The Georgia Lady Dogs (21-10) have earned the program’s 28th NCAA Tournament bid in the 30-year history of the tournament. They received the #6 seed in the Dallas Region and will open the tournament Sunday evening at 7:30 against #11 seed Middle Tennessee State in Auburn, Ala. ESPN2 will have the game. Should Georgia advance, they’ll face the winner of #3-seed FSU and #14 seed Samford on Tuesday night.

I’ll admit – it’s a bit higher seed than I expected. Georgia didn’t make much of a splash out of the conference, choosing an easier schedule to bring the young team along. They fared reasonably well in a weak SEC, but they’ve lost four of their last five coming into the tournament. They’ve been in and out of the rankings most of the season, rarely breaking into the top 20.

Of the Lady Dogs’ three non-conference losses, two came against teams in the NCAA Tournament field (Georgia Tech and Louisiana Tech). They recorded no non-conference wins against the field of 64. Georgia’s biggest wins, and only wins against an NCAA Tournament team, came in a sweep of SEC runner-up and national #4 seed Kentucky.

As we noted above, it was a down year for the SEC, traditionally one of the strongest conferences in women’s basketball. The league merited only four bids. It was a little surprising to see Vanderbilt – who tied the Lady Dogs for third place in the SEC – all the way down at a #10 seed, but they had even fewer big wins than Georgia. We thought that LSU might get in on reputation alone, but they probably came up just short by losing a heartbreaker to Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals.

But here we are. Somehow Georgia ended up with a #6 seed, and they’re fortunate to be close by in Auburn. The women’s tournament, in the interest of ticket sales, pays a lot more attention to geography and proximity than the men’s tournament. That attention to proximity seems to be even greater than usual for the Auburn sub-regional. Since hosts Auburn didn’t merit a tournament bid this year, the committee chose four schools whose teams and fans can easily drive to the games. MTSU, facing about a five-hour drive, is the most distant participant. Georgia and FSU should be able to bring a healthy number of fans, especially for the Sunday games.

It will be impossible to discuss Georgia’s opening game without mentioning the shocking murder of MTSU junior guard Tina Stewart earlier this month. MTSU made the brave choice to play on after her death, but the rattled team lost in the quarterfinal of their conference tournament. As regular season conference champs, MTSU deserved an at-large bid and got one. They’ve had a few weeks to process the event, but there’s still no telling how it will affect them in this tournament. They might come up fired up and use the loss of their teammate as a rallying point, or they might still be numb. With respect to Stewart and the emotional challenge her team continues to face, MTSU will also have to account for her role on the court. She was one of the first players off the bench, had previous starting experience, and was one of the very few veterans on a team that features 11 underclassmen.

Andy Landers is in no danger of overlooking MTSU, and he won’t allow his team to either. The Blue Raiders beat Georgia in their last meeting during the 2006-2007 season when the Lady Dogs were ranked #8. MTSU’s star during that time was actually a former Georgia signee, Amber Holt. Holt had to leave Georgia for academic reasons, but she led MTSU to upsets of Georgia and LSU during her career while earning All-American honors. This isn’t the same MTSU team that beat Georgia, but of course it’s not the same Georgia either. MTSU has maintained a strong program, dominated its conference, and won’t be afraid of Georgia thanks to a tough non-conference slate that featured Kentucky, Xavier, and Georgia Tech.

More Information

• #6 Georgia vs. #11 Middle Tennessee State
• Sunday 7:30 p.m. ET
• Auburn, Ala.
• ESPN2
• Tickets for both sessions in Auburn are $32 for adults and $17 for students. Single-session tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for students. Tickets can be purchased from the Auburn ticket office by calling 1-800-282-1957 or online at this link.

The incredible and improbable story of 2008 aside, this is a moment that Georgia basketball fans have been waiting for since 2002.  After Georgia withdrew from the 2003 postseason, it’s been eight years since the Bulldogs have had a team playing at a level worthy of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

We’ve been fairly confident of Georgia’s chances since they took care of LSU, but some would-be upset bids during the conference tournaments made things interesting.  In the end, Georgia was safely in as a #10 seed in the East Region.  At that seed, it’s likely that Georgia wasn’t really even part of the discussion at the end as to which teams to include and exclude.  Pundits and fans of other teams might take shots at Georgia’s inclusion and their seeding, but there’s no taking away what this team and Mark Fox have earned in his second season after some very lean years for the program.  The sun shone on Bulldog hoops for once; don’t spend a minute apologizing for it.

Our regional:

Georgia (#10) vs. Washington (#7).  We’ll play Friday evening at around 9:45 p.m. or roughly 30 minutes after the UNC-LIU game which tips off at 7:15. 

