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END OF GAME:

UGA 76     FLA 62

The game ended as UGA went on a final and resilient scoring run. It was capped off with a Caldwell-Pope breakaway that ended with a monster slam dunk to send the Gators home as losers. Right after the dunk, Robinson went to the crowded and started pumping them up. Not too long after, Williams added to the vistory with another dunk. In the end, UGA just made their shots. It was a very competitive game, but UGA played with more passion, heart, and did more right. The game was won in the first half, but not enough can be said about their effort and shooting in the second half. This is a win the Bulldogs can build off of for next season. Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter at @benbolton_UGA.

Timeout with 1:51 left, UGA 67- FLA 62

Here come the Gators. They are draining shots easily now. Williams is trying to help with 2 blocks over the past minute and a half. But, the shots are going down. UGA is doing nothing offensively

Timeout with 2:22  left, UGA 65- FLA 57

Florida is closing the gap. UGA is making bonehead mistakes, but time is on their side.

Timeout with 3:11  left, UGA 63- FLA 53

FLA scored a couple of times. The past three minutes have mainly been filled with rebounds and missed shots. UGA is starting to just run the play clock down in order to end the game quicker. UGA fans are getting loud and FLA fans are beginning to quiet down. This next stretch is crucial. UGA needs to seal the deal.

Timeout with 6:39  left, UGA 63- FLA 49

UGA went on a run to answer the FLA previous run. It began with Ware hitting a three with a defender in his face. That was followed with a Thorton post score. It has been a back and forth game. One could sense that everything is just going the Dawgs way right now. But, we have a long way to go. The Dawgs aren’t working down low as much, so good shooting will have to take the Bulldogs to victory now.

Timeout with 8:10  left, UGA 58- FLA 49

It looked like the dawgs were pulling awat after a Williams dunk and Brantley 3. However, FLA is on a streak, bring what was a 15 point deficit down to 9. The run came from free throws, good defense, and bad UGA decisions.

Timeout with 11:13  left, UGA 50- FLA 40

Djurisic has come alive. He is playing with passion and scored 7 points in the last couple of minutes. He has been a big spark for the team in the second half as Caldwell-Pope cools off. The game has still come down to turnovers, passing, and shooting percentage.

Timeout with 14:52  left, UGA 44- FLA 33

Robinson hit a big three for UGA to get back to a double digit lead. Stegman Collesium is going crazy and getting loud. FLA turnovers are allowing UGA to maintain the lead.  Time to say: UPSET ALERT.

Timeout with 15:25  left, UGA 41- FLA 33

Florida brought the lead down to 8, but UGA is still holding strong. FLA is using the full court press defense to try and force turnovers occasionally. Cadwell-Pope and Williams are playing very well, but defense is going to be the way the dawgs win this one.

Timeout with 18:09 left, UGA 39 -FLA 29

The half began with a quick FLA score. But, Caldwell-Pope is on fire and made a three pointer to answer. The Dawgs are maintaining the double digit lead for now. The game is still coming down to who is shooting and moving the ball the best.

2nd Half Begins

Analysis:

UGA ended the half on a hot streak as Caldwell-Pope and Ware made important shots from three. UGA went on two key runs during the first half that allowed them to maintain the lead throughout. UGA is 8-4 this season after leading at half. FLA is 4-5 after leading at half. Next half, UGA will have to stop a motivated and mad FLA squad. Next half, I won’t do an updated play-by-play, but more specialized stats and analysis. Enjoy!

Stats:

UGA- Shooting 53%, 22 points in the paint, 4 off turnovers, 9 on fast breaks, 16 rebounds

Caldwell-Pope: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Robinson: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

FLA: Shooting 34.5%, 25 % from three, 8 points in the paint, 16 rebounds

Boynton: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 asisst

Beal: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

HALFTIME UGA 36- FLA 27

Caldwell-Pope gets the ball inside and lays it in after making FLA whiff on a block. Beal  makes a two for FLA. Caldwell-Pope drains a three from a foot or so past the line. On a fast break after a FLA miss, the Dawgs work it down low to Florveus for an easy two, he was fouled. He missed. UGA forces a turnover, Ware makes a transition 3. Young gets the ball inside for FLA and dunks it.

