Georgia Bulldogs Basketball

It was all over.

Fans were barking, players were pumping fists and commentators were discussing whether Georgia would have the legs to play four games in four days to win the SEC tournament.

Hell, even Travis Leslie had seemingly put a stamp on Georgia’s inevitable victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday with a signature dunk on an alley-oop pass from Gerald Robinson.

And then—roll Tide.

It was a long con, and we were just gullible enough to avoid recognizing the one simple fact about this Georgia basketball team.

It just wasn’t good enough.

Georgia’s 14-point lead withered to a tie and a last-ditch heave from Dustin Ware was called off when head coach Mark Fox inexplicably called a timeout. With that lead, any certainty of an NCAA tournament birth and the hopes of the Bulldog Nation were eliminated.

Such has been this season of what-ifs for Georgia basketball.

What we thought we’d see this year was an experienced team taking the next step in its transition from SEC court jester to perennial contender. Instead, we got a team unsure of its identity, struggling with the pressures of being a tournament contender.

We have watched all season as this team has taken sizable first-half leads over top-tier opponents like potential No. 1 seed Notre Dame and regular season SEC champion Florida.

But with each lead came a second-half meltdown full of costly turnovers, forced shots and missed free throws. Even pre-season SEC player of the year, Georgia standout Trey Thompkins, has seemed unable to handle the pressures of protecting a lead.

He turned the ball over four times against the Crimson Tide, the majority of which occurred in crucial moments down the stretch.

Let me be clear: this is a team with top-20 potential. We have seen it throughout the season.

But potential and the ability to string 20 minutes of solid basketball together do not make a team successful.

All that means is that the team is immature, inconsistent and, ultimately, incapable of succeeding at a high level.

Now the team, as well as its fans, must sit and anxiously await the announcement on Sunday of teams selected to play in the tournament.

With a win, it would have been a done deal.

Not so anymore.

The committee will pore over stats, wins and losses, RPI, and records against top opponents.

That’s fine, and Georgia may still have a chance.

But for my money, nothing beats the eye test.

And from what I’ve seen, these Bulldogs just aren’t good enough.

For news, notes and spirited discussion on anything sports, follow David on Twitter.

For those who craft their opinions of college basketball through end-of-game box scores and numerous ratings systems, the Georgia Bulldogs' current tournament resume may not seem too bad.

But for the Bulldog faithful, who watched Georgia drop another SEC game this afternoon at the hands of Alabama, opinions of Georgia's worthiness of an NCAA tournament appearance might be different.

The Dawgs led the Crimson Tide—the SEC West Champions, who defeated Georgia last Saturday—by 14 points in the second half.

Things looked and seemed great to Georgia fans, mainly because most of them were likely claiming, "There is no way we blow this lead. We've done it too many times before. We can't. This time, things will finally go our way."

That was my optimistic thought, at least, as time starting to tick down in the SEC quarterfinal game. 

But, Georgia would once again prove to us their puzzling level of ineptitude.

Mark Fox's Dawgs blew the lead and lost to Alabama in overtime, 65-59.

As an isolated incident in a SEC tournament game, this may not seem so bad. However, Georgia's blown lead became the 10th double-digit lead erased by a Georgia opponent this season alone.

Also, Georgia has now failed to defeat any of the quality opponents on their SEC schedule, except for a seven-point home win against the youngest SEC team in Kentucky and a road victory at Tennessee, who boasts a pretty mediocre record for a "tournamnet" team.

Georgia lost both games to Florida, blowing leads in each. They lost both to Vanderbilt, with a double-digit lead blown in Stegeman Coliseum.

They blew leads against out of conference opponents, Notre Dame and Xavier.

And they nearly surrendered double-digit leads to Arkansas, Auburn and South Carolina. 

I haven't even mentioned the fact that Georgia had six non-conference games against weak opponents that were only won by one basket.

Despite a 21-11 record and a 10-8 conference mark in one of the toughest divisions in the nation, Georgia lacks what is, without a doubt, the most essential aspect of a team, come tournament time.

That aspect being: Can they win games?

Against bottom-tier opponents, Georgia did just that. But none of the teams Georgia defeated in conference play (again, minus Kentucky and Tennessee) will be dancing later this month.

All of the SEC teams who are currently considered tournament locks—Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama—have proved their worth by beating one another.

Georgia, who undoubtedly will be sitting on the bubble this weekend, can't make that same claim.

The Dawgs may have competed mightily throughout a complicated trek of games, but they never once proved they could put away a game.

While other teams have flexed their muscles at least once during conference play, Georgia spent the entire conference schedule watching, as the opposing benches jumped around, high-fived and even laughed as they stomped out significant leads against one of the most talented teams in the conference.