If Georgia wins, we’ll play the UNC-LIU winner on Sunday, and that time is still TBD.

Tickets:

Georgia’s allotment of tickets will be spoken for by season ticket holders.  You already know if you had the opportunity to pre-order NCAA tickets.

For everyone else, tickets are available via TicketMaster.  Yes, you read that right, ticket packages are $231. That does get you tickets for Friday and Sunday’s games in all sessions – six games in all.  $38.50 a game sounds a little better, and you’ll get to see the Dawgs as well as Duke and North Carolina.  As of Sunday night, all that were left were in the upper level.

Another alternative, if you’re up for the risk, is going up without tickets in hand. You’ll have to be there in time for the afternoon session, but Duke, Tennessee, and Michigan fans leaving the afternoon session might be looking to unload evening session tickets. You might also be able to arrange an evening session ticket from one of those fans online before Friday.

A bit about the opponent:

Washington Huskies: 23-10 overall, 11-7 Pac 10 (3rd place)

The Huskies are a tournament-tested team, making a run to the Sweet 16 a year ago.  They lost top scorer Quincy Pondexter but were still preseason favorites to win the conference.

Washington is all over the college hoops news right now for their dramatic upset win over Arizona in the Pac-10 tournament championship game. They have the Gus Johnson cred (“COLD. BLOODED.”), and they have the instantly recognizable name of Isaiah Thomas (though no relation to Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas). Thomas lives up to the famous name as the team’s leading scorer with 16.8 PPG 

As Georgia leads with Thompkins, Leslie, and Robinson, so too does Washington go with a guard, a post, and a wing as their top scorers.  After Thomas, forward and London native Matt Bryan-Amaning gives you 15.5 PPG / 8.1 RPG inside.  6’6” wing  Justin Holiday would be the natural comparison to Leslie and is also one of the best defenders in the conference. You can see the rest of the team’s stats here.  They have nine players averaging at least 5 PPG.

The teams have a common opponent:  Washington lost 67-74 to Kentucky in the Maui Classic back at the beginning of the season.  Of course that was months ago, and Kentucky’s talented freshmen were still freshmen.  Since then Washington has lost promising sophomore PG Abdul Gaddy to a season-ending ACL injury. Thomas has taken up much of the load, but they still lack that true point guard.

Washington’s nonconference schedule doesn’t feature a lot of quality wins, but there also aren’t many bad losses.  They came a point short of knocking off a respectable Texas A&M team after another last-second Thomas shot was blocked.  They played well but lost to Kentucky and Michigan State, and they were able to handle lesser Virginia and Texas Tech teams.  The Huskies had an impressive 4-1 mark against the top two teams in the Pac-10, but they slipped several times against the lower half of the league.

I agree with Travis: the safety position is the one that seems to be left with fewer answers after last week’s reshuffling. We felt that the position was in decent shape heading into last season, but even that was a little overstated. We ended the year with Hamilton and Nick Williams changing positions, and Ogletree eventually earned the starting role. Ogletree might’ve been growing out of the position anyway, but it’s still a loss of an up-and-coming playmaker at a spot that’s been without one for a while.

We’ll let Seth Emerson sum up:

As for safety, Grantham said Ogletree’s move is “a good opportunity” for Jakar Hamilton. The junior college transfer started several games last year before slipping out of favor. Grantham also mentioned Marc Deas, but you have to imagine some of the incoming recruits will also get a look to play alongside Bacarri Rambo.

Wow. I suppose counting on John Jenkins is the biggest leap of faith for the defense this year, but that plan for safety looks like a close second. Let’s take Emerson’s summary bit by bit:

• It is a good opportunity for Jakar Hamilton, but let’s remember that Hamilton is also part of this reorganization after moving from safety to corner and back to safety. It was only a couple of months ago that Hamilton expressed his preference to remain at corner. The opportunity to get on the field can change those preferences in a hurry, but Hamilton’s still going to have to get better at the responsibilities of the safety beyond just hitting people. He liked cornerback because he didn’t have to “worry about a lot of calls,” and he’s going to have to master those calls if he’s going to be the solution that Grantham and Lakatos are seeking.
• Marc Deas is an option, but there’s not much beyond that on the current roster. Nick Williams will transfer. Other than Hamilton, Shawn Williams is the only other candidate with much experience. Williams even started during the middle of the season until Ogletree took over.
• Incoming recruits. Corey Moore is the obvious choice for an impact freshman at safety, especially against the run. Rivals.com had him as the top safety in Georgia and the 5th best in the nation – not far away from Ogletree’s rating a year ago. Nick Marshal’s “athlete” label implies he might help at several positions though the depth situation probably means he’ll get a look at safety.
• Rambo. He’s the given in this discussion, but let’s emphasize that Rambo had a good, but not great, 2010 season. He gets a lot of slack as a fan favorite, but Rambo was as responsible as anyone for Georgia’s tackling issues in the early part of the season. He’ll also have to improve to help the position overcome the loss of Ogletree.

