Georgia

NCAA Tournament: Quick Morning Review

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:14:09 -0700

A quick review of the morning action on Day One of the NCAA Tournament: (3) Xavier 73 - (14) Georgia 61 Josh Duncan, one of the most efficient players in college basketball, finished with 20 points as the Musketeers rebounded from a slow start to beat Georgia. Coming off their miraculous SEC Tournament win, Georgia looked to have the magic early before running out of gas down the stretch. Everybody who picked Xavier to go the Sweet Sixteen or beyond took a big sigh of relief.. and now XU plays the winner of Baylor/Purdue. (5) Michigan State 72 - (12) Temple 61 The Spartans shut down Temple's leading scorer, Dionte Christmas, holding him to just 2 points on 1 of 10 shooting. Luckily for Christmas, he's a junior, and won't have to end his career on the worst game of his career. Drew Neitzel also had an off game, 5 points on 2-10 shooting, but the Spartans overcame this with a deeper and more balanced attack. (1) Kansas 85 - (16) Portland State 61 There's no use wasting precious space with commentary on this game. Kansas won big is all you need to know. Overall: Nothing terribly exciting this morning with all the favorites winning. Xavier's comeback prevented what would have been a disaster for the A10. The afteroon sessions beginning as a I write this should offer some more competitive basketball.

Cheerleader of the Day: Georgia

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:02:21 -0700

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. We'll be mixing up the schools & cheerleader so check back daily!

Georgia

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Poll: What Will be Thursday's Big Upset?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:06:24 -0700

Live From DC: Interview w/ Georgia's Troy Brewer

Jon Teitel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:52:25 -0700

Live from Washington DC, CHN's Jon Teitel is covering the NCAA Tournament pod featuring Xavier vs Georgia and Baylor vs Purdue. He'll be checking in periodically with player interviews & news updates from the Verizon Center (left).

This morning, he starts things off with a quick interview from Georgia reserve Troy Brewer:

Q: What is your day like today?

A: We got up early, had some practice, and will take a tour of DC later today. I am from Maryland, so this a great chance for me to come home and see my friends and family.

Q: How exciting was last weekend?

A: The SEC Tournament was an unforgettable experience. We were in the locker room when the tornado hit, so we did not know what happened. We were concerned about playing 2 games in a single day, but we were all focused, and we had nothing to lose.

Q: What do you know about Xavier?

A: They are a very talented team, and we are concerned about stopping their point guard Drew Lavender.

Q: What effect did all the suspensions this year have on your team?

A: I think it actually made us stronger, as it caused many of us to have to fill important roles on the team. Everything happens for a reason, and here we are in the NCAA Tournament.

Q: What is Coach Felton like?

A: He is a great motivator, and really brings out the best in a player.

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Bracket Tactics: Tuesday's Tip of the Day

Jon Teitel — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:59:23 -0700

Leading up to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we'll be presenting daily tips to help you fill in your bracket.

Today's Bracket Tactic

FACT: #14 seeds who score less than 76.5 PPG are 2-54 in the 1^st round since 1985, and only two #14 seeds have made the Sweet 16 since 1985 (Cleveland State in 1986 and Chattanooga in 1997).

BRACKET TIP: Do not pick Georgia because they score less than 76.5 PPG, but if you are feeling lucky, you can pick one of Boise State/CSU Fullerton/Cornell to win 1 game because they each score over 76.5 PPG.

Editor's Tip: Don't be fooled by overall records. Some teams are great at home, but struggle to win true road games. Similarly, its not enough to look just at road games.. but you need to check out neutral records as well. If a team's combined road & neutral record is substantially worse then their home record.. look out. One prime example is Vanderbiilt. The Commodores are 19-0 at home, but just 7-7 on the road.

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Let the Madness Begin: Some Love for the Committee & Other Thoughts

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:18:46 -0700

Let the Madness begin! With the dance cards officially punched, the best three weeks in sports are set to begin. Among the participants:

- Georgia, who battled fatigue and tornados, not to mention four SEC opponents, to claim the Sec Tournament crown. The 17-16 Bulldogs completed their surprising run, which included two buzzer-beaters, by knocking off Arkansas on Sunday, in front of a small crowd on Georgia Tech’s campus. With fans, media and tournament officials all scrambling after the severe weather in Atlanta on Friday night, somehow the Bulldogs kept their poise and earned a date with Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tourney.

- USC and Kansas State, in a 6-11 match-up figures to be one of the better ones, as two young teams follow their freshman leaders. OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley both figure to be wearing NBA uniforms at this time next year, so advancing to the tournament gives college basketball fans at least one more weekend to enjoy these phenomenal talents.

- South Alabama, who earned at-large bid from the Sun Belt. The Jaguars, who own wins over Mississippi State and San Diego, and two over conference foe Western Kentucky, earned a 10 seed, marking the first time in 14 years the Sun Belt has sent two teams to the Dance.

- Arizona, who despite a mediocre 19-14 record, sneaks into the tourney as a 10 seed in the West. The Wildcats, who battle injuries to guard Nic Wise and Jerryd Bayless as well as the Lute Olson distraction all year, apparently did enough to sway the committee. With the team back at full strength, and with Olson set to return next year, the Wildcats have a great chance to pull off the upset against West Virginia in the first round.