For the most part, Georgia spent the final seconds of games waving their arms at refs and pointing fingers—including coach Mark Fox.

The irony here, is that this unbearable array of events, which has been torture to the Georgia fans, may fly over the heads of the selection committee on Sunday.

What the selection committee will focus on, is Georgia's RPI, strength of schedule, and overall record, which are good enough to put them in the field of 68 teams.

With hundreds of college basketball teams all fighting for one position, it's nearly impossible for even the likes of ESPN to see all of the details.

As a football school that's overshadowed—win or lose—by the Big East and even other SEC East teams, Georgia hasn't made a splash in the media all year; one would think with a 21-11 record that they would have, considering how down the program was a few years ago.

Ironically, however, publicity could have been the killer for Georgia.

If this team was UNC, Duke, UConn or Notre Dame, their consistent inability to put away teams and keep double-digit leads would no doubt be headline news week in and week out.

They would be the laughing stock of major college sports, and many would put aside their good record and notice just how incapable this team is.

But luckily for Georgia, the curtain that hangs between the media and SEC basketball might just save them.

It's been puzzling to see just how little broadcasters covering Georgia basketball games, have failed to mention the collapses Georgia has been a part of in the past two seasons.

As a matter of fact, they're rarely mentioned.

Today, as Alabama stormed back with an incredible late run, neither of the SEC Network commentators said a word about Georgia's past with blowing double-digit leads.

Brad Nessler was certain both teams had made a case for the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia fans may not feel the same way. Now that Georgia sits as the sixth prospective tournament seed from the conference, they may very well miss out on the big dance.

As tomorrow rolls around, most will likely still claim that Georgia's "specs" are too high-quality to keep them out of the tournament.

But, the NCAA tournament isn't about competing, hanging around and playing quality opponents.

The NCAA tournament is simply about winning and putting away a team as good as or better than you.

If that was the main gauge the selection committee used, Georgia would have been kicked out of the conversation days ago.

And they definitely would have been kicked out following today's loss.

If the Dawgs squeeze into the tournament, a lot of bad moods will be lifted. But until then, all Georgia fans can do is shake their heads at the pure incompetence this team has displayed when it comes to putting away games.

This article compares two teams currently on the NCAA tournament bubble with comparable RPI and overall credentials.  Think of it as a virtual play-in game; two teams who could potentially meet in a First Four matchup. 

Michigan (17-12, 8-9 Big Ten); RPI: 59, SOS: 21

Georgia (19-9, 8-6 SEC); RPI: 36, SOS: 30

Common Opponents: None

Why Michigan Gets In

Michigan has quietly won seven of their past ten games in the Big Ten and is a win away from closing the regular season at 9-9 in the Big Ten.  They are just a half game back of Illinois and Michigan State, two teams who seem to have a better than not chance of making the NCAA tournament.

With a win at Minnesota this weekend, half of Michigan’s eight conference wins have now come on the road.  That’s more than Illinois, Michigan State and even Wisconsin. They also won at Clemson—another bubble team—earlier this year in the ACC-Big Ten challenge

With a win over Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan has proven they can win in the toughest of environments.  Combined with a win at Penn State—where Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin have all lost this year—Michigan should be considered at least on the same level as both Illinois and Michigan State in the tournament discussion.

Michigan has eight wins against teams in the RPI top 100, including two against teams in the Top 50—Michigan State and Harvard.  The Wolverines have played ten teams in the top 50 of the RPI, and seven in the top 20.  Five of those seven games were decided by nine points or less. 

Included among Michigan’s close losses is an overtime loss to Kansas, a four point loss to Ohio State, a one-point loss on a buzzer-beating three to Wisconsin and a three point loss to Syracuse in Atlantic City.  All four of those teams could be seeded third or higher when brackets are announced in twelve days.

Why Michigan is Left Out

The previously mentioned win at Michigan State—with an RPI of 42—is currently the best win Michigan has, in terms of RPI.  When you consider that the Spartans are a bubble team themselves, the Wolverines have yet to score a win against a true NCAA tournament team.    

In terms of non-conference wins, there isn’t a whole lot Michigan can really take to the bank either.  While Harvard is a top 50 win, it’s not particularly appealing to have that as your best win outside of the Big Ten. That may hurt Michigan when compared to a team like Illinois, who beat North Carolina earlier this year. 

Despite the close losses to top 20 teams, Michigan also has a couple unimpressive losses to bottom-tier Big Ten teams.  The Wolverines lost by 14 at Northwestern, and by 19 at Indiana.  Without any big wins to erase the presence of those losses, Michigan may find themselves coming up a bit short in their hopes for the Big Ten’s fifth or sixth bid.

