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Making the Big Dance is Not as Hard as the Gamecocks Make it Seem

ipull4usc

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2003
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I took a look at UGA's schedule this year. They were a 10 seed, which means that they were pretty comfortably in the field. Check out their schedule linked below:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/61/georgia-bulldogs

There's nothing particularly impressive about that schedule. UGA's only wins over a tourney team were 2 close wins over Ole Miss. That's it. Those two wins are the only wins of note on the schedule.

I have seen nothing this season to suggest that UGA is a significantly better basketball team than South Carolina. USC had a more difficult non-conference schedule and had more impressive non-conference wins.

The only difference between UGA and USC: UGA had a lot less losses to mediocre and crappy teams.

If Carolina can just beat the mediocre teams on our schedule we can make the Big Dance. Contrary to what it seems, we don't have to have a once-in-a-decade talent-stocked superteam just to squeak into the Big Dance. This year's UGA team was nothing special at all and they made the Dance.
 
I agree, UGA was really only middle-of-the-road, and that's all you really need to make the Dance. All we really need is a little more consistency from our guys and we'll be in. I think we're closer to being the team that knocked off Iowa State than we are to the team that blew a 15 point lead against Vandy. Just have to learn to play our best for the full forty minutes, every night.
 
The other factor is GA was 11-7 in the conference. You won't go to the tournament with a losing conference record. At least not in the SEC.
 
Point well made. Georgia had two "bad losses" to us and still made the tournament.

Our biggest problem was end of games, when, for the most part, we were terrible. Even in games we won, we struggled to finish: Brian Steele fouling a 3 point shooter against Mizzou and Duane Notice doing the same thing against Ole Miss are two examples. If we can start closing out games better, we will make the tournament next season.
 
On 12/31/11 Utah lost to Colorado 33-73. The Utes finished 6-25 that season under a first year head coach. Fast forward to today, they're in the Sweet 16. Unbelievable. It's not like Utah is some hotbed of high school basketball talent.
 
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