Timeout with 2:36 left in First, UGA 26- FLA 23

Beal makes a two pointer for FLA.

Florida is dictating the game now. Even the traveling fans have come alive to compete with the UGA home crowd. Caldwell-Pope isn’t shooting well, but is the only one who has really contributed offensively for the past few minutes while FLA has made their run. UGA must finish this half strong to have a chance in the 2nd half.

Timeout with 3:08 left in First, UGA 26- FLA 21

Boynton makes a three for FLA. Djurisic gets fouled working in the paint, makes one  out of two free throws. FLA finally works it inside to Murphy for an easy lay in. Williams gets a block on Walker, runs down the court and gets the pass inside and puts it in the basket. UGA forces a charge on FLA’s Young. Boynton drains a three on FLA’s next possession. FLA works it down low again to Young for 2 points. Caldwell-Pope quickly runs down court for a transition lay up.

FLA is closing the gap. They are starting to work it down low to Young and Boynton is starting to make shots. UGA is staying in there, but turnovers could cost them.

Timeout with 7:34 left in First Half, UGA 21- FLA 11

UGA foul on Beal. He makes both free throws. Robinson scored 2 for UGA on a fast break layup, gets fouled. Makes the free throw. Thorton scores 2 for UGA after getting the offensive rebound from a missed shot by Ware. Donte Williams gets a block and throws it off a FLA player to get the ball. Following possesion, Djurisic drives it inside and makes the post shot for two. FLA’s Walker marches down and makes a three pointer. Robinson answers with a three pointer of his own.

This is one of the best starts UGA has had this season. FLA’s struggles have come from poor shooting, because UGA is forcing them to take shots instead of working it inside. UGA’s offense is working very well. The plays are crisp and the players are actually executing and finishing. UGA is 8/16 shooting, FLA is 4/18 shooting (1/8 from three point line).

Timeout with 11:27 left in First Half, UGA 12- FLA 6

Robinson makes Free Throw.

FLA tried an alley-oop, but the pass as too wide. UGA 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 assists. FLA 7 rebounds, 4 turnovers, 2 steals, 2 assists. Difference so far has been UGA’s ability to control the paint on both ends of the floor.

Timeout with 12:55 left in First Half, UGA 11 -FLA 6

Williams makes one free throw after fouled inside by Murphy. Boyton makes a mid-range shot off a pick. Robinson scores on the give-and-go play with the assist by Djurisic. He will shoot one free throw.

UGA is still forcing them to shoot from the outside. FLA has no inside presence on offense. UGA’s offense is successively running plays to get easy shots inside.

Timeout 15:59 left in First Half, UGA 8- FLA 4

Game Begins with Administrative Technical foul because Florida dunked the ball during warmups. It was an easy 2 for Robinson. FLA won the tip, Beal with a mid range score. Djurisic makes a backboard post shot after a UGA steal. Another UGA steal leads to Caldwell-Pope layup. Caldwell-Pope gets 2 more on a lyup after a nice inside pass by Djurisic. Prather scores 2 on mid-range shot for FLA.

UGA is playing very solid zone defense. They are not giving any easy baskets. They are also forcing turnovers and working the ball inside on offense. Strong beginning, but we will see if they can keep it going against the more talented FLA squad.

Leading Scorers: UGA- Robinson, FLA-Boynton

UGA 12-15 (3-10 SEC) 11th in the SEC,    FLA 22-6 (10-3 SEC) 2nd in the SEC, Ranked 11th Nationally

UGA Starting Lineup:

Gerald Robinson

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Marcus Thornton

Nemanja Djurisic

Donte Williams

FLA Starting Lineup:

Bradley Beal

Kenny Boynton

Erving Walker

Patric Young

Erik Murphy

Hey everybody! This is Ben Bolton from the Friday Pre-Game show. We aren’t too far off from the beginning of the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators. As we get closer to tip off, I will update you on stats, standings, and starting lineups for this afternoon’s game. Stay Tuned!