- Hats off to the selection committee – easily one of the toughest jobs in sports. To anyone who thinks they could be a part of it, sit down and draw up your own brackets, complete with the 31 conference winners and 34 at-large teams. Keep in mind the travel conditions, conference affiliations, team schedules (possible rematches, etc) and injury situations. Also, be sure to at least glance at the RPI, the polls, conference standings, tie-breakers, non-conference schedule and injuries for each of the teams. Now, after you spend all that time, add in a surprise conference winner (i.e. Georgia) at the last moment. Finally, be prepared to be ripped and criticized by anyone and everyone with an opinion. Not quite so easy is it? This isn’t to say they don’t make mistakes, but all in all, they get it right more often than not.

- As a final note to all the coaches and fans pushing for an expanded tournament, such as 128 games…give me a break. If your team hasn’t done enough after 30-35 games to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re among the best 34 teams in the country, they probably don’t deserve to be there. We can argue RPI and non-conference schedules all day long, but the bottom line is that teams have all season to prove themselves. Expanding the field to 128 would mean nearly every one of the 73 BCS-conference teams would make the tournament, as well as fifth and sixth-place teams in smaller leagues…providing for such ground-breaking first round match-ups as Oregon State-Duquesne. The bottom line is that each year, 4-6 teams will feel that they deserved a berth, and they may be right, But to advocate adding another 63 teams to accommodate these bubble teams is just plain ridiculous. The tournament as it is now places enough importance on the regular season to make it relevant, but also allows for enough leniency to mean a loss here or there won’t kill you. I’ll argue all day that the system works the way it is, and doesn’t need to change. Let the Madness begin!

Picture of the Day: Sundiata Gaines & Surprise Georgia

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:09:15 -0700

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Sundiata Gaines Celebrates

Georgia winning the SEC Tournament is one of the more shocking surprises of recent college basketball history.. perhaps less likely than George Mason's Final Four run. Despite losing 10 of 11 games at one point, Sundiata Gaines and the Bulldogs marched their way into the Big Dance.

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2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Georgia

Joel Welser — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:49:02 -0700

Georgia Bulldogs

Southeastern Conference (17-16, 4-12)

Seed: #14

West Region

RPI: 89

Big Wins: 3/15 vs Kentucky (60-56), 3/15 vs Mississippi State (64-60), 3/16 vs Arkansas ()

Bad Losses: 12/20 vs East Tennessee State (58-76), 12/21 vs Tulane (69-70), 3/2 at LSU (64-71)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2002, Second Round loss to Southern Illinois

Coach: Dennis Felton (0-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Sundiata Gaines, Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 4.1 apg, 6.0 rpg

Billy Humphrey, Junior, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg

Terrance Woodbury, Junior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Albert Jackson, Sophomore, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Dave Bliss, Senior, Center, 7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Zac Swansey, Freshman, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 1.7 apg

Corey Butler, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg

Jeremy Price, Freshman, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

No player on Georgia averages over six rebounds per game, yet the Bulldogs are one of the best rebounding teams in the Southeastern Conference. Six players average at least three rebounds per contest and rebounding by committee has never had such an apt example. The frontcourt certainly does its part on the glass and Jeremy Price, Dave Bliss and Albert Jackson will hit the backboard hard.

Price and Bliss are decent interior scores and will use their big frames to create space for themselves and others in the paint. Jackson is not much of a scorer, but he is a great defender and, along with Bliss, a shot blocking threat. The Bulldogs frontcourt could be more productive scorers than they are and that would certainly open up the shooters on the perimeter and that is where UGA does all of its damage.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Georgia is a perimeter orientated team, but the turnovers and free-throw shooting have become big problems. Sundiata Gaines, Billy Humphrey and Terrance Woodbury are great scorers from the perimeter, but the turnover numbers are not so good. The trio commits about seven turnovers per contest and the team commits 15.1. That number will have to come down drastically if the darlings of the SEC Tournament want to make another improbable tournament run. The free-throw shooting is the other concern. Gaines gets to the charity stripe more than twice as much as anybody else on the team and he shoots under 61 percent from the line.

Who To Watch:

The free-throw shooting is the only spot where Gaines fails to impress. The 6-1 senior leads the team with 14.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Gaines’ outside shooting is nothing spectacular and he spends a little too much time hoisting up three pointers instead of getting to the basket, but being able to mix in the occasional long ball does make it easier for him to score in other ways. With Humphrey and Woodbury on the wings, Georgia will do a lot of scoring on the perimeter. At 6-7, Woodbury is a dynamic, yet inconsistent, scorer. He can hit the three point shot, but he is much more effective working above the rim. It is Humphrey who takes the most shots from beyond the arc and when his shot is falling, it opens up space for everybody else.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.8 (178^th in nation, 11^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 68.1 (153, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (234, 11)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.2 (144, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (214, 11)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (255, 11)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.7 (210, 6)