 

Why Georgia Gets In

Georgia has made it through the battlefield that is the SEC East division with an above .500 conference record.  They are currently in third place in the East, tied with Kentucky and ahead of Tennessee. Each of those teams has already done plenty enough work to ensure an NCAA tournament berth. 

With two games remaining against SEC West teams—LSU at home and Alabama in Tuscaloosa—a 10-6 record and possible second place finish in the East are not entirely out of the question.

Georgia has certainly held their own against their division rivals.  The Bulldogs beat Kentucky in their first SEC game of the season.  After an overtime loss to Florida, and a buzzer-beating loss to Tennessee—both in Athens—Georgia came back and picked up a key win in Knoxville just nine days ago. 

The wins over Kentucky and Tennessee are two of Georgia’s three wins vs. the RPI top 50.  The other is a win over UAB in December.  The Bulldogs also have a win over Colorado—a team fighting along with Georgia and UAB to secure a tourney bid.

While losses are losses, Georgia does not have a single one to a team outside the top 50.  Seven of their nine losses are to teams in the top 25. In a year where most bubble teams have some bad losses going against them, Georgia has not lost to a single team who will not be in the NCAA tournament later this month.

Why Georgia is Left Out

Even in a league with such a large gap between the East and West, can the SEC really send five teams to the tournament from the same division?  That’s what Georgia has to hope for on Selection Sunday.

Given that Florida, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee have already claimed their spots, Georgia would be the fifth team from the East in the tournament.  The West division, conversely, figures to get just one—if that—in Alabama. 

The committee states that conferences are never allotted a set number of teams.  However, Georgia could wind up being the odd team out due to their 2-6 record against the other four East teams mentioned.

While wins over UAB and Colorado are respectable, there are no truly impressive non-conference wins on Georgia’s resume.  Like Michigan, the Bulldogs came up short in their toughest non-conference games—against Notre Dame, Temple and Xavier. 

Also like Michigan, Georgia does not have a particularly good winning percentage against the RPI top 50 (3-9, .250).  While that may not prove to be too destructive to their at-large chances, it does show that Georgia has missed out on some opportunities for big wins that could have booked their NCAA dance ticket already.

Who Gets In?

These two teams are a lot closer than their records and RPI might indicate.  Each has given the impression of being a solid tournament team—playing very competitive against top teams, but without a whole lot of wins to show for it.    

Michigan has a few nice road wins at its disposal, which could help them prevail against some of their bubble peers.  However, Georgia also has a strong record away from home (8-5), including a 4-3 mark in the SEC. 

When combined with their pair of wins over definite NCAA tournament-bound teams—Kentucky and Tennessee—Georgia should get in the field of 68 just over Michigan, who has no such wins.

 

Georgia:  IN

Michigan:  OUT

Other matchups to consider:

UAB-Missouri State:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/629233-uab-vs-missouri-state-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

Boston College-Colorado State:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/626211-boston-college-vs-colorado-state-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

Baylor-USC:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/621826-baylor-vs-usc-which-team-makes-the-ncaa-tournament

The Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team finally found their winning stride Saturday afternoon, defeating Bruce Pearl's Tennessee Volunteers 69-63 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

Yesterday's road win was a much-needed remedy for a Georgia team that has suffered a handful of heartbreaking home losses this season.

More importantly, it put Georgia in a favorable position in the SEC East standings, with four conference games remaining.

The Dawgs currently sit in fourth place in their jam-packed division. While that might sound like a seat for a mediocre member, the eastern half of the SEC is where nearly all of the tournament-worthy teams reside.

As of now, the top of the SEC standings look like this:

Alabama, 18-8 (10-2)

Florida, 20-5 (9-2)

Vanderbilt, 20-6 (8-4)

Kentucky, 19-7 (7-5)

Georgia, 18-8 (7-5)

All other teams are pretty much out as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have no doubt benefited from playing the SEC West field, while the eastern teams have spent the majority of their conference schedule beating up on each other.

Even with Georgia sitting at the bottom of the five-team list, it's likely they would get the benefit of the doubt in the selection process based on the toughness of their schedule.

All three home contests Georgia played versus Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee were dropped in heartbreaking fashion. Florida needed a miracle shot from Erving Walker. Tennessee got away with a questionable buzzer beater and Vanderbilt went on a freakish shooting streak to erase a 13-point Georgia lead and eventually won.

The fact here is that Georgia has been mightily competitive against the toughest competition. They have a win versus Kentucky as well, and the victory against Tennessee on the road will definitely stand out on the Dawgs' tournament resume.

Georgia's win against the Volunteers gives them a 7-2 road record, with their only losses being at Kentucky and Vanderbilt; that fact will stand out in March.

The truth is, while Georgia has been inconsistent and has failed to capitalize on their sellout home crowds, they still might have the "safest" looking tournament resume in the SEC.