This is Mike Reiter and I am live inside Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina for the second and third rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The Georgia Bulldogs will face the Washington Huskies tomorrow night at 9:45 for the right to take on the winner of North Carolina vs. Long Island.

Other games are underway, but today’s action from Charlotte consists of practices and press conferences.

Game times for tomorrows action:

(9) Tennessee vs. (8) Michigan: 12:40 EST. TruTV
(16) Hampton vs. (1) Duke: 3:10 EST. TruTV
(15) Long Island vs. (2) North Carolina: 7:15 EST. CBS
(10) Georgia vs. (7) Washington: 9:45 EST. CBS

Announcers (for all games): Jim Nantz, Clark Kellog, Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Stay tuned to WUOG Sports for continuous updates of today’s action.

9:35: The first slate of games for the night session have concluded. (2) Florida has defeated (15) UC-Santa Barbara 79-51. (3) BYU 74 beat (14) Wofford 74-66. (4) Wisconsin has defeated (14) Belmont 72-58. (3) Connecticut beat (14) Bucknell 81-52.

6:45: Georgia has taken the court here in Time Warner Cable Arena. They will practice for 40 minutes.

6:42: It wouldn’t be a tournament without a 5-12 upset, and it just happened. (12) Richmond has defeated (5) Vanderbilt 69-66 and they will face Morehead State Saturday in Denver, CO. (more…)

Welcome to the opening coverage of Georgia baseball today by WUOG sports.  Today’s game features #5 Florida State  (9-1) and the Georgia Bulldogs (3-7).  Sunday’s game is the rubber match between well played games on Friday, Florida St. taking the win 6-5 and Saturday, a pitching duel, but the Diamond Dogs took the victory 2-1.  Florida St. one of the best teams in the country and if not the best in the ACC appear to have a large advantage over the Dogs on paper.

Today’s lineups

Florida St. Seminoles Head coach- Mike Martin

#8 2B Devon Travis

#32 3b Sherman Johnson

#25 cf Mike McGee

#23 rf James Ramsey

#16 1b Jayce Boyd

#29 c Rafael Lopez

#27 dh Stuart Tapley

#10 ss Justin Gonzalez

#1 lf Taiwan Easterling

Starting pitcher #26 RHP Scot Sitz (ERA .82, 2-0)

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach David Perno

#2 cf Johnathan Taylor

#3 2b Levi Hyams

#12 lf Zach Cone

#45 dh Chase Davidson

#17 ss Kyle Farmer

#10 1b Jonathan Hester

#5 c Brandon Stephens

#8 3b Curt Powell

#16 rf Peter Verdin

Starting pitcher #34 LHP Craig Gullickson (ERA 11.57, 0-1)

Top of 1st Inning

Gullickson digs himself a hole with the first batter with an opening walk.  Lead off walks are always bad news in baseball.  The pitcher is keeping the runner close at first, but the crowd is begging to get restless. Johnson lifts a ball to right center, but Peter Verdin has no problems hauling in the can of corn. So after a leadoff walk, Gullickson gets out of the 1st with a strikeout looking on Mike McGee and gets James Ramsey to fly out. FSU 0 UGA 0

(more…)

It was the tale of Tu halves in Stegeman Coliseum.

Tu Holloway, the reigning ESPN.com National Player of the Week and five-time A-10 Player of the Week, was held scoreless in the first half, missing all five shots from the field. He finished the game with 18 points, mainly from the free-throw line where he made all 11 attempts, en route to a 65-57 victory for Xavier.

Trey Thompkins had a similarly schizophrenic night, shooting a lights-out 5-5 from inside the arc in the first half and finishing with 10 points. In the second half, Thompkins was continuously harassed and double teamed and finished the game two minutes early, fouling out with just 14 points.

Georgia will feel disappointed not to come away with a win tonight, missing out on an opportunity to add a much-needed resume win, particularly at home in a game with 14 lead changes. If the Stegeman Colisuem fans are any indication, the team will feel worse given the state of the refereeing.