I’m off to Nashville for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament this weekend, so it’s preview time again.  The big story this year has to be the down year for the conference.  There are only two SEC teams ranked, only one with fewer than five conference losses, only five teams projected to earn an NCAA bid (one of them by the skin of their teeth), and only two teams projected higher than a #8 seed.  Tennessee is strong as almost always, but even they’re having to compete for attention among national pundits. 

Conventional wisdom says it should be a pretty easy go of it for Tennessee, but fortunately tournaments always seem to have a few surprises in store.  There could be some interesting Thursday games as even the #11 and #12 seeds have little reason to fear their opponents. There are also the stories of teams trying to play their way into the NCAA Tournament.  LSU simply can’t afford an early loss.

We’ll have updates throughout the weekend from Nashville on Twitter.

Georgia has lost three in a row after posting a 10-3 start in conference play, but they can easily regroup and earn another shot at Tennessee on Saturday.  We’ve seen them play outstanding ball at times, but we’ve also seen consistent and repetitive mistakes that makes almost any game they play a toss-up.

Several Lady Dogs were recognized this week in the postseason conference honors.  Senior forward Porsha Phillips was named to the All-SEC first team.  Guard Jasmine James merited second-team honors, and Meredith Mitchell was selected for the All-Defensive team.  It’s also no surprise that impact freshman guard Khaalidah Miller was named to the All-Freshman team.

Georgia’s path through the tournament

• Friday:  7:30 PM vs. #5 South Carolina or #12 Ole Miss (FSN)
• Saturday: 4:00 PM Semifinal (ESPNU)
• Sunday: 5:30 PM Final (ESPN2)

On to the teams (get the bracket here):

Runaway Favorite

1. Tennessee (16-0): Tennessee might be just short of UConn or Baylor as national contenders, but there’s no questioning their dominance of the SEC.  UT has lost just once in conference play over the past two seasons, and the gulf between them and the rest of the field has only widened in this down year for the league.  That’s not to say the Lady Vols can’t be upset along the way.  LSU, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt came within single-digits of beating Tennessee during the regular season.  But those were all true road games for UT, and the crowd in Nashville figures to be as partisan as ever for the ladies in orange. It’s also worth noting that Tennessee wouldn’t face any of those teams until the final.

The Pips

The next three teams are decent backup acts to Tennessee’s headline act, but it would be a big surprise if any of them ended up with top billing on Sunday. Each of these teams has been ranked at some point, but currently only Kentucky merits a top 25 spot.

2. Kentucky (11-5): It was a big surprise when Kentucky stormed to the #2 spot in the league last year with an 11-5 record, but no one is doing a double-take this year.  They’ve followed up last year with another solid season featuring a win over #7 Notre Dame and a sweep of Vanderbilt. They also have a few questionable losses that had them lower in the standings until they finished with three straight SEC wins. UK’s stars are familiar names by now:  forward Victoria Dunlap is a perennial player of the year candidate, and they get backcourt scoring from A’dia Mathies.  The Cats need help from another player if they’re going to go far in the tournament, and they’ll look to Keyla Snowden for that extra punch.

3. Vanderbilt (10-6): For as young as this team is, it wasn’t a bad year for Vandy.  Nine of Vanderbilt’s 14 players are underclassmen, and it took them a while to get going.  They had some bad early losses to the likes of Denver, Virginia Tech, and Ole Miss, but they got it going during an early February stretch that saw five wins in six games.  Despite the young roster, the team is led by its senior duo of guard Jence Rhoads and forward Hannah Tuomi. Rhoads is a calming presence who always seems to have the offense under control, and the undersized Tuomi won’t back down from anyone inside.  Even if they’re outclassed in terms of talent, Vandy is well-coached, playing in their home town, and should be in any game they play in the tournament – even against Tennessee.

4. Georgia (10-6): We’ve followed the story of Georgia’s rough final week, so we won’t rehash it here.  This is a team that build a decent record by getting it done against the bottom half of the league. Thanks to the sweep of Kentucky, Georgia is a shaky 3-4 against the top six seeds. 

