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Bulldog Bracketology: Does UGA still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament?

UGA hoops coach Mark Fox
Randy Schafer
Cy Brown
Cy Brown

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

UGA still has some tourney hope

Georgia hoops recorded its fourth win in its last five games on Saturday against LSU, and its second consecutive win sans Yante Maten. In Maten’s absence, J.J. Frazier had his own personal flu game. The senior went off, putting the team on his back to the tune of 29 points in the 82-80 victory.

This small run after the nightmare stretches in late January and early November is just what Georgia needs to try and salvage the season. The Dawgs are now 17-12, 8-8 in the SEC, and have an outside shot at making it to March Madness, according to some bracketologists.

The person highest on Georgia seems to be Shelby Mast of BracketWAG. Mast has Georgia firmly on the bubble as one of the first four teams out of the bracket, along with Rhode Island, Clemson and Illinois. Although they are out at the moment, with two games and the conference tournament remaining, there may be time to play into the field. Here’s what USA Today’s Scott Gleeson said about Georgia:

Georgia (17-12, 8-8) barely got past SEC bottom-feeder LSU in an 82-80 decision. Had the Bulldogs lost, their at-large hopes would’ve been squashed as they already own a bad loss to Oakland. Instead, they’re still highly in the mix. Despite no decent victories on its profile, UGA has a top-20 strength of schedule to keep it in the discussion.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports also lists Georgia in the first four out, while Chris Dobbertean of SB Nation has the Dawgs in the group after the first four out. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi didn’t have Georgia listed anywhere in his latest analysis, but he posts updates on Mondays, so that could change by the time you read this.

So what does Georgia have playing in its favor? As Gleeson mentioned above, strength of schedule. The Bulldogs have the 18th toughest schedule in the nation according to KenPom, 21st toughest based on RPI. But honestly, that’s about it as far as positives go.

The problem comes when you look at how Georgia did against that schedule. Against teams in the RPI top 50, UGA is a miserable 1-7. In that are two close games with Kentucky and an overtime loss to Florida. But when push comes to shove, it’s difficult to imagine the selection committee picking a team that has shown it struggles to win against eventual tourney teams.

There is still time for Georgia, though. The next two games — vs. Auburn and at Arkansas — present opportunities to get wins over teams with winning records, a probable tournament team in the Arkansas’ case. If Georgia can go 2-0 over this final stretch, then win an SEC Tournament game — preferably two — it’ll have a fighters’ chance come Selection Sunday.

Georgia in the mix for 5-star DE

Adam Friedman of Rivals recently spoke with 5-star DE K.J. Henry of Clemmons, N.C., and it seems the big edge-rusher is high on Georgia.

“Every time I go to Georgia I get a great feeling there,” he said. “They’re really welcoming. Coach (Kirby) Smart is a great guy, a young guy in the profession. He’s cool and is doing everything the right way. He’s a family man and the school itself is great academically. That’s something I try to work for and I want to make sure I’m showing everyone I’m good in the classroom as well. I think Georgia has stood out when thinking about my attributes and strengths.

“The coaches say they could see me doing something big for their program. They struggled this year but are trying to get back to playing elite ball and they think I could be one of those guys that help them get there. They like my endless pursuit to the football, my motor. They just like me as a player and person and I give them the same respect.”

Consistently bringing in new talent on the defensive front is something all championship-caliber college football teams do, and if Georgia landed Henry, it would fall right into that groove.

Lady Dogs land 8th seed in SEC Tourney

The Lady Dogs ended the regular season with a loss Sunday to Florida in Gainesville, giving them the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament. UGA will play Auburn on in the No. 9 spot (noon ET Thursday), and the winner of that will face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday. Georgia beat Auburn by 6 points earlier this month.

Around campus

Diamond Dogs take 2 out of 3 on the road at Georgia Southern

3 Gym Dogs put up career marks in loss to No. 1 Oklahoma

UGA softball coach Lu Harris-Champer wins her 1,000th game

UGA golf shoots 3-under in first round at Cabo

Aidan Burns qualifies for NCAA 400 individual medley in final meet of the season

UGA track puts in strong showing at SEC ITF Championships

UGA equestrian defeats No. 1 Texas A&M on senior day

Building a Dawg House for Devon Gales

UGA launched a fundraiser aimed at building a new home for former Southern football player Devon Gales. Watch the video below to find out how you can donate.

ICYMI

Good dog

Skate or die.

NEXT Georgia depth chart analysis: What happens at guard?
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