Xavier finished with 27 attempts from the line compared with just 15 for Georgia. This enabled Holloway to get into a groove offensively, and took away Georgia’s size advantage after both Thompkins and Jeremy Price fouled out. Following Thompkins’ fifth, Gerald Robinson was whistled for a questionable charge, sending the already furious fans into further frenzy as they began to throw towels and shirts towards the court. Coach Mark Fox was equally enraged, picking up a bench warning for his efforts. After the game, one of the refs was pelted in the face with a towel.

Fox wouldn’t verbally confess to his frustration with the referees, stating, “It’s just a part of the game,” but the extended pause before the answer and hanging of his head indicated a deeper emotion. Thompkins went a bit further than his coach but not as far as to make excuses for his team. “I personally didn’t think I intentionally fouled him (on his last play),” Thompkins said, “I was pushed in the back, and then I fell to the ground. But it happens. I have enough faith in my teammates to finish games, it just didn’t happen tonight.”

And that is the big-picture problem for the Dogs. While the officiating certainly played a bigger factor than it should in the second half, one of the refs even managed to prevent a Robinson steal, a step back shows a 1-6 record against the top 35 RPI and a team that struggles mightily when Thompkins is forced out of his comfort zone.  While losing to top-tier competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Georgia has few games against top-50 RPI teams remaining to ensure they finish the season on the right side of the bubble.

Still, if there’s one thing this team has learned under Coach Fox, it’s resilience. All a casual observer has to do is look at the turnaround from last season to now, with virtually the same roster, to understand the mental makeup of this squad. Dustin Ware captured that spirit when asked about making up ground in the RPI, saying “Every game is important. We’re going to come ready and be determined to get some wins.”

To ensure Georgia’s bubble doesn’t burst, they’re going to have to. (more…)

FINAL SCORE: Georgia-81 Auburn-72

Dustin Ware makes the first free throw. As well as the second. Auburn misses a shot in the lane. Travis Leslie gets the rebound and gets fouled on the way down. Shooting two. Misses the first. Makes the second. 81-72 in favor of Georgia. Auburn chucks up an airball on a desperation 3. The clock will run out with the ball in Georgia’s hands and the Dawgs will take the victory.

Georgia-78 Auburn-72 :29.6 left in OT

We’re headed for overtime folks. Glad to stick around with you for this one. Georgia shouldn’t be in this position at all. They have played very poorly thus far. Give credit to Auburn. They play tough. Auburn gets the tip at the start of OT. It’s Ross again with the lay in. He’s got 27. Foul called. Robinson will shoot two. He misses the first. Makes the second. Ball goes over the backboard off Auburn, Georgia ball. Robinson for THREE! Auburn answers with a huge three of their own. That sucked the life out of this place. Robinson misses a three this time. Auburn misses the lay in and on the fast break Dustin Ware lays it in. Dawgs on top. Two minutes left and The Steg is rocking. Foul on Robinson, his fourth. Auburn shooting the one and one. He misses the first. Rebound Leslie. Off the ball foul on Auburn. Trey Thompkins shooting 2. Makes 1 of 2. Dawgs up by 2. The floater won’t go for Auburn. 1:30 left in OT. Robinson feeds Thompkins in the low-block. Trey uses the glass and draws the foul. Trey makes the free throw and the Dawgs are up by 5. One minute to go. Auburn looks confused on offense and they miss the lay in. Auburn immediately fouls Ware. Misses the first, makes the second. Dawgs up by 6 now. Auburn misses the three and the fouling will begin.

Georgia-67 Auburn-67 End of Regulation

The Steg is alive. They want a stand. Auburn takes a contested 3 and misses it long.  Auburn has to begin fouling and they do starting with Gerald Robinson. Robinson gets one of two from the stripe. Auburn gets a lay in and Auburn takes their final time out. Georgia-67 Auburn-65. :13.7 seconds remain. Georgia gets the ball out of the break. Auburn has the possession arrow. Bad pass by Georgia and they turn it over. Auburn gets two quick points to tie it up at 67. Robinson gets the ball off the rebound and drives the court. Goes for the lay up and misses. The put back comes after the buzzer and we are headed for over time.

