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Randy Schafer
Georgia has one more shot to improve its résumé.

Will the third time be the charm for Georgia hoops versus Kentucky?

Cy Brown
Cy Brown

Welcome to your one-stop shop for all the relevant Georgia football news and takes every Monday through Friday. It all comes down to Friday for Georgia basketball.

One more swing at Kentucky

Georgia basketball’s March Madness hopes remain alive after scraping out a victory against Tennessee on Thursday in the SEC Tournament. Now comes a tougher test, a game with top-seeded Kentucky at 1 p.m. Friday in Nashville. And the Bulldogs couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

Don’t get me wrong, it will not be a simple task to pull an upset of the Wildcats, and there are more beatable teams Georgia could have matched up with, certainly. But the Bulldogs don’t just need wins right now. They need good wins. There isn’t a better win in the SEC than Kentucky. A win against South Carolina or Arkansas would’ve been really good, and probably more plausible. But it’s hard to deny a team that’s been hot to close the season and notched a victory against a top-10 team.

On top of that, Georgia actually has a shot to beat Kentucky, considering it only lost by a total of 14 points in its two meetings this season. Plus, there’s the fact that John Calipari could really care less about this whole SEC Tournament deal. From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

“I wish none of us played in this tournament,” Calipari said before the 2013 event. “Let’s go on to the next tournament.”

“It’s five games in eight days for these young kids, and it’s not fair. When you play Sunday and they put you in the Thursday bracket, you better hope the team that you face on Saturday (in the NCAA Tournament) is as tired as you and that they played on Sunday.”

To me, that sounds like a man who would be perfectly happy to be back in Lexington by Friday night. The Wildcats are trained to save it all for the NCAA Tournament, when things really matter for them. That could give Georgia a leg up, because this game means everything for the Bulldogs’ season.

So, what does Georgia need to do to come away with the upset? Shoot the lights out. Every team that’s beaten Kentucky this season has hovered around 50 percent field goal shooting in the victory. Both times Georgia played Kentucky close it shot roughly 50 percent as well. The Bulldogs will need to be a little more accurate than they were in shooting 44 percent against Tennessee.

But the most important thing Georgia needs Friday afternoon is the same thing it’s needed all season: a third scorer. J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten must have big days to pull off this upset, but barring an otherworldly performance by one or the other or both, there just isn’t enough firepower to outgun Kentucky. But if Derek Ogbeide or Juwan Parker or Mike Edwards or Tyree Crump or someone — anyone — can step up and score 15-or-so points, Georgia will have a fighter’s chance.

Another for 2019

Georgia secured its fourth commitment for the Class of 2019 with the pledge of Cedar Grove wideout Jadon Haselwood. The 6-foot-3 rising junior is rated as a 5-star prospect and the No. 10 player in the Class of 2019 by 247Sports composite rankings. It’ll still be a good while until he puts on a pair of silver britches, but from the looks of his highlight tape, it’ll be worth the wait.

Reunited and it feels so good

Aaron Murray has signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and even though he hasn’t played a snap in the NFL, he’s still the best QB on their roster. While that probably sucks if you’re a Rams fan, it’s pretty cool for Georgia fans, because Murray is reunited with Todd Gurley in L.A. Let’s take a moment and remember the Murray-Gurley connection Bulldogs fans hold fondest, this 72-yard touchdown strike against Florida in 2013.

Dawgs this weekend

UGA track competes in the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, all weekend

Diamond Dogs welcome Rider for a three-game series in Athens

Gymdogs host Utah for senior day on Saturday afternoon

UGA softball travels to Orlando for tournament at UCF

Men’s tennis faces Ole Miss and Arkansas this weekend

Women’s tennis travels this weekend to Alabama, Auburn

ICYMI

Good dog

It’s still real to me, dammit!

NEXT Georgia brings in a new offensive voice, and at a discount

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