Georgia played its way back on the NCAA tournament “Bubble” on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 3 Florida in Stegeman Coliseum.
It’s a big win, to be sure, but not big enough to get the Bulldogs projected back into the 68-team NCAA tournament field, per ESPN expert Joe Lunardi.
Lunardi said Georgia’s 88-83 win over the Gators would elevate the Bulldogs into the “First Four Out” category with three regular season games remaining.
“With Georgia, a truly significant win, going from Next Four Out to First Four Out,” Lunardi said, referring to his ESPN bracketology rankings. “At the moment, I’ve got the Bulldogs at No. 71, so that’s three spots out of the field.
“They’re going to play an enormous game on Saturday, a true bubble game against Texas.”
Lunardi said it’s possible UGA could earn the SEC a 14th NCAA tourney berth -- an amazing feat considering the record for most teams in the NCAA tournament is 11, set by the Big East in 2011.
Georgia will get a day off on Wednesday, but then there’s work to be done with that all-important road trip to Texas on deck.
“It feels like a win at Texas could create momentum to close out with a statement (4)-game win streak,” SEC analyst Dane Bradshaw said. “I think Texas is the most important game left based on matchup and metrics.”
To Bradshaw’s point, Georgia (17-11, 5-10 SEC) and Texas (16-11, 5-9) share similar records and similar rankings, with the Longhorns No. 38 in the NET rankings and the Bulldogs at No. 40 entering Tuesday night’s action.
It’s not a stretch to say the 8 p.m. Saturday night tip in Austin could determine which of the two teams ultimately gets into the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs final two regular-season games are on the road at South Carolina and at home against Vanderbilt, but neither of those represent the all-important Quad-One variety.
But facing Texas, a top 75 team on the road, is Georgia’s final chance in the regular season to get another valued Quad One win.
Bradshaw said he thinks the Bulldogs might get into the NCAA tournament by winning two of their final three regular-season games.
“I think they’ve got a chance to be the conference example of “7-11″ could get in this year,” he said, “given the strength of their schedule.”
Georgia has played 14 of its past 28 games against Top 25 teams.
Here’s how the NCAA tourney “bubble” looked entering the action on Tuesday night per ESPN Bracketology:
Last four bye teams (round of 64)
West Virginia
Texas
San Diego State
Ohio State
Last Four in
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Wake Forest
First Four Out
North Carolina
Indiana
SMU
Xavier
Next Four Out
Boise State
Georgia
George Mason
Villanova