Georgia-66 Auburn-63 :59.4 seconds left

Trey is forced to put up a shot with the shot clock running out and he can’t get it to go. Auburn gets a floater to go in the lane. Auburn called for the push down low. Price will shoot 2. He makes the first misses the second but Georgia gets the rebound. Turnover by Thompkins. He’s getting doubled any time he touches the ball. Auburn turns the ball over while trying to push it up the floor. 2 minutes left. This game is too close for comfort for Dawg fans. Each team has two timeouts left. Out of the timeout, Georgia turns it over and Auburn gets 2 fast break points. Ware went for the dagger but missed it. One minute remaining.

(more…)

Final UT-59 UGA-57

Great game, it was point for point most of the game, with neither team leading by more than 6. Tennessee out rebounded Georgia 34-28, the last one being the most fatal. What looked like a clear over the back foul call on Tennessee center Brian Williams over Georgia Center Chris Barnes, resulted in a put back at the buzzer to lift the Volunteers (12-6, 2-2) over the Bulldogs (13-4, 2-1) at the Stegeman Coliseum. When I asked Barnes about the final play, he responded “I didn’t believe the game was over.  I just saw the flashing lights going off.  It’s heart breaking to lose in front of the home crowd.”  Brian Williams who made the game winner said, “I knew we’d have time left because we were moving with 10 seconds left.  So I had to grab the rebound and that was it.”  After the game when asked about the final play, Coach Fox raised an eyebrow and just sat there looking exhausted and emotionally drained, responding, “No, I have to watch the tape.”  Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson led the Volunteers with 15 apiece while Gerald Robinson and Travis Leslie led the Bulldogs with 14 apiece. A clear problem with Bulldogs seems to be their lack of depth and size off the bench. While Barnes played an OK game filling in for the foul-plagued starter Jeremy Price, who had only 2 rebounds during his 9 minutes of playing time, it was clear that the Bulldog frontline was outmatched on the boards. Especially in the last minute of game, when the Vols had the ball for the last 57 seconds before Williams’  last second bucket. Coach Fox spoke about the final seconds of the game saying “we know they are going to take the last shot and we wanted to play defense without fouling like we are taught.”  Coach Fox also went on to say about the team, ” we didn’t have the right energy, but that is not the reason we lose.  We are tired coming of a win, but it’s a grind.”

(more…)

2^nd Half

0:00 Kentucky 70, Georgia 77

Doron Lamb fouls out. Thompkins makes both free throws. Knight misses a three. Darius Miller fouls out. Thompkins makes two more free throws. Jones makes the layup and is fouled by Thompkins. Jones makes the free throw. Harrellson blocks a shot. Jones for three. Bulldogs win.

1:05 Kentucky 64, Georgia 73

Doron Lamb is called for a foul. Robinson makes both free throws. Jones air balls a three and everybody is yelling at him for it. Leslie is fouled and makes both free throws. Lamb misses a three point shot. Lamb fouls Gerald Robinson. Robinson makes both free throws. Miller misses the three twice in a row. Terrence Jones with layup. Wildcats are down by nine.

2:13 Kentucky 62, Georgia 67

The Georgia is ecstatic here as DeAndre Liggins fouls out for Kentucky. Thompkins makes both free throws. Terrence Jones for three. Kentucky living on a prayer right now.

2:37 Kentucky 59, Georgia 66

Gerald Robinson makes both free throws. Terrence Jones shot bounces off the rim. Trey Thompkins with the mid range jumper. Georgia is up by 7.

3:14 Kentucky 59, Georgia 62

Liggins misses the three. Robinson misses the three. Kentucky turnover. Thompkins sinks both of his free throws. Georgia up by three. Lamb is fouled as he misses the shot. Lamb makes the 1^st free throw. Lamb misses the 2^nd free throw. Liggins is called for his 4^th foul of the night. Chris Barnes makes the 1^st free throw and misses the 2^nd free throw. Miller misses the layup. Robinson misses the layup and is fouled by Darius Miller. Timeout.