Rebound Margin: 3.8 (55, 4)

Assists Per Game: 11.6 (285, 12)

Turnovers Per Game: 15.1 (224, 9)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Xavier

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Team of the Moment: Georgia

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:52:46 -0700

Georgia 15-16 (4-12 SEC East) Computer numbers (through Friday; courtesy of kenpom.com): RPI 141, SOS 47 Results today: Defeated Kentucky 60-56 in an SEC quarterfinal and Mississippi State 64-60 in an SEC semifinal. You can't make this stuff up. Thanks to a serious storm that made its way through the Atlanta area last night (what we now know included a tornado), the Georgia Bulldogs had to play two games in one day if they wanted to play for the SEC title on Sunday. Well, where there's a will there's a way and the Dawgs live to fight another day. What makes the two wins all the more amazing is that the leading offensive option, guard Sundiata Gaines, fouled out of both contests. Freshman guard Zac Swansey won the quarterfinal against Kentucky with his tenth three-pointer of the season. And in the nightcap they hang on with the help of a Charles Rhodes techincal foul with 7.6 seconds remaining. So all you bubble teams get on out and purchase your hog hats; if Arkansas doesn't end this miraculous story one of you is staying home.

2007-08 Georgia Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:59:45 -0700

Georgia Bulldogs

Overall Rank: #42

Conference Rank: #6 SEC

2006-07: 19-14, 8-8, 5^th East

2006-07 postseason: NIT

Georgia was on the bubble well into February last season before losing three of their last four regular season games. Even finishing fifth place in a six team SEC East will not necessarily keep the Bulldogs out of the NCAA Tournament. The SEC is brutal and a .500 record in the conference could be enough this year if the team can take care of business during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Who’s Out:

Levi Stukes and Steve Newman bridged the gap from the horrendous not so distant past of UGA and the potential bright future. Both played significant roles as freshmen and stuck around to see the team reach the postseason in 2006-2007. When the talent level at Georgia increased, Stukes and Newman did not have to do as much scoring. Yet, Stukes was still the best long range shooter on the team and averaged 12.5 points per game during his senior campaign.

Who’s In:

For the first time in a long time, Coach Dennis Felton will not have to depend on any newcomers to make a significant contribution. Six of the returning players started at least ten games last year and two others are proven players who are expected to see significant playing time. However, there is some talent that could overtake some minutes from the returning players and it all starts with Jeremy Price. The 6-8, 270 pound freshman can battle his way through traffic in the paint and finish at the basket. Strength will continue to be added, but Price has more than most coming into the collegiate ranks. In time, he will be a consistent scorer in the paint. Chris Barnes and Jeremy Jacob will add even more depth to a suddenly crowded frontcourt. On the perimeter, the future of the point guard spot is Zac Swansey’s. For now, he has the ability to contribute off the bench. Swansey is a solid ballhandler and passer and once he integrates himself into the environment at Georgia, he will be a good one. Shooting guard Troy Brewer will be groomed to take over one of the wing positions and, at 6-5, he has the size to be a solid rebounder out of the backcourt. Brewer is known for his shooting and that could earn him some minutes off the bench as a freshman.

Who to Watch:

Even without Stukes, the perimeter is the strength of the Bulldogs team. Sundiata Gaines is not a true point guard, but he will do most of the ballhandling. Gaines averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds last season and has proven he can handle running the show despite his more natural position being on the wing. Mike Mercer is a terrific scorer and averaged 13.6 points per game, but his outside shooting is lacking consistency and Mercer must learn to find his teammates instead of taking a bad shot from beyond the arc. Mercer is recovering from an ACL injury and the Bulldogs need him to be healthy. Otherwise, UGA may struggle early and they cannot afford that if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. Billy Humphrey and Terrance Woodbury are the best shooters returning and one of them will step into a starting role on the wing after spending the majority of last season coming off the bench. Besides Humphrey being a better free-throw shooter, their numbers are pretty much the same. Both will get on the glass and both have the ability to score in a variety of ways.

Final Projection:

What allowed Georgia to develop into a postseason team last year was the presence of an interior scoring threat. The team was way too perimeter orientated until Takais Brown showed up from junior college last year and averaged 14.2 points and 5.6 rebounds. When Brown is on the floor, it opens everything up for the talented perimeter. Dave Bliss will likely start beside Brown, but Bliss does not do too much scoring. The 6-10 center does a decent job on the glass, but it is Rashaad Singleton who could emerge and take some of the pressure off of Brown. Singleton has room to grow in the offensive department and only averaged 3.3 points last season. Singleton, a seven-foot junior, is great defensive presence and when his offense improves, he will see a lot more action. Albert Jackson showed potential during his freshman campaign and the 6-10 Earlington, Kentucky product will at least provide quality depth in the frontcourt.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Sundiata Gaines, Senior, Guard, 10.5 points per game

Billy Humphrey, Junior, Guard, 7.5 points per game

Terrance Woodbury, Junior, Guard, 7.5 points per game

Takais Brown, Senior, Forward, 14.2 points per game

Dave Bliss, Senior, Center, 4.0 points per game

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