The Logjam

Four teams finished the year 8-8 or 7-9.  In most years, that would qualify them for the NCAA Tournament with the strength of the conference on their side.  That’s not the case this year.  Only a couple of these teams have a prayer of earning an NCAA bid, and it might take a deep run in Nashville for that to happen.

5. South Carolina (8-8):  Dawn Staley’s program took another small step forward this year and notched wins over Georgia, LSU, and Kentucky.  Their 8-8 finish could have been even better if not for a pair of overtime losses in the final week of the season.  SC’s season is more impressive considering the offseason transfer of dominant center Kelsey Bone. That transfer left South Carolina very thin inside, and they were dealt another blow when sharpshooter Valerie Nainima was lost for the first half of the season with a knee injury.  You look at South Carolina and don’t see any real standout players or dominant stats, but they find a way.  Their games are likely to be low-scoring and grinding, reflecting the tenaciousness of their coach. Guards Ieasia Walker and La’Keisha Sutton lead the way.

6. Auburn (8-8): Auburn struggled with a tough early schedule, and it seemed to pay off as they started SEC play 5-1. They hit a wall soon after MLK Day and have won only three games since late January.  The Tigers don’t have an especially strong frontcourt, but they are carried by senior guard Alli Smalley. They might have enough to get by Mississippi State, but the two teams split during the regular season.  If MSU’s backcourt can frustrate Smalley, Auburn could be an early exit.

7. LSU (8-8): Few teams in the tournament have as much to gain as LSU. At 8-8 and 18-12 overall, the Tigers – regular Final Four contenders just a few years ago – are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. They do have a nice win over UCLA, but there might be too many losses if they can’t win a couple in Nashville. All-SEC forward LaSondra Barrett leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding in league play, and guard Adrienne Webb has knocked down 70 three-pointers.  LSU is known for lockdown defense, but they struggle to score at times themselves.  They’ve lost 3 out of 4 heading to Nashville.

8. Florida (7-9): Florida notched big wins during the final week against Vanderbilt and Georgia to separate themselves from the bottom tier of the league.  They enter the tournament winners of three in a row and have to be feeling good about a rematch with Arkansas in the 8-9 game. Only one Florida player, guard Jordan Jones, is averaging double-figures.  But the Gators have an astounding nine players averaging at least five points per game.  It’s truly been a team effort for Florida this year, and it’s starting to pay off at the end of the season.  Their late-season surge has probably earned them a spot in the WNIT.

Long Shots

9. Arkansas (6-10): It’s about as predictable as anything can get in sports.  Arkansas runs out to an impressive record in December, maybe even earns a spot in the rankings, and then tanks as the conference grind wears on them.  The Hogs started the year 14-1 and boasted wins over Oklahoma and Kentucky.  A close home loss to Georgia started a slide in which they lost 7 of 9.  They ended up losing 10 SEC games, but they have had a number of close calls.  Both losses to Georgia could have gone either way.  They have two overtime losses and four others by five points or less. Wing C’eira Ricketts leads them in scoring, but to advance they’ll have to have big games from versatile forward Sarah Watkins and three-point specialist Lyndsay Harris.

10. Alabama (5-11):  It looked as if Bama was again headed for the SEC cellar when they started league play 0-9.  But they’ve finished with five wins in their last seven games to enter the tournament as one of the hotter teams in the league.  First team All-SEC selection Tierney Jenkins has raised her game this year and leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and steals.  McDonald’s All-American freshman Kaneisha Horn has made an impact, and guard Ericka Russell can do damage from outside.  Bama lost by 29 in their only meeting of the year with first-round opponent LSU, but that was two months ago and long before Bama found their stride.

Probably attending class on Friday

11. Mississippi State (4-12): The Bulldogs were the #3 seed a year ago but had a massive talent drain leading to this season’s rebuilding effort.  Interestingly though, MSU draws an Auburn team that they’ve played very evenly this year.  Auburn won in Starkville 45-41, but Mississippi State controlled the rematch 57-45.  If they can hold Auburn in the 40s again, the potential is there for a first-round upset.  MSU leans heavily on its senior guard Mary Kathryn Govero, and her outside shooting can keep the Bulldogs in a game. 

12. Ole Miss (3-13): Ole Miss likewise lost several key players highlighted by All-SEC star Bianca Thomas.  This year they’re led by one of their few experienced players, senior guard Kayla Melson.  Melson gets help from All-Freshman team guard Valencia McFarland.  As with MSU, Ole Miss’s first-round opponent isn’t necessarily an automatic loss even for a team at the bottom of the standings.  They beat South Carolina only a week ago.