6:47 Kentucky 58, Georgia 59

Rocky Balboa just made an appearance at Stegeman Coliseum and both sides of the crowd are cheering for him. Ware misses the three. Lamb misses the layup. Out of bounds, Georgia’s ball. Jeremy Price seems to be all right after falling out of bounds. Brandon Knight for two. Knight is playing a great 2^nd half so far. Liggins fouls Travis Leslie. Leslie makes his first free throw.

7:53 Kentucky 56, Georgia 58

Gerald Robinson for two. Price called for the foul as Jones scores. Terrence Jones makes the free throw. Price called for another foul. Lamb misses the open three. Lamb misses the layup. Terrence Jones is called for a foul. Timeout. Dustin Ware for three. Price with the rebound.

10:33 Kentucky 53, Georgia 53

Lamb called for a foul. Gerald Robinson called for a foul. John Harrellson called for the foul. Chris Barnes makes both shots. Brandon Knight with the layup. Travis Leslie scores to tie it up. Harrelson scores of his own offensive rebound. Thompkins with the dunk.  Doron Lamb with the layup. He know has 17 points today. Darius Miller tips the ball out of bounds. Official timeout.

13:21 Kentucky 45, Georgia 47

Doron Lamb misses the three. Out of bounds Kentucky. Brandon Knight scores. Kentucky is within seven points now. Jones misses the baseline shot and is called for his third foul. Georgia misses another scoring chance. Doron Lamb for three. Kentucky within in four. Doron Lamb scores again. Lamb has five points on back to back shots. Timeout called by Georgia.

15:30 Kentucky 38, Georgia 47

Thompkins called for the foul. Terrene Jones makes both foul shots. Robinson misses the outside jumper. Lamb misses the two pointer. Travis Leslie with the monster jam the Bulldog fans have been waiting for. Terrence Jones for two. Jeremy Price with his first basket of the night. Knight misses the three. DeAndre Liggins with the layup. Terrence Jones scores again. He’s heating up right now. Jones with the rebound. Jeremy Price with the rejection.

(more…)

Georgia pulled off a 64-57 victory over Eastern Kentucky in a game Coach Fox said his team was “lucky to get a win.” While Georgia came into this game on a seven-game win streak, EKU had lost their last three, averaging just 52 points during the stretch. What was perhaps seen as a final tuneup game before SEC play begins on January 8th, turned into a back-and-forth struggle to the end.

Georgia opened the game well, scoring six unanswered points in the paint. Their first 14 points continued in that fashion and it seemed Georgia would be well on their way to another victory. But as any observer would have noticed this season, Georgia hasn’t shown it can consistently kill off weaker competition.

EKU managed to turn the game into a jump-shooting contest and Georgia were more than happy to oblige despite their obvious size advantage. The game began slipping away from Georgia, as sloppy turnovers and poor shooting allowed EKU to grow in confidence and get back into the game. Georgia led by just one at halftime, 34-33.

The start of the second half didn’t yield much better results from Georgia. EKU stormed out to a 6-2 run thanks to two Georgia turnovers. EKU held the lead until the 11:46 mark in the second half and tied the game again with just 7:17 remaining. It was only then that Georgia finally returned to what got them the early lead: easy points in the paint. Trey Thompkins took over the late stages of the game shooting 4/5 from the field and hitting two free throws. Combined with some wizardry from Gerald Robinson, a monster Travis-Leslieesque alley-oop followed by a behind-the-back assist, and Georgia was able put the game out of reach.

Coach Fox was “not pleased at all” with his team. “If I don’t start coaching better and we don’t start playing better, we’re going to be in for a long 2011.” Frustrated with the team’s routine of letting teams hang around, Fox said “We can’t wait until six minutes left to start playing like we’re capable.” Though none of the players were happy with the overall performance, Thompkins did add that during the final stretch he started to feel like he was getting his rhythm back. EKU Coach Jeff Neubauer was complimentary of Thompkins, stating, “He’s a special player…we tried to keep the ball away from him.”

Luckily for Georgia, they weren’t able to.