This is mainly because, even with eight losses, Georgia has not suffered any bad losses.

Their current losses are to Notre Dame, Temple, Xavier, two to Vanderbilt, one to Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida.

Outside of the Big East, the SEC East may be the worst place to be when you have a non-conference schedule that plays the Fighting Irish and two quality teams from the always underrated Atlantic-10 conference.

Georgia is safe—right now—with these results, because of the facts stated above.

However, it is critical that they finish at least 3-1 in the final four games.

The final four include two home games versus Louisiana State and South Carolina.

A letdown in either of those games puts Georgia in a tough, tough position.

The two road games left for the Dawgs are, unfortunately, against the top teams from the respective SEC divisions.

Georgia will play at Florida on Thursday and will finish their conference schedule with a road game at Alabama.

Another big road win for Georgia, and they are shoo-ins for the field of 68.

A strong showing in the SEC Tournament will also be vital to Georgia's championship chances.

But, if you really think about it, considering where Georgia stands right now, it is pretty evident that the tournament essentially starts in five days.

Georgia is making a run for postseason basketball for the first time in decades.

That means Thursday's game against the rival Gators, who are ranked No. 15 in the country, might be one of the biggest games in Georgia basketball's 21st century history.

One of the joys of being a sports fan in a city like Atlanta is that within a two-hour driving radius of the city limits, you have access to four professional sports teams and four colleges/universities that compete at the Div. I level in major sports.

Today I decided to take advantage of my surroundings and make the hour and change trek north to Athens to see the Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in a good old-fashioned SEC showdown.

This trip was significant on many levels. I've made several trips to Athens for football games, but never for a basketball game; however, the basketball Dawgs have peaked my interest since their hiring of head coach, Mark Fox from the University of Nevada-Reno.

It was also the first time in a year that my girlfriend and I have attended a sporting event together. We had some communication issues last year while in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV and agreed it was probably best that we not attend sporting events together.

That was football, though, and this is basketball—college basketball, where we can both afford to be nonjudgmental.

It's a simple enough sport, and the rules are pretty basic: five guys on each side, one ball and two opposing baskets. No hanky tossing, players shuffling on and off the field and rules that need to be explained. Basically, everything you need for a harmonious game-day experience between a man who just wants to enjoy the game and a woman who want to know about everything that's going on on the field or court.

Getting tickets to the game wasn't a problem. As is the case with most programs trying to generate fan interest and fill seats for a nationally televised game, the UGA Athletic Department was running a promotion on tickets for $8 apiece; granted, they weren't courtside seats, but they were sufficient.

Athens itself is an easy sell for any sports fan. It's just over an hour outside Atlanta with easy access via the world's busiest airport (ATL) and the usual smattering of college town fare—coffee shops, bars and restaurants with budget-conscious student menu items.

I had some work to do when I got into town, so I grabbed a seat at Walker's Coffee & Pub on College Avenue and tapped into their free wireless network. After several hours of caffeine-fueled work by me and the obligatory shopping lap(s) by my girlfriend that, as expected, led to a purchase, it was time to grab some dinner at Eat Hibachi and head to Stegeman Coliseum for the game.

The game itself got off to a slow start partly because I was suffering from a starch and protein-induced coma following my meal of surf and turf hibachi grill. Georgia led by six points at the half after stifling the Vanderbilt offense with its man-to-man defense.

After both teams opened up the second half with a barrage of three-point shots, it was the Commodores' game to be had. Georgia's shooters went cold, and Vandy's ace, John Jenkins, torched them for 21 points in the last 14 minutes. Vanderbilt would go on to outscore Georgia 43-29 in the second half on its way to an SEC road win and overall 19-6, 7-4 SEC record.

The game got a little testy in the final seconds with Georgia head coach Mark Fox engaging in a heated exchange with one of the referees. He was assessed a technical for his outburst, and a few fans started throwing items on the court. The game was over shortly afterwards, and the referees were quickly ushered off the floor by several police officers.

It was the latest example of Georgia blowing a big lead, missing its last 11 shots after giving up the lead at the 9:47 mark.

Stadium/Arena Grade: B+

Like most things UGA Athletics related, Stegeman Coliseum is an excellent venue that will only get better with regards to the atmosphere as the on-court product improves. Fans are seated right on top of the action, and the architecture does a great job reverberating the crowd noise.

If you'd like a lesson in the history of UGA athletics, take a walk around the concourse and check out the display of UGA all-time greats.

Follow me on Twitter: @SportsFanaddict.

Tonight Georgia dropped another heart breaker at home, continuing what has been one of the strangest and hardest-to-swallow sporting seasons in recent memory for the basketball program.

It's been a season filled with irony, confusion and questioning.

The main question is this: Why?

