Though Georgia had one of the better classes in the nation and met some very specific needs in their most recent haul, a lot of fans were grumbling on Signing Day because a few big names inside the state went elsewhere. It didn’t matter that one player’s father played for Tennessee or that another thought he was suited to play linebacker at 270 lbs. In the eyes of the people who just see the names and their rankings, Georgia whiffed.

I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of that response with the 2008 class.

With this week’s commitment of Statesboro defensive tackle DeAngelo Tyson, Georgia’s nine commitments to date include three players who might be ranked among the top five at any position in the state of Georgia. They are:

• Tyson, a 6’2", 275 lb. defensive tackle. Projected to be named the top player in the state when the prep rankings come out this summer.
• Richard Samuel, a 6′, 200 lb. running back from Cass who might end up at linebacker on the next level.
• Cornelius Washington, a 6’4", 200 lb. defensive end from Burke County. The top rush end in the state missed most of last year with a broken arm, but there is no questioning his physical gifts and frame.

Those are just the ones who have committed so far, and it’s so early in the process yet. Georgia is in great shape with other top junior prospects like lineman A.J. Harmon and receiver Tavarus King. If they can hold on to the commitments they have and add a few more of the others down the road, fans won’t have anything to gripe about next February.

The SEC Tournament’s first round saved its most interesting game for last. The first three games went as expected and were solid double-digit wins for the favorites. Things get more intense today as the top four seeds join the action. LSU’s upset win over Tennessee ensures that at least one SEC West team will advance to the semifinals, but will there be another?

• Kentucky 79 – Alabama 67. The Cats had a pretty easy time with the Tide, and it didn’t help Alabama that Steele was limited. You just can’t overstate Kentucky’s comfort playing in the SEC Tournament. They’re not the best team here, but they are used to advancing. Their omnipresent fans give them a lift. Even in a down year, why shouldn’t they be expected to reach the semifinals? Alabama, on the other hand, put the finishing touches on a disappointing season. Last year’s NCAA Tournament run notwithstanding, they tend to be one of the league’s biggest paper tigers from year to year.
  
• Arkansas 82 – South Carolina 52. The Hogs have been tough to figure out this year, but they too had few problems in their opener. South Carolina is a much lesser team away from home, and it showed in this game. They didn’t shoot well, got outrebounded, and couldn’t create turnovers. Arkansas hit 12 more shots and dominated the second half. Arkansas seems like a solid NIT team, but it’s looking less likely that the Gamecocks will get an opportunity to become a three-time repeat NIT champion.
  
• Georgia 80 – Auburn 65. The Dawgs grabbed control of this one late in the first half and held the lead in double-digits during the second half. They overmatched Auburn at most every position and were effective inside and outside. Auburn has improved this year much like Georgia, and they had won three of their last four entering the tournament. But Georgia showed again that they have come further and are the better program.
  
• LSU 76 – Tennessee 67 (OT). Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl recognized the trouble early. This game was played exactly to LSU’s pace – low-scoring and in the halfcourt. Tennessee had no answer for Big Baby Davis inside – he dominated on offense and affected what the Vols wanted to do on the other end of the court. Davis’s presence forced Tennessee to rely on their strength – the three-point shot, but it let them down in this game. They shot just 23% from outside, and guards Wayne Chism and JaJuan Smith combined for a dreadful 0-12 from outside. Even sharpshooting Chris Lofton only hit three from behind the arc. The Tigers had the game won in regulation, but poor rebounding and a horrible call actually gave Tennessee a chance to attempt the game-winning shot. LSU closed the door in overtime, and Davis ensured that there would be no second comeback. Though they struggled for much of the season, LSU showed how dangerous a team can be in the postseason with a single dominant player. Ole Miss should be a bit nervous. Wins at Arkansas and Georgia helped to limit concerns about Tennessee’s play away from home, but those same questions have to be asked again with their NCAA seeding at stake.

After a shaky start that put Auburn up 10-3, the Dawgs tightened up on defense, started hitting from outside, and took over the game. They blew open a 19-19 tie to lead by ten at halftime, and Auburn got no closer in the second half. Levi Stukes had 22 points and scored 14 during a key first half push that left Auburn behind. Takais Brown scored 19 and added a career-high 13 rebounds. Sundiata Gaines was one assist short of a double-double of his own.

