highlights and lowlights. 

• I got my picture made with Charles “The Round Mound of Rebound” Barkley
• We saw a sellout crowd, granted I would say there were several thousand fans in blue. This has to change.
• We saw a breakout game by Jeremy Price (20 minutes - 7-11 FG, 5-5 FT, 6 Reb, 19 points)
• We saw the fire in the eyes of Coach Fox when Travis got hurt and the refs wouldn’t stop play. 
• We saw a team in Kentucky that had to fight to get this win.
• We had an off night by Trey and Travis (This is never a god thing for the Dawgs.)
• We saw the drain of a season of fighting for 40 minutes a night catch up to the dawgs. 
• I meet Ryan from Bulldawg Illustrated as well. 
• Coach Calipari gave some props to the Georgia Team and Coach Fox.

Bernie had a good write up of the events last night, so I’ll leave the rest to him. 

I’ll close with a few images from last night.

Me and Chuck

Tip-Off Mark Pope

 

The Seniors

 

Halftime with the Dance Dawgs and the UGA Drumline

 

As the Dawgs prepare to battle the Wildcats tonight, we are experiencing two special occasions. The first is Senior Night. We will pay tribute to those players that are completing their time playing for the dawgs. The Second is only accomplished with a victory. That would be a sweep of the SEC East Teams at Home. Yes, I know that is not that big a deal, but compared to where we have been, this would be a great step forward. 

First the Seniors. 

I have watched each of these players as either walk-ons, transfers or enter as freshman. I have watched with joy, excitement and heartbreak as these players made their mark on the program. Some played more than others, but each gave it their all to help better the program. To them I say Thanks.

 

• Albert Jackson - A force inside with a fun attitude. He will be missed both on and off the court. He provide leadership during the coaching change and has proved to be a valuable member of the team. 
• Ricky McPhee - The transfer that once dropped 21 on UNC in his first game with Garner-Webb. He is deadly from the 3 and provides a pretty good defensive stand. 
• Tyler Whatley - A local from my area who started his career at Wofford, then saw the light and came to the Dawgs. His playing time has not been great, but his efforts in practice I'm sure have helped the dawgs become better on the floor.

 

So give a clap for these Damn Good Dawgs and give them thanks for their time with the dawgs.

The next part of tonight will be a bit harder to complete. The dawgs take on the Wildcats that are coming in pissed off after a loss to the Vols this past weekend. This Wildcat team is better than the one we played in Lexington to start SEC play, but the Dawgs are better too. The final score of the first meeting, 76-68, does not show how close it really was. Here was my take back then. 

Now that you are caught up, we can not have 26 turnovers and commit 25 fouls again. If we do, I do not expect a good outcome. If we stay sharp and focused, I do see a victory and a home sweep against the SEC East. The home crowd will be a factor and sadly this game usually brings in a large number of Kentucky fans. Hopefully as time marches forward, those seats will not be available to the Wildcat fans. 

So if you are at the game or watching at home, I want you to scream and yell and jump up and down for these dawgs. We need them and more importantly, they need us, as fans, to do what we do best. We need to be the 6th man. We need to show the support that has been building all year. Coach Fox has done his part, now it is time for the fans to do theirs. 

So GOOOOOOOO Dawgs

Georgia Bulldogs (13-14, 5-9) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (27-2, 12-2)
Date / Time	Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Location	Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
Television	Live regional coverage on the SEC Network (Dave Neal and Joe Dean, Jr.)
Radio	Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network (Atlanta: 750AM, Athens: 100.1 FM & 960 AM)
Internet	Live audio on GXtra (subscription required), Live video on ESPN360.com
Satellite	The majority of Georgia basketball games in 2009-10 can be heard on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Tonight’s game is available on XM Channel 201. Full Schedule

Dawgs 78 Gators 76

I swear the Dawgs are trying to kill me. I have been to nearly all the home game and watched the rest on TV or online and every game with a few exceptions have been those that make you reach for the blood pressure meds and a bottle of bourbon. Saturday afternoon was no different.

After building a 15 point lead with 9:45 to play in the game (dawgs were up 15 at half) , the Gators in jean shorts made a run. They were never able to take a lead, but sure made it interesting. If not for Albert Jackson pulling an AJ Green with a block as time ran to :01, we may not have won.

You could tell the legs were failing the dawgs down the stretch, but they managed to gut it out. That is the one thing that this team does that the past few teams did not. They keep trying.

There are times where we play and we can beat anyone and in the same game we can play like a rec team. This I think will improve with better bench play and the ability to score and defend with the second team.

Also want to give a shout to DeMario Mayfield who got 5 points and 1 assist in 4 minutes (although later it looked like Coach had a few words for him after he didn't get to the scoring table in time) and to Eubka Anyaorah with 9 points. We need this going forward.

One interesting note to the Florida game and you can take it for what it's worth. In talking to some folks after the game, they seem to think that AD Jeremy Foley had his hand in setting the schedule for the rematch in Athens. Apparently he was a bit upset after last years loss to the Dawgs in Athens. His work was having the Gators play early in the week and a late week game for the Dawgs. True or not, it sure makes you wonder.

Next up, the Wildcats on Wednesday who are coming off a loss to the Vols. So I know they'll be pissed and prepared. Especially since the dawgs gave them a run in the SEC opener.

Related Stories
Bulldawg Illustrated
Georgiadogs.com
Box Score

Georgia (10-11, 2-6) vs. Auburn (11-12, 2-6)
Date / Time	Wednesday, February 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Location	Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum | Auburn, Ala.
Television	Live regional coverage on CSS (Dave Baker and Daymeon Fishback)
Radio	Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network (Atlanta: 750AM, Athens: 100.1 FM & 960 AM)
Internet	Live audio on GXtra (subscription required), ESPN360.com

The Dawgs are still seeking their first road win and the team down 85 seems just like the team to provide us that win. Downside is the Dawgs are coming off the huge win of Vandy. Which by the way makes us 2-0 versus the state of Tennessee. But I believe the team is on the verge of crossing that line, one that all the SEC coaches are worried about. The one that gives the Dawgs to confidence to win on the road and how to hold a lead. So what can the Dawgs expect as they take on AU:

• Home Court advantage

Games in Athens: UGA leads 58-22
Games in Auburn: AU leads 55-22
Neutral-Court Games: AU leads 9-7

• Auburn is planning an orange out. Guess they are pulling out all the stops
• 6 Common opponents this each. Each beat AU, we have wins over Vandy and TN
• AU is getting 70 points per in SEC play
• 4 players averaging more that 12 points per in SEC play
• Not much off the Bench
• AU is getting 62% from Free Throws (SEC Play)
• AU is grabbing 35 boards a gome

So the Dawgs need to crash the boards, use their fouls wisely and play within themselves. This is a common theme this year, so the same still applies.