This time, Georgia fell victim to the Vanderbilt Commodores. We saw a back and forth shooting stretch in the second half that went like this:

Georgia drains three. Vanderbilt drains three.

Georgia makes field goal. Vanderbilt makes field goal.

Georgia drains three. Vanderbilt drains three.

Georgia drains three. Vanderbilt drains three.

As much as Georgia tried to pull away from their SEC East rival, they couldn't. After Vanderbilt followed a Georgia three in the second half at the end of that strange shooting stretch to make the score 50-40, I knew Georgia would let another lead get away.

They have for the past two seasons. Last year it was almost excusable. This season it has been a nagging and draining parasite for a program that had seemed to be on the rise.

Or possibly, heading towards an NCAA tournament. After tonight, Georgia's chances of making the NCAA tournament look slim. They have failed, over and over again, to produce a quality win when on national television.

They have lost countless heart breakers where they have simply been the stepping stone for the victorious to shine on.

Heading into the season there was an alien sense of excitement surrounding Georgia basketball. Many claimed this was going to be the year for them, mainly because of their star-studded lineup featuring All-SEC players like Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.

Georgia started the season with an 11-2 nonconference record, which was great, but unimpressive because of multiple single-digit wins over second-tier opponents. They also had a 6-4 SEC record heading into tonight's contest, as well as an 8-2 road record—something unprecedented for UGA hoops.

But, even in one of the brightest seasons for Georgia basketball in nearly two decades, they've found a way to make it a forgettable one.

At least to this point. 

Earlier this season, Georgia blew a double-digit lead to Notre Dame, only to lose in double overtime. At this point, fans were already saying, "Here we go again," referring to the multiple blown leads from the 2009-2010 season.

Then came the home game versus Tennessee, where Georgia lost on a freak play in the final seconds. Volunteers center Brian Williams grabbed a rebound over the back of Georgia forward Chris Barnes and threw up a wild shot that dropped at the buzzer.

No foul was called, culminating a poorly officiated basketball game, according to both fanbases' respective chatter.

After that game, Georgia fans were already complaining the team had zero luck.

Surely, in the Florida game, with just six seconds to go and Georgia up three, they had finally caught a break. 

Roughly five seconds later, Gators point guard Erving Walker dribbled to around 28 feet from the basket and drained a wild prayer shot.

Florida won that game in double overtime.

In the next home game, against Auburn, the Dawgs blew a late lead and needed overtime to beat arguably the worst team in the SEC.

Xavier would make Georgia victim next with an eight point win over the Dawgs at Stegeman coliseum.

Even Georgia's four-point win over South Carolina on Saturday, felt like a loss. They were winning 28-6 at halftime. They allowed 50 second-half points to allow South Carolina back in the game.

Georgia had become experts at blowing leads, and everyone felt it against Vanderbilt tonight when Georgia led by 13 in the second half.

No matter what Georgia has done, they simply have not shown the ability to finish games.

Everything that can go wrong has proven to go wrong.

Tonight Vanderbilt found it's way back into the game thanks to some of the wildest and favorable bounces. What show up on the stat sheets as offensive rebounds and possessions doesn't accurately describe just how lucky Vanderbilt was to even touch the ball as much as they did.

Georgia has continued to get their fair share of extremely questionable calls. 

It has happened every game. Georgia can't get foul calls. The opponent gets lucky.

But, now, Georgia seems so frustrated with this apparent curse that they can't focus.

It's even showing with Mark Fox. The likable coach has spent most of his time with under three minutes to play screaming at referees, making a scene to coincide with the barrage of boos coming from the crowd.

The players have seemed to fade out, late, just as much. Is there a problem with Mark Fox? Does he need to keep more composure?

Or, is Georgia simply in one of the strangest and unthinkable slumps of bad luck in history?

It's strange to claim that in a year where there has not been more excitement around Georgia basketball—with home game after home game selling out—that we all are logging onto blogs and message boards each night with terrible tastes in our mouths.

It's almost been as frustrating as watching the Georgia football team.

Nay. It might be even worse. 

The basketball team has fought to the end in every game, and have come up short every time. 

They have shown zero ability to put away a game, no matter how hard they try, and no matter how crowd pleasing and electric the first 35 minutes of the game are.

And after every single loss the fans have gone home saying the ball would finally bounce UGA's way, and the Dawgs will win a few.

Right now they are 17-8, and need to stay around 10 losses or less to keep their NCAA tournament bubble from popping.

That doesn't bode well for Mark Fox's crew considering their final games include road tests at Tennessee, Florida and Alabama (the SEC West leader).

Fans knew this team would drop some road games in 2010, but they were also confident everything would go right at home.

Not only has everything gone wrong at home, but it's happened in an emotionally draining way—for the fans, coaches and undoubtedly the players.