The outcome was the same as most times that Georgia’s "trinity" plays well. They won. When Gaines, Stukes, and Brown have good games, Georgia wins. Of course others contribute. Woodbury had some timely baskets, Humphrey is becoming more and more assertive on offense, and Singleton continues to improve inside. They play valuable roles. Still, Georgia is a different team when its three best players all do their thing.

The three combined to create an impossible situation for Auburn. The Tigers, undersized up front, doubled down on Brown. The attention given to Brown created open looks for Stukes outside, and it opened up penetration lanes for Gaines and others. Classic inside-outside basketball. Auburn’s pressure also helped Georgia’s offense. Though the Dawgs struggled with the pressure at first, they were often able to beat the trap and create 2-on-1 and other transition opportunities that led to easy baskets.

On the defensive end, Georgia quickly adjusted to a 5-of-5 start by Auburn and played much of the rest of the game in a successful 1-3-1 zone. They trapped effectively out of this zone, forced Auburn into bad shots, and created over 20 turnovers.

The win is Georgia’s first in the SEC Tournament since Dennis Felton’s first Bulldog team beat Auburn in 2004, and it’s just Georgia’s second SEC Tournament victory since 1998. The series with Auburn is as tight in basketball as it is in football: Georgia’s win last night gave them a 86-85 advantage in the all-time series with the Tigers.

Georgia’s reward for this nice win? A third game against top-seeded Florida tonight at 7:30. We all know what’s at stake, but I hope the guys just go out and enjoy this one. They’ve had a nice season, shown improvement, and last night’s win was another step forward. Florida has dominated each of the two meetings this season, but Georgia has played them close enough to look at some what-ifs. In the game at Gainesville, Georgia turned the ball over more than 20 times. It was a close game for much of the way, but Florida pulled away late. In Athens, Georgia’s three-point shooting was off. They didn’t turn the ball over much at all in that game, but they couldn’t hit shots. Florida built a nice lead during the first half and kept Georgia more or less at arm’s length.

For Georgia to have a chance in this third meeting, they’ll need another strong night from the Big Three. They’ll also need to disrupt some element of Florida’s inside-outside game. Whether they limit the outside shooting or take on the much tougher task of slowing Horford and Noah, it’ll be a big job. They must do all of the little things in this game – rebound, limit turnovers, value possessions, hit free throws. Is this the night where Georgia makes a huge move, or are they still just a hair short of being ready?

A power outage caused a 20-minute delay during last night’s 3-2 loss to Kennesaw State at Foley Field.

Bulldog bats also have been missing some juice lately. Since beating Purdue 9-0 to open that series, Georgia has scored more than four runs only twice. They’ve been held to two or fewer runs four times in the same stretch. In three weekend series so far, Georgia is averaging under four runs per game.

Georgia is now 4-8 and only have four games, including a weekend set against Gardner-Webb, to find some answers before the SEC season starts.

Renew online, win stuff.

I know a lot of people were starting to get antsy about when ticket order forms would be sent…the answer is: Monday.

The William C. Hartman Jr. Fund donors will be mailed their 2007 University of Georgia football season ticket renewal order forms on Monday, March 12th. The order form will include information on how many season tickets each donor will be able to purchase based on their cumulative donor score and annual donation. Donors will have until March 31 to return their order.

Beginning March 13th, donors can renew their tickets online atgeorgiadogs.com. All fans that renew their order online will be entered into random drawings to win autographed photos and footballs by Head Coach Mark Richt and two sideline passes for the Georgia vs. Ole Miss game.

The William C. Hartman Jr. Fund is a designated fund within the The Georgia Bulldog Club. Contributions to the William C. Hartman Jr. Fund provide scholarship support for University of Georgia student-athletes as well as financial support for each of UGA’s 21 varsity sport programs.

(Photo: AP)

Congratulations to junior point guard Sundiata Gaines. I like the selection of Derrick Byars as player of the year; no one meant more to a successful team.

The Jamaica, N.Y., native led Georgia in rebounding (5.7/game), assists (4.7/game), minutes (30.3/game) and steals (2.1/game). Gaines has led the SEC in the latter category throughout the entire season.

There are four Georgia natives on the all-SEC teams, second only to Tennessee’s five. Hopefully more of the Georgians earning all-SEC honors in the future will do it in Athens.