Notes: Coach Fox wouldn’t say much about the team’s upcoming game next week against Kentucky as he hadn’t studied them yet, but did add “We’re playing in the SEC East, so we have a lot of wars ahead of us.”

I talked to Gerald Robinson about his monster jam in the second half. When I told him I didn’t know he could jump like that he replied, “Come on man I can jump. Just wait, I’ll show you some more stuff. I got some more tricks up my sleeve.” Anyone care to see a dunk contest between he and Leslie?

Connor Nolte sprained his ankle during his 1 minute today. He was walking around and will be ready to go against Kentucky. Nolte was happy to say he played his last game with the mask today.

(more…)

Georgia faced Arkansas State after an 11-day layoff in Stegeman Coliseum, pulling out the win 68-59. Coach Mark Fox was proud of his team for getting the win, particularly Chris Barnes, who Fox called “terrific”,  going 5-6 from the field and finishing with 12 points and three rebounds. Trey Thompkins led all scorers with 15 points.

Despite earning a 20-point lead deep into the second half, the game was not without some drama. Arkansas State battled back and was within two possessions of tying the game, but a steal from Jeremy Price and two free throws from Dustin Ware ensured Georgia another home victory.

Fox credited Arkansas State for battling throughout the game but was disappointed with his team for a lack of concentration with the lead. “We haven’t established the ability to play well with the lead,” Fox stated, adding, “As we get ahead, we lose attention to detail.” Barnes said the team needs to learn how to finish teams off and Gerald Robinson didn’t think his team was playing hard enough. The phrase “step on their throats” was used multiple times by both players, perhaps echoing a theme from the lengthy post-game speech.

It’s possible the 11-day layoff between games also played a role in the late comeback for Arkansas State. Fox dismissed the idea but Barnes said it did play a factor.

Fox was hopeful that experience in these situations will improve the team’s ability to finish games off. “It’s an area we haven’t matured in but that comes with experience” Fox noted. Robinson said it was something they will continue to work on in the next few games before SEC play kicks on January 8th when Kentucky comes to town.

Of course, it’s somewhat of a good problem to have. As Fox pointed out, it’s better than the opposite — playing poorly when you have a deficit.

In a lighter note, Coach Fox and Chris Barnes have a standing bet that Fox has to run the Sanford Stadium steps anytime Barnes hits two free throws in a row, a feat Barnes accomplished in the second half. Fox hoped Barnes wouldn’t remember, but the big man smiled and said, “I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be out there to watch him.” (more…)

Welcome to Stegeman Coliseum as the Dawgs take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Georgia’s coming off an eyebrow-raising 2-point win vs. Mississippi Valley State in which a Jeremy Price explosion in the final few minutes saved Georgia a loss that would have been like losing to Kennesaw State. Colorado comes in a much better opponent than MSV with one of the best guard tandems in the country starring senior Corey Higgins and sophomore Alec Burks. The two combined to average 36 points per game, good for the third-best duo in the NCAA. Higgins was also named to the All Big-12 preseason team. Georgia will again be without Trey Thompkins who return date is still uncertain but Coach Fox hoped he may return for the Old Spice Classic during Thanksgiving break.

We’ve got a 7pm tip here in Athens and I’ll be keeping you posted on the action.

Here are tonight’s starters:

Dawgs
Dustin Ware
Gerald Robinson Jr
Travis Leslie
Connor Nolte
Jeremy Price

Colorado
Austin Dufault
Nate Tomlinson
Marcus Relphorde
Alec Burks
Cory Higgins

The Dawgs win the tip and we’re off in Athens. The crowd’s a lot louder than this time a year ago. Price with the 3-point play. Boomtown.

Great sequence from Georgia after giving up a couple of easy baskets. Leslie with a three, Nolte with a three and Price with the Powerslam in the paint from a perfect alley-oop pass from Gerald Robinson. Dawgs up 11-4.

Off the timeout, Robinson grabs a rebound and hits Colorado with a little sauce takin’ it straight to the rim freezing a couple of defenders on his way. He follows that up with a 3 giving the Dawgs a 16-4 lead. He did, however, pick up his second foul. Sharrard Brantely enters.