Georgia must finish the regular season with just one more conference loss, or plan on making a nice SEC tournament run, or they can kiss their NCAA Tournament hopes goodbye.

Is it so strange that as Georgia basketball has improved in the win column, they've become more unbearable to watch?

And with the threat of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie leaving at the end of the year, could it get better?

This strange stretch of blown leads might hurt the program more than people think. 

It's only a matter of time before people lose faith in what seemingly was a flowering program, and Mark Fox goes from the "savior" to "the guy who can't coach a team to finish a game."

I don't want that, nor do the other fans.

But, that theme will become more inevitable if Georgia can't get some serious luck on their side, starting this weekend in Knoxville.

With a little less than a month left in the NCAA basketball regular season, teams across the country are building their tournament resumes.

Every team will push to make that signature move that will stand out to the selection committee come March.

While most tournament caliber teams are pretty clear cut, there may not be a more puzzling prospective field member than the Georgia Bulldogs.

In Mark Fox's second season in Athens, the Bulldogs have a rare and respectable 16-7 record with seven Southeastern Conference games left to play.

Arguably, Georgia's performance to this point is blemish free. However, at the same time, UGA's resume is one of the least eye-opening of any teams bidding for a dance.

Georgia only has one win over a ranked opponent, or top opponent if you will, in a 77-70 home victory over Kentucky.

The Bulldogs lost absolutely heartbreaking matchups to Tennessee and Florida on a questionable buzzer-beater and a miracle shot, respectively.

Had Tennessee's Brian Williams shot not dropped, as well as Erving Walker's, Georgia would presumably be a top 25 team right now, a tournament shoo-in.

Its SEC record would currently be 7-2, instead of 5-4, putting them on top of the SEC East—one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division in college hoops.

Georgia's other conference losses came on the road to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and both had outright results (though Georgia didn't get blown out in either contest).

It's fair to say losing by single digits at Memorial Coliseum and Rupp Arena is respectable more than anything else, but Georgia has only made headlines for its gut-wrenching home losses.

What might deter the selection committee even more is that Georgia struggled mightily to win its early non conference games against second-tier schools, albeit it was without Trey Thompkins at forward.

Georgia's close wins in non-conference included:

72-70 over Mississippi Valley State (currently 9-15, SWAC)

61-59 over St. Louis (currently 8-15, Atlantic 10)

61-58 over Manhattan (currently 4-20, MAAC)

73-72 over Georgia Tech (currently 10-13, ACC)

56-53 over Mercer (currently 10-15, Atlantic Sun)

Seeing a stretch of one-possession games against these caliber schools, from a "tournament" team, is pretty rare. As a matter of fact, seeing a 16-7 basketball team go through that stretch of close games, against any caliber opponent, is remarkable.

Georgia's non-conference schedule will be one of the toughest to analyze specs in the entire prospective tournament field.

And, Georgia also performed rather well against its bigger non-conference opponents.

Georgia lost in double overtime to Notre Dame, who is currently a top-10 team.

The Bulldogs also have seven- and eight-point losses to A-10 members Temple and Xavier, respectively.

Georgia was not able to beat any of its prime non-conference opponents, but it was not blown out either.

The Bulldogs struggled to finish games in the SEC, scraping by Arkansas by a point and surrendering a late lead against Auburn (though they beat the Tigers in overtime).

However, the Dawgs also had impressive blowout victories over Ole Miss and Mississippi State, 98-76 and 88-64, where they looked like a top-seed tournament team.

Can anyone make sense of all of this?

The Bulldogs have not suffered a regulation loss of more than eight points. They have two double-overtime losses to top-25 teams. They struggled to beat second-tier schools early in the year, and they don't have any eye-opening victories.

But Georgia currently stands at 16-7. I claimed in this year's preview article that nine regular season losses or less would mean a trip to the big dance for Georgia.

Their remaining games are:

Feb 12 @ South Carolina (13-9, 4-5)

Feb 16 vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-4)

Feb 19 @ Tennessee (15-9, 5-4)

Feb 24 @ No. 19 Florida (19-5, 8-2)

Feb 26 vs. South Carolina (13-9, 4-5)

Mar 2 vs. LSU (10-14, 2-7)

Mar 5 @ Alabama (15-8, 7-2)

That's a tough stretch for Georgia. Not only do the Bulldogs have Vanderbilt and a road game at Florida, but they also have to play in Knoxville and in Tuscaloosa against the only formidable opponent in the SEC West.

If Georgia can drop only three games in this stretch, then its total record of 21-9 would definitely look good enough for an NCAA tournament bid. If Georgia drops more than three, it might appear like more of a bubble team. If the Bulldogs drop five, they are pretty much done.