Georgia opens play in the SEC Tournament tonight as the East’s #5 seed against Auburn, the #4 seed from the West. The game will tip off at 7:30 and will be televised by your local Lincoln Financial affiliate.

The athletic association has issued a release confirming that junior offensive guard Seth Watts is no longer with the Georgia football program. We were uncertain last night whether his absence from spring practice for “personal reasons” was a temporary or, as suspected, a permanent situation.

University of Georgia junior offensive lineman Seth Watts has decided to forego his remaining two years of football eligibility, according to an announcement Tuesday by Bulldog head coach Mark Richt.

Richt said Watts, who served as a backup offensive guard during the 2006 season, plans to remain in school and concentrate on his academic work.

“We appreciate the contributions that Seth has made to our football team,” said Richt. “And at the same time we are certainly supportive of what he feels is in his best interest.”

This is pretty surprising news. Most of the SEC members (except Georgia and Arkansas) had individually arranged deals on their own with Sirius. It now looks as if Georgia and Arkansas will be among the first SEC schools to join XM, and the others will come online as their Sirius deals expire. SEC conference events such as championship games and tournaments will also be on XM.

XM will provide complete coverage of SEC championships, starting with the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament live from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Thursday through Sunday on XM channel 201.

XM will have the most SEC games on the radio with coast-to-coast live broadcasts of the University of Arkansas, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi and University of Tennessee football, basketball, and other sports starting in fall 2007.

As a Sirius subscriber who chose that service in part due to the trend set by the other SEC schools, I have to say that this sucks. Hopefully the Sirius-XM merger goes through and the choice of service becomes irrelevant.

One day of spring practice, one offensive lineman MIA.

Junior guard Seth Watts, last in the news for serving a one-game suspension for the Peach Bowl, was not at practice for “personal reasons” today, and his status with the team is unknown at this time. Watts was one of only three linemen with experience available for the season opener, and it looks as if he might not be around for that now.

You’d like to think this is the end of the attrition and bad news from the spring, but history tells us it’s just beginning.

Here’s a shocker to many: Quincy Carter used marijuana while at Georgia. In an interview with ESPN’s “Outside The Lines”, he admitted the weekly use and said he had “somewhat” of a problem at the time. We’ve all heard the rumors going around about the mysterious “thumb injury” and the causes of the downward spiral of the 2000 season. While we don’t know the extent to which Carter’s drug use played in all of that, we at least now know beyond rumor that something was going on.

I’m not surprised by this news, but I would be surprised to learn that he was the only one.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams weren’t the only Bulldog squads to taste defeat this weekend.

The Diamond Dawgs added to the misery on Sunday with a series sweep at the hands of Southern Cal. Georgia led or tied the score in each game, but the Trojans made the plays each night to get three wins in their first visit to Athens.

Not even the Gym Dogs could survive the bad karma. UCLA handed Georgia their first loss of the season. Losses aren’t that significant in gymnastics as average scores determine ranking, and Georgia’s 197.0 is still a respectable score.

Only the #1-ranked men’s tennis team came through this dark weekend unscathed. They beat LSU 6-1.

Spring football practice starts this week – let’s hope that’s a sign of brighter days and that everyone out there stays healthy.

There are a lot of words that can be used to describe Vanderbilt’s 81-56 rout of Georgia in the semifinals of the SEC Women’s Tournament. “Disappointing” might be the one I’d settle on.

Just a day after giving fantastic defensive effort, they didn’t match the intensity against a better team. Things weren’t much better on offense; the outside shots weren’t falling when needed, and even the inside game struggled. Georgia hadn’t looked this bad since an earlier game against FSU. Vanderbilt was not about to fold like the Seminoles did, and their offensive firepower made Georgia pay for their defensive lapses.

The real disappointment came from the missed opportunity. With Tennessee’s loss in the first semifinal, Georgia had beaten every possible remaining opponent in the tournament. Georgia had dominated Vandy last season, knocked them from the 2006 tournament, and beat them solidly in Athens earlier this year. Georgia’s two seniors had to remember a missed opportunity against Vanderbilt in the 2004 SEC Tournament final. That Georgia could play another tournament game against Vanderbilt with no heart and with a scared, on-their-heels reaction to Vandy’s initial first half push was more than many fans could take.