Coach Fox emphasized that he wanted an improvement on the defensive side of the ball this year. The Dawgs are certainly accomplishing that thus far, leading 22-8 and grabbing 8 boards.

You know the drill, Price gets open down low and goes with the Powerslam in the paint. When he plays within himself and does what he does best, as opposed to trying to be a shooter, he can be one of the most effective players on the team.

Everything just looks faster for Georgia. Passing, moving on defense. And this is all being done with out Trey (obviously) and Gerald Robinson, who has sat for the last 10 minutes with foul trouble. Georgia is now up 31-16 limiting Colorado to 5-18 shooting with 6 minutes left in the first half. The Dawgs also have 15 boards, 8 assists and just 5 turnovers. The lone negative is the fouls, as Georgia already has 10 now with 5 minutes left in the first.

Jeremy Price picks up an offensive foul giving 3/5 starters 2 fouls along with Donte Williams. Nolte and Leslie are the only starters safe from the bench and Colorado has slowly but surely chipped away at the lead by knocking down foul shots. The slow pace of the game does not suit the Dawgs.

Barnes picks up his second but Fox is forced to leave him in the game with 4 minutes left because everyone else also has 2 fouls.

Travis Leslie was close to giving us our first Thunderdunk of the season on a breakaway. Everything went as planned, he rose, he flew, he went to throw down…and destroyed the back of the rim sending the ball way back over halfcourt. Really, that perfectly describes the tale of this Georgia first half. It started off so well and now they’ve blown a 20 point lead as Colorado pick up two quick baskets and have narrowed the lead to just 2.

Georgia hit a free throw but Colorado answer with a 3 to tie the game at half. Georgia crowd sits down a bit stunned. But the second half does mean that those in foul trouble are no longer in foul trouble. Yet.

Jeremy Price is back to doing Big Dawg things. He’s been a menace in the paint, moving well, getting open on transition. Unfortunately, you know the bad news that has come along with any positive play so far: he picks up his third foul. Georgia’s up 45-42 and looking much better than the end of the first half but a rejuvenated Colorado is now playing with much more confidence.

Though Georgia has picked up a lot of fouls, the refs have been calling some very ticky-tacky fouls. There hasn’t been a whole lot else to report unfortunately. The fouls have continued to be a part of the game which has sucked the life out of the game and the crowd. It’s 48-45 Georgia with 13 left.

Leslie finally gets the breakaway Thunderdunk we’ve been waiting for. Leslie opts for two hands this time and throws it down. Poor rim. 52-46 Dawgs.

Play starting to pick back up again as the fouls have dissipated a bit. A great look from Nolte finds Leslie open under the basket (last time that may happen all season) but Colorado answer with a full court pass for an easy two. It’s 59-57 Georgia with 8 left.

Chris Barnes isn’t having his best night. Offensively, he’s turned into a stiffer Albert Jackson. Still grabbing boards, but a liability offensively at this point.

After surrendering the lead with some very sloppy defense, Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware fire down a couple of threes to reignite the crowd and go up by 3. Nolte takes a charge and Stegeman finally has their energy back. Colorado halt the momentum by fouling Chris Barnes down low. Brilliant strategy.

The rampant fouls continue as Leslie fouls out on an over-the-back call. One of the worst foul calls I’ve ever seen made much worse by removing Georgia’s top scorer. Crowd rightfully lets the ref know  how they feel about it. Luckily, Price is back in for Barnes and hits another layup. The Big Dawg has been a beast these past two games. Imagine the looks he’ll get when teams have to worry about the preseason SEC POY. Dawgs up 71-65

Georgia can ice this game by hitting free throws. Gerald hits one with 40 seconds left giving Georgia a 77-72 lead. Colorado miss and Marcus Thornton gets the rebound with 30 seconds left. He hits one as the Georgia crowd heads for the exits. Robinson gets a steal, makes a layup and with 10 seconds left, Georgia leads 80-74.

After Colorado coach Tad Boyle picks up a T for complaining about the calls, Ware hit’s his free throws and Gerald tacks on one more. Dawgs win 83-74