A strong showing in the SEC tournament, win or lose, will also be key for Georgia. Laying an egg in a tournament game could be a backbreaker for a team who has not proven enough "championship" pedigree.

Right now, the vastly improved Georgia Bulldogs basketball team has a 16-7 record but is just 5-4 during SEC play. 

While the 2010-2011 season is going much more smoothly than the one in 2009-2010, the squad has by no means guaranteed themselves a spot in March Madness.

In fact, Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie and the rest of the team are currently balancing rather precipitously on the bubble, especially after the loss to the Xavier Musketeers. 

If you take a look back at the losses, you'll see that fouls in particular have severely affected Georgia. I mean that in a couple of different ways, as you'll soon see. 

The first three losses for the Bulldogs were games where the team was simply outplayed, first by Notre Dame and then by Temple and Vanderbilt. It's worth noting that none of those are bad losses, especially as they were all played away from the Bulldogs' home at Stegeman Coliseum. 

But then the referees really stole a game away from Georgia. Playing against Tennessee, the Bulldogs were up 54-53 when Josh Bone made a runner in the lane after the shot clock had clearly expired to give the Volunteers a 55-54 advantage. 

Later on, the game was tied at 56 on the final possession. Tobias Harris was forced to take a contested three-pointer from the corner thanks to some brilliant defensive work. After an airball, Brian Williams reached over the back of Chris Barnes and knocked down a buzzer-beater for the win as he was falling backwards. 

It still astounds me that there was no foul called. To be fair, Georgia was on the good end of a bogus technical foul call earlier in the game, but the latter two bad calls by Ted Valentine's crew were just awful. It's worth noting that Valentine has made quite a few controversial calls over the course of his career. 

Fast-forward to overtime of the game against Florida. With just one second left on the clock, Erving Walker drilled a 30-footer to tie up the game and force a second overtime, one where a depleted, disheartened and exhausted Bulldogs squad would fall. 

Rewind roughly five seconds. Walker dribbled the ball all the way up the court without being fouled despite the insistence from head coach Mark Fox that he be stopped with a foul. It boggles my mind to think about why not one player on the Bulldogs team had the presence of mind to foul Walker and send him to the line for two shots. Even if he'd made both of them, the Gators would be one point short of a tie. 

Instead, Walker received the opportunity to shoot a Jimmer Fredette-like three-pointer, an opportunity that he seized without hesitation. Just a little push or hand check and the Bulldogs would have won the game.

That's inexcusable. 

After one more loss, this time to Kentucky, it's time to move on to the most recent game. 

One call that had the Bulldogs faithful particularly irate was a no-call when Gerald Robinson stole the ball and ran into the referee. The referee is considered a part of the court, so the fact that he was hit does not mean the play should have been stopped. Thus, the correct call was made when play was allowed to continue. But it did set an anti-referee tone among the crowd that would come into play later in the game. 

With 2:42 left in the final half, Trey Thompkins was pushed from behind and ended up sprawled out on the court, right in the path of Xavier guard Tu Holloway. Holloway tripped, and the foul was inexplicably called on Thompkins, fouling the Georgia star out of the game while his team trailed by just four points. 

It was just one of many disputed calls throughout the game. In fact, the Georgia crowd was so upset that the security at Stegeman Coliseum had to escort the referees off the court through a different tunnel than the one normally taken right through the heart of the student section. 

I've been to every single one of the home games Georgia has played this season. I'm not usually one to boo the refs, unless the call is particularly bad, in which case I get caught up in the moment. In fact, I've drawn some funny looks from my fellow spectators while calmly explaining that the "bad" call was actually a good one, even if it hurts our team. 

A lot of times, the friends I'm with will look at me to see whether or not I thought the play was worth complaining about before they join in with the rest of the suddenly boisterous crowd. 

Also, I'm one of those people who think that exaggerated heckling of a referee is a bad idea. It's counterproductive. Nothing is going to change. In fact, I challenge anyone to come up with a time when the crowd actually got a call changed.

Moreover, booing the refs may actually make them more likely to call iffy fouls against your team in an effort to pay back the crowd a little bit.

The men and women dressed in black and white stripes are supposed to stay unbiased, but remaining completely oblivious to the situation around you and being completely unaffected by it is a concept that is both idealistic and unrealistic. It's human nature to let the opinions of others influence your decisions, even minimally. 

Finally, I understand the difficulty of an official's job. But at the same time, they're paid to make the right calls and should be occasionally held accountable for making particularly blatant mistakes. 

Hopefully, some of these rather egregious mistakes won't keep the Dawgs out of March Madness when the tournament finally rolls around. 

But the thing is, while it may be true that fouls (whether the ones that the Bulldogs have committed, the calls/no-calls by the referees and the failures to foul when necessary) have significantly hindered Georgia's ability to put together a sparkling win-loss record at this point in the season, that can't be used as too big a crutch. 