They had a real chance to compete for the tournament title and wrap up a sure #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now that seed will likely go to Vanderbilt, and Georgia will have to hang on and hope for a #3 seed. Hopefully the momentum and winning streak with which Georgia entered the SEC Tournament is not completely gone. They had come a long way and improved over the final month, and if any good comes from this loss, it will remind them what happens when they do not match their opponent’s will to win.

We’ll find all of that out on the women’s selection show on Monday March 12th.

Georgia basketball has come a long way since the 2-14 days when you just hoped they would be competitive. They’ve progressed to the point where we are let down when they come up just short against one of the SEC’s hottest teams. It’s disappointing to be on the other side of the bubble heading into the SEC Tournament, but that’s where we are this year. A 71-65 loss to Tennessee in the regular season finale provided a contrast between a team that was ready to head into the Big Dance and one that wasn’t quite there yet.

• They finished strong. Tennessee has won seven of eight to end the season. Left for dead at 3-5 after a loss to Florida, they took their fate in their own hands and left no doubt about their postseason fate.
• They took care of business at home. They were a perfect 8-0 in home SEC games. In fact, they didn’t lose a home game all season. Though they struggled to add a quality road win to their ledger, the ability to defend the home turf and pick up a few late road wins more than solidified their position.
• They have a genuine go-to guy. Tennessee actually has THE go-to guy in college basketball. Though Chris Lofton struggled for much of the game, he was able to change Saturday’s game at Georgia with just two perfectly-timed three-pointers late in the second half. The shots let Tennessee reclaim the lead for good, and Georgia wasn’t able to respond. You won’t find many teams in the tournament without someone they want with the ball at the end of a game.
• They play to their strengths. Tennessee put the ball in the hands of their guards. Ramar Smith, JaJuan Smith, and Lofton had the bulk of Tennessee’s field goal attempts and points. Meanwhile, Georgia struggled to get the ball inside against a smaller Tennessee team. Takais Brown only had five field goal attempts. Georgia shot 59% for the game inside the arc (17-of-29) but still insisted on putting up 21 three-point attempts and missing all but five of them

Georgia’s heading in the right direction, and hopefully they can pick up a few more of the qualities that they’ll need to get over that final hump and become a regular NCAA Tournament participant. In the meantime, the season isn’t over yet, and Georgia will have a chance to build on something in the SEC Tournament and then likely the NIT.

I was a bit nervous about playing Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals. They had just taken Georgia to overtime two weeks ago in Lexington. They were still alive for an NCAA Tournament bid, so they had plenty to play for. They had a chance to shake off the opening night jitters on Thursday.

Blue by you: Janese Hardrick’s penetration was just one of many things that gave Kentucky trouble. (Photo: Jason Getz / AJC)

Fortunately, Georgia was ready. In no mood to have a repeat of a close overtime game, Georgia jumped out to a 12-0 lead and didn’t allow a Kentucky basket for nearly eight minutes. The Wildcats went on a run of their own to close to within 16-12, but that was their last gasp on offense for the afternoon. Georgia led by 20 at halftime, didn’t let the lead get below 19 in the second half, and eventually won 72-40. They held Kentucky to SEC Tournament record lows of twelve field goals and 20% shooting.

Poor outside shooting from both teams made this a battle of inside games. Georgia won decisively. They held Kentucky star Jennifer Humphries scoreless, and big center Sarah Elliott only had four points. Coach Landers said of the effort, “We had a reasonably good idea of what they were going to do and how they were going to go about doing that from an execution standpoint. Our kids locked in on it, disrupted it, stopped it, just stopped it.”

Coach Landers had a great explanation of some of the defensive strategy in reply to a postgame question.

COACH LANDERS: Do you want me to explain what the strategy was? On the ball screen, step up hard with the post players very, very close, jam ’em and go under. Know that they’re going to dishonor ball screens and drive it to the baseline, which is what they did yesterday: Drive it to the baseline, drive it to the basket and score. We’re not going to let that happen. There’s a way we defend against that.

They got a high low game. We’re going to push ’em up, push ’em out, deny the four man out a little bit farther than she wants to be, extend the pass. Getting all this? You’re not writing anything down now. You wanted to know this (laughter).

You know, on stagger screens, beat the guards to the first screen. They were running a lot of stagger screens. You can handle stagger screens. If you’re behind when you get the first screen, you’re dead. A couple times they got shots because we were behind.

What else? The elbow to elbow screen with their two bigs where they screen for each other and roll down the middle. The play we ran on them and scored, they run that a lot. Switch hard, disrupt the ball handler, drop in.