With all of the highs and lows this senior class has experienced, they’ll fondly remember their final game at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia shook off a slow start to put away LSU 73-53 and post the program’s first official 20-win season in over a decade.

The Dawgs fell behind by as many as nine early on, but they soon put the brakes on the LSU scoring and gradually caught up.  Georgia took a modest 30-25 lead into halftime, but they didn’t waste much time extending the lead after the break.  Georgia started the second half with a great deal more intensity and activity on both ends, and several transition baskets helped the Dawgs pull away.  LSU closed to within as few as 11 with about four and a half minutes left, but Georgia held their ground and never let the lead fall back into single digits.  The large lead allowed Mark Fox to take his seniors out one by one to be honored by the crowd. 

Forget bracketology or scoreboard-watching: Georgia doesn’t need much help at this point.  They’re in great shape thanks to winning these past two can’t-lose games.  Other teams like Colorado, Maryland, and Memphis couldn’t get it done tonight against lesser opponents, but Georgia did what they’ve done all year: cash in these types of games.  Other observations:

• Price played like it was his last time on this court. He sat after an early foul, but his two quick baskets after reentering the game seemed to get the Georgia offense going. He had three of the team’s first four baskets, and that was enough until the rest of the his teammates started scoring.  Price knelt to kiss the court as he left the game for the last time, and his performance was worthy of that kind of emotion.   
• It was positive to see Gerald Robinson so active.  He looked to drive, led the break, and chipped in three steals.  He scored 16 points without a three-pointer, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
• Barnes also had a nice Senior Night by his standards.  Six points and six rebounds were a nice contribution.
• Georgia eventually became disruptive on defense.  Especially effective was the posts showing out on high ball screens.  LSU guards often were forced into a walk, a bad pass, or just a change in plans. Several of those poor choices resulted in transition chances for Georgia.
• Ware keeps getting it done from behind the arc. No reason why he shouldn’t attempt 5-8 outside shots a game.
• Something was affecting Trey, and we learned afterwards that an injured toe leaves him questionable for Alabama.  He’s played with some degree of injury most of the season, but it was good to be able to sit him down for most of this one.
• And how about Bucklin?

Georgia forwards Chris Barnes and Jeremy Price play their final game at Stegeman Coliseum tonight. It’s been a pleasure to watch them develop from raw freshmen into key contributors to this team. Price in particular has made incredible strides and has become a solid complement to Trey Thompkins’ inside game. When Price plays well, Georgia usually wins.

Of course the Bulldogs are playing for more tonight than just their seniors. A 20-win season is at stake, and another can’t-lose result in terms of postseason positioning is in front of them. Georgia did a great job of taking it to an overmatched opponent on Saturday, and hopefully they can do the same against a struggling LSU club. 20 wins is an important milestone not only in terms of lobbying for an NCAA Tournament bid; it’s also a tangible accomplishment for Mark Fox and another sign to fans and recruits that things are going in the right direction at Georgia.

Some good reading on tonight’s game, the seniors, and the postseason:

• Georgia seeks 20-win payoff from hoops investment (AJC)
• Seniors set for Stegeman farewell (ABH)
• Fox restores belief in basketball program (R&B)

Georgia’s men coasted to a 64-48 win over South Carolina Saturday night. It was Georgia’s biggest win and first breather since the rout of Mississippi State over a month ago. It also provided the Dawgs with a chance to face and overcome their second-half demons against a lesser opponent.

The starting frontcourt of Price and Thompkins combined for a nice 34 points, taking advantage of foul trouble to South Carolina’s only inside presence, Sam Muldrow. On the other end, the Dawgs held a +10 rebounding margin and held SC to 28% shooting (and an abysmal 1-of-19 from outside).

The difference in this game was second-half defense. Georgia only scored four more points in this rout than they did in the nail-biter in Columbia. But South Carolina’s comeback in that initial meeting was fueled by 47 second-half points. The Gamecocks converted Georgia turnovers and heated up from outside to roar back from that abysmal first half. This time the Dawgs kept up the intensity, avoided a slew of turnovers, defended the perimeter, and held the visitors to fewer than 30 points in the second half.

It wasn’t without a tiny bit of drama. South Carolina roared back to within 12 early in the second half, prompting a quick timeout from Mark Fox. Fox lit into the team, and apparently that was enough to head off another second-half collapse. The lead soon headed back upwards of 20 points, and South Carolina never seriously threatened again. Georgia went into full-on delay mode for the final six minutes and spent the time doing the basketball equivalent of running Chapas three straight times.