Georgia is a good basketball team, albeit one that is not very deep. A team with two potential lottery picks in Thompkins and the high-flying sophomore, Travis Leslie, needs to be playing better. At some point, the team has to play well enough to avoid being in close situations where one call can change the outcome of a game. 

Ideally, these memories become motivation towards better play in the future.

Now that they're not cupped around my mouth helping to amplify the shouts directed at the referees, as they were last night while the Bulldogs played Xavier, my fingers are crossed, hoping that this will be the case. 

It isn’t the end, but it’s damn close.

After its uninspired performance in a 65-57 loss to Xavier on tonight, the Georgia Bulldogs can see the sun setting on what appeared a month ago to be a potentially magical season.

It was a month ago today that the Georgia Bulldogs completed an impressive 77-70 upset over the then-No. 11 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, sending it to its first top-25 ranking in eight years.

Nine games and five losses later, the team is left reeling, struggling to find where it all went wrong.

That’s not a difficult task when it comes to tonight’s performance.

Despite the importance of the game, the Dogs appeared sluggish, often missing easy lay-ins and carelessly turning the ball over.

The team shot just 39 percent from the field—including making just two of 13 from behind the arc.

Most surprisingly, the typically reliable Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie appeared less-than-adequate. Thompkins fouled out and Leslie—aside from a crowd-raising dunk—contributed little on offense.

In a season that is teetering ever-so-precariously on the brink of making it or breaking it, this was a must-have for the Dogs.

And they stepped in it.

Forget that the team has not experienced a bad loss all season. Forget that two of its losses came in double-overtime and one came as a result of an official error.

When it loses every close or important game that it has, it gives the tournament selection committee no reason to award it with a postseason birth.

Coming into tonight’s contest, Georgia was a bubble team, seeded No. 10 in ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi’s projections.

Now, it’s uncertain whether the team will even be in the field of 68.

The question isn’t so much how the Dogs got to this point, it’s how they are going to manage to win a bid to the NCAA Tournament with just a month until Selection Sunday.

From here, the path doesn’t get any easier. Georgia must play on the road against South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama as well as home contests against Vanderbilt and the Gamecocks.

With its loss to Xavier, the pressure is on for the Bulldogs to perform well in these conference matchups.

While there are certainly enough opportunities to make up for past transgressions, there is very little margin for error left.

In the end, it may take a run in the SEC tournament for Georgia to have a chance at seeing its NCAA dreams to fruition.

There is no doubt this is a team capable of making that happen. When performing at its highest level, Georgia’s starting five is as good as any in the conference and better than most in the country.

It has three potential pros in Thompkins, Leslie and point guard Gerald Robinson.

Talent alone isn’t enough to impress the selection committee, nor are close losses.

In the end, the Dogs must prove they are less bark and more bite.

Right now they appear to be nothing more than puppies with tails between their legs.

For news, notes and spirited discussion on anything sports, follow David on Twitter.

OffshoreInsiders.com senior sports handicapper Matt Rivers' free Tuesday college basketball pick is on Georgia (-4.5) to Xavier.

Reasoning: Xavier had been playing some really good ball for a while and the victory on the road at Richmond by a billion was extremely impressive.

They had won seven straight at that point, but the last few games have not been so stellar, and traveling to Athens against a pretty good 16-6 Georgia team is going to be a tough tough task.

The Musketeers lost in surprising fashion to an extremely mediocre Charlotte squad and did not look very good over the weekend at home in the non-cover against St. Louis.

Of course, a game or two isn’t the end all and Jamel McLean and Tu Holloway are high-quality ballplayers, but I’m just not so sure that the X-Men or the Atlantic 10 as a whole are that good this season.

Mark Fox has done an amazing job in a short period of time with this Bulldog program. The crappy days of the Dennis Felton era are now long gone and the corrupt days of Jim Harrick and his nonsense are as well. Fox has brought legitimacy to the program, and it’s not like there aren’t players that call Stegman Coliseum their home.

Trey Thompkins is going to be a first-round draft choice and others like Gerald Robinson, Jeremy Ware and Dustin Price have really played very well and are very good.

The last game left little to be desired, as it took overtime to beat a terrible Auburn squad, but I’m a believer in UGA right now and do believe they are a legitimate Top-25-type team.

Xavier will compete because they pretty much always do, but it’s a weird spot for them to travel to Athens, and in the end, I think it will be an unsuccessful one against the Dawgs.

Top expert pick on this game: Georgia.

For more information: A 300,000* winner from the Association is what’s on the docket and it’s a play that pretty much can’t miss from Hotlanta. The superior Hawks are at home and hosting the surging 76ers. What gives? I know, do you? Tuesday’s card is up