On the other end, Georgia kept feeding the ball inside and driving to the basket. They had 15 assists on 23 made shots, and they got to the line 26 times (and hit an impressive 24 of them). Landers gushed over the unselfish play from the guards. “We got kids on the perimeter that usually shoot the basketball. But, boy, they were just terrific on continuing to feed the ball inside, feed the ball inside, feed it in.” Angel Robinson and Tasha Humphrey did a great job of getting position inside and then finishing on the passes that came from the perimeter.

Even with the big win, there are always things to improve on. Rebounding was one; though Georgia outrebounded Kentucky, they did give up 15 offensive rebounds. I guess that’s going to happen when the other team misses 48 shots. The other area was outside shooting. Though Georgia didn’t need the long ball and worked it inside effectively, they were only 2-11 on the outside shots they did take.

Contrast Georgia’s outside shooting with that of their next opponent: Vanderbilt hit 11-of-15 three-pointers (73%) en route to a 105-77 drilling of Florida. Vandy can obviously shoot; that’s no surprise, so Georgia will need another strong defense effort plus better shooting of their own if the Commodores remain hot. The Lady Dogs took an 83-71 win from Vanderbilt back in January as they broke open a close game with a 12-2 run midway through the second half and held on at the foul line down the stretch.

The Georgia-Vanderbilt semifinal will take place at around 9:15 on Saturday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Single-session tickets should still be floating around before the game, so come on down. This game will be half of a great semifinal lineup. Tennessee and LSU will face off first at 6:45. Four Top 15 teams playing in one night – it’s big-time basketball.

I’m looking forward to a fun triple-header of Georgia sports tomorrow. First we’ll have Georgia baseball at 2:00 against Southern Cal. The Trojans are one of college baseball’s most tradition-rich programs, and this is their first visit to Athens. At 4:00, the action moves over to Stegeman Coliseum for a Senior Day showdown with Tennessee. That should be an incredible game and a crucial test of Georgia’s postseason mettle. That’ll give us time to head back down 316 for the 9:15 Lady Dog semifinal. It’s a full day, but it’s a rare chance to catch three of Georgia’s programs in one day playing some very significant games.

The three-team tiebreak scenario came up today on the DawgVent, and I might as well put the answer here too. We know that Georgia has to beat Tennessee on Saturday, and a Bulldog win would give each team a 9-6 SEC record. Florida plays Kentucky also this weekend, and a Gator win would lead the Wildcats at 9-6 as well. With Florida and Vanderbilt firmly in control of the #1 and #2 seeds and South Carolina bringing up the rear, how would the three-team logjam at 9-6 be broken?

Here is the SEC’s tiebreaker rubric.

With our hypothetical scenario of three 9-6 teams, here is how the tiebreaker would proceed:

• Head-to-head records: Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee would all be 1-1 against each other.
• Divisional records: A win over Tennessee would give Georgia and UT each 5-5 records in the SEC East. A Kentucky loss to Florida puts them at 4-6 in the East. Kentucky would be eliminated from the tiebreaker and given the 5th seed.
• Record against divisional opponents, starting at the top: Tennessee is 1-1 against Florida; Georgia is 0-2. The tie is broken in favor of Tennessee.

If the games play out that way, Tennessee would get the #3 seed, Georgia the #4 seed, and Kentucky the #5 seed. Of course the games could turn out differently in which case the tiebreakers might not be necessary. Kentucky can take the #3 seed outright with a win over Florida and a Tennessee loss. If UK wins, Georgia would finish fifth in the East regardless of how they do against Tennessee. Georgia cannot finish third under any scenario; fourth or fifth are their only possibilities. Tennessee will earn the #3 seed with a win or a Kentucky loss.

Confused yet?

Georgia wants to avoid that #5 seed. The #5 seed leads to a Friday draw against Florida in the SEC Tournament. With the #4 seed, Georgia would be on the same side of the bracket as Ole Miss or whoever wins the West. It still wouldn’t be an easy road, but it’s not Florida either. If it comes down to Georgia needing two SEC Tournament wins, the difference between the #4 seed and the #5 seed is tremendous.

Update: It’s good to get backup from the horse’s mouth. The SEC has their “what-if” scenarios posted including what I’ve outlined above as well as a stab at the unholy tangle that is the SEC West.