It was far from a perfect game, and there’s plenty to work on heading into the final week of the regular season. Despite controlling much of the game, Georgia only got two points off the bench in a combined 43 minutes. The starting guards only added 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, and Robinson had nearly as many turnovers (6) as points (8). If Georgia is going to make much noise in the postseason, they really need Robinson to find his form.

The consensus is pretty clear about the South Carolina game: avoiding the loss was about as important as notching another win. The same holds true for Wednesday’s game against LSU, the final home game of the season and Senior Day for Price and Barnes. But avoiding the loss doesn’t mean going into a game with the tentative style of playing not to lose. Georgia did a good job of that against South Carolina and never let the stakes of the game get in the way of the moment.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Lady Dogs. As it turned out, they needed only to win one of their final three games to claim second place in the conference heading into this weekend’s tournament. They couldn’t. Winning at Tennessee was a lot to ask, and Georgia wasn’t even competitive in that game. But the last two games against Auburn and Florida were there for the taking, and Georgia missed two opportunities to secure very favorable position for this week’s SEC Tournament.

Georgia heads into the SEC Tournament with three straight losses and very little momentum – not exactly where you want to be for the postseason. Ten days ago, they were in great shape having posted one of their best results of the year against Kentucky. They enjoyed a two-game lead in the standings for second place. Since then it’s been regression back to some very basic mistakes: missed layups, unforced turnovers, attempting too many three-pointers rather than working the ball inside, and the lack of shutdown defense. That Georgia was in these last two games should show them what could be possible by eliminating some simple mental mistakes. But when something as basic as a layup has been an issue all season, it’s a reach to expect a much of a change at this point in the season.

You’d get the wrong impression about which Georgia team was on the bubble from what I just wrote, and the Lady Dogs still managed to claim the #4 seed and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. That says a lot more about the relatively weak conference this year, but it’s still nominally a step forward from last season’s #6 seed. It means that Georgia will avoid playing on Thursday, and that extra day of rest can’t hurt a team already down one key reserve. It also means that Georgia’s now on Tennessee’s side of the bracket, but that won’t matter until Georgia advances beyond the quarterfinals.

The Lady Dogs will likely face South Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday night at 7:30, but that’s not a given: South Carolina needed overtime to beat #12 seed Ole Miss during the regular season. If it does turn out to be SC, the two teams split home-and home back in January. We’ll have a look at the tournament field later this week.

I can’t say much for the men’s loss at Florida because I was following score updates while watching the Lady Dogs at Stegeman Coliseum. The pattern of giving up a halftime lead seems to have held for the men, and that’s just what we’re going to have to expect from the team the rest of the way.

Leslie and Thompkins had a good game, the team actually shot 50%, and they outrebounded Florida. But outside shooting was rough, the Price+Ware index was a low 10 points, and Georgia turnovers led to over 20 Florida points. Add in Boynton’s timely three-pointers, and there’s your game. You’ll get better recaps from Bernie and Seth Emerson.

File this one away with the Vandy games and the home Florida and Tennessee games as tough ones that would have been nice to win but which aren’t terribly crippling to lose. That changes for the next couple of games: Georgia’s presumptive status of being on the right side of the bubble requires home wins over South Carolina and LSU.

It’s been a while since I’ve left Stegeman Coliseum as sick as I was last night after the Lady Dogs fell to Auburn. It wasn’t a particularly heart-breaking loss as the key plays were made with a few minutes left. It was just…bad. I know exactly what Andy Landers meant during his postgame show when he said that there just wasn’t much to talk about – it was just an ugly loss in a very winnable game with so much on the line at this point in the season. A team that looked purposeful and energetic a week ago in a dominant win over Kentucky just wasn’t interested in doing the things that would put away a game that was there for the taking.

You can start with the missed layups, go on to the 12 second-half turnovers that led to 20 Auburn points, and move on to the slow help defense. Auburn had far more points in the paint than Georgia (32-20), but their top three scorers were wings or guards. They consistently penetrated, hit layups, drew fouls, and made easy passes when the help was slow. On offense, Georgia again settled for a high number of three-point attempts – 24 – and connected on just a quarter of them. When the Lady Dogs tried to work it inside, the passes were often mishandled. “We throw the ball inside three times in the first half, and we don’t catch it,” said an exasperated Andy Landers. “That’s a problem.”

Unforced turnovers killed several opportunities to extend the lead for Georgia. The Lady Dogs led 22-16, had the ball, and Porsha Phillips misread a cut, throwing the ball directly to Auburn’s Alli Smalley who turned the steal into a layup. Georgia built a seven point lead midway through the second half and had a chance to go up nine. Porsha Phillips established position underneath, but Anne Marie Armstrong made a flat entry pass that fell short. Armstrong was slow to recover and get back on defense, and Auburn was off on a 10-0 run that changed the game.

Making things worse was the absence of freshman guard Ronkia Ransford. The McDonald’s All-American will be held out at least through the SEC Tournament for academic issues. Landers sounded like someone at the end of his rope. “If she doesn’t get her academic act together, she won’t be back,” he explained. “Why should she? You don’t go to class, you don’t go to school, you don’t meet your appointments, what are you doing here?” Without Ransford, Georgia’s rotation is pretty much down to seven players with Armstrong and Willis coming off the bench. There’s very little relief for Jasmine James. Against Auburn, Meredith Mitchell’s foul trouble and early disqualification turned that into an even thinner bench. It’s not that Georgia was especially sharp at any point in the game, but they really didn’t have much left down the stretch.

Even with the bad loss, Georgia has clinched a first-round bye at the SEC Tournament, will finish no worse than #4, and can still finish with the #2 seed. Here’s what could happen:

• If Georgia beats Florida: They’ll finish no worse than the #3 seed. They’ll finish #2 if Vanderbilt and Kentucky both win or lose. If Vandy wins at South Carolina and Kentucky loses at Auburn, Georgia will lose the tiebreaker to Vanderbilt and finish #3.
• If Georgia loses at Florida: Georgia could still finish anywhere from #2 – #4. If Vandy and Kentucky both lose, the Lady Dogs would still end up #2. If they both win, Georgia would fall behind them and drop to #4. If Vandy loses and Kentucky wins, Georgia would also drop to #4. If Vandy wins and Kentucky loses, Georgia would win the tiebreaker with UK for the #3 seed.

The key is the three-team tie. Georgia, Vandy, and Kentucky are all tied at 10-5. Georgia holds the two-team tiebreaker with UK and loses it against Vanderbilt. Kentucky takes the two-team tie over Vandy. The first three-team tiebreaker is “total won-lost record of games played among the tied teams.” Georgia has a 2-1 record against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Kentucky has a 2-2 record. Vandy was 1-2. It comes down to Kentucky and Georgia, and the Lady Dogs swept UK.

What’s most likely to happen? It’s tough to tell. All three teams have to go on the road. Kentucky drilled Auburn by 30 in Lexington, but Auburn is much better at home. Vandy and Florida will each have only a day’s rest since their game was postponed until Friday. Georgia barely survived Florida in Athens. However the seeding ends up, there’s not really a favorable draw for Georgia. All three of their likely quarterfinal opponents – LSU, South Carolina, and Auburn – have defeated Georgia during the regular season.

We wondered last week if the Hartman Fund accepting donations beyond the February 15th deadline was a sign of trouble, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Contributions are currently over 98% of what they were a year ago ($22.4 million vs. $22.7 million), and donations are still trickling in. Donations are still roughly $4 million below the high water mark set in 2008.

It’s interesting to note that the total includes first-time donations of over $1 million. A lot of people might see soft ticket demand as an opportunity to get their foot in the door for renewable season tickets.

It seems as though Georgia’s had to work a lot harder to keep donations up. Advertisements for the Hartman Fund aired during the football season, and campaigns via e-mail, direct mail, and other media continued over the past several months. Now we’ll see if season ticket orders follow suit. We should learn by the beginning of June whether Georgia was able to sell out its season ticket allotment again.

UGA announced today that all Hartman Fund donors giving at least $100 should receive a season ticket order form in early March. That does not guarantee that everyone, especially new donors, will actually receive tickets.

Did UGA create unnecessary bad press by selling out the Rocky guy for an insurance company promotion? (h/t Blutarsky)

We’ve had an eye on Georgia’s softball program since their 2009 run to the WCWS. The breakout sophomore class that came up big in 2009 are now seniors, and they’ve led Georgia to its first #1 ranking in softball early in the 2011 season. Congratulations to coach Lu Harris-Champer and the team. There’s a long way to go until the end of the season, but Georgia should have another team capable of making a run to Oklahoma City with a shot at a national title.

You don’t need much build-up for tonight’s game other than mentioning the teams: Georgia and Tennessee. The SEC’s most successful women’s basketball programs meet late in the year, and for the first time in a while it’s a battle among the top two teams in the standings. Georgia knocked off UT in Athens last year in their first win over Tennessee since 2004. Things will be tougher as they always are in Knoxville, but no visiting program has won more on that court than Georgia.

Tennessee’s perfect conference mark means that first place is all but out of reach for Georgia, but a win over the Lady Vols could clinch a first-round SEC Tournament bye for Georgia and move within a game of locking down second place. Thanks to Kentucky’s win at Vanderbilt on Sunday, the Lady Dogs enjoy a two-game lead on the rest of the field for second place in the SEC. They lose the tiebreaker to Vandy, so they’ll still need to win two of their final three games to clinch second place outright. After tonight’s game in Knoxville, Georgia closes out the regular season with a home date against Auburn on Thursday and then a rematch with Florida in Gainesville on Sunday.

Georgia comes into the game winners of four of their last five. Tennessee hasn’t lost since December 14th, but they’ve had a few close calls recently against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. If Tennessee has a weakness, it’s been slow starts and poor shooting. What Georgia and any other opponent has to watch out for is relentless defensive pressure and dominant rebounding. Even if Tennessee’s shots aren’t falling, they can create offense off of turnovers, and they’ll create second and third chances for themselves.

Georgia’s biggest job will be on the glass, and that won’t be easy against a team 4th in the nation in rebounding margin. Tennessee has good size up front, and that could be a problem for Georgia’s undersized frontcourt. Tamika Willis, at 6’2″, might be called into action against a lineup that features the 6’6″ Kelley Cain along with several other players 6’2″ or taller.

The Lady Dogs had perhaps their most complete effort of the season last Thursday against Kentucky. Suffocating defense kept the Wildcats from getting into what they do well on offense, and the Georgia offense was extremely effective breaking down the UK press. They’ll need another strong performance on defense at Tennessee. We can expect a good bit of zone to try to counter Tennessee’s size, so perimeter defense will be key. As good as Tennessee is at interior defense, Georgia’s going to have to have their jumpshots falling. They’re going to need big nights from Miller, Mitchell, and Armstrong on the wings to loosen things up inside.

This can’t be a good sign for the health of the 2011 Hartman Fund campaign: the deadline for donations passed on the 15th of February as always, but they’re apparently still accepting donations.

Let’s get this out of the way – the Dawgs didn’t kill their postseason chances in last night’s loss to Vanderbilt. Bubble teams can and do lose to better teams, and the bracketology calculus knows that. Even if Georgia was a prohibitive favorite, it’s ridiculous to say that Georgia lost a game they should have expected to win.

No, what hurt is another missed opportunity to help erase the doubt and end the speculation about Georgia’s postseason. That didn’t happen, and with chances running out for significant wins, that uncertainty will likely be there right through Selection Sunday.

Let’s also get this out of the way – the Dawgs didn’t lose because of the refs. Mark Fox can throw his end-of-game tantrum to whatever end, and the crowd that’s never seen a correct call made against Georgia can boo and throw things. They were the same refs when Georgia was building its 14-point lead, and they didn’t put a lid on Georgia’s basket the final eight minutes of the game.

Vandy won the same way they did in Nashville: turn Georgia into a jumpshooting team and control the paint. Festus Ezeli scored just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, but it was his 12 rebounds and 7 blocks that set the tone inside. Price and Barnes had 9 points and just 5 rebounds between them. The Commodores were equally effective shutting down Trey Thompkins who finished with 8 points. Meanwhile, Vandy played to their strengths on the perimeter, finally got the shots falling, and learned how to close out a game on the road.

For the second-straight game, Georgia led at halftime thanks in large part to a sluggish start by their opponent. Vandy did a little better than South Carolina’s 9 points, but the visitors were just 8-of-37 (22%) in the first half. Yet Georgia led by only six at the break. They extended that lead thanks to an early second half run, but the outside shots soon stopped falling. Georgia’s streaky success outside temporarily masked the fact that they couldn’t play to their strengths inside, and they didn’t have much to fall back on as Vanderbilt made their run.

It’s pretty clear now that Georgia isn’t going to transform into a beast of a team with a ton of momentum heading into the postseason. Thompkins is banged up, and the book is out on everyone else with few signs of improvement over the past month. The rest of the season is going to be a mix of frustration, occasional brilliance, and still more close finishes. They lack a go-to player for those close finishes, and that also won’t change down the stretch. Georgia still has legitimate NCAA Tournament hopes, and we’re just going to have to grind out these last few games and see which ones the Dawgs can take.

Georgia’s Student Government Association has backed a plan that could “result in disqualification for post-season tickets and tickets for the following season” for students if their football tickets go unused. Several games during the disappointing 2010 season saw huge vacant gaps in the student section, and the goal of this proposal is to put those tickets in the hands of freshmen and others lower on the priority list who would use them.

The plan would allow students to transfer tickets directly to another student or contribute them back to a ticket bank by Thursday of a game week. Students who don’t use their tickets or don’t contribute them would receive a penalty point. Three such points would lead to disqualification for future tickets.