Three separate forces converged on Georgia in their first round loss to Xavier. The Bulldog offense fell to pieces in the second half resulting in a nine minute stretch with only three points. That problem was compounded by "Refs Gone Wild" as the officiating crew awarded 33 free throws to Xavier while the Dawgs only shot five. And lastly, Xavier is really damn good defensively.
But none of that matters right now. All that matters is that Georgia just completed one of the greatest weeks in Bulldog basketball history.
The team will open the season next year with two important lines added to the banners hanging above the score board. We'll add one for SEC Tournament Champions, and we'll add another for NCAA 1st and 2nd Rounds. Any season that ends with two more banners on the wall is a good season.
The only other thing left to say is "Thank You" to Dave Bliss and Sundiata Gaines.
See Also:
-- Felton's team shows heart - AJC
-- Honoring Gaines - AJC
PWD
16 comments:
Congrats to the dawgs. I was watching online on ESPN and it seemed everyone was against us again... announcers, fans, refs. In the first half it looked like thats how we liked it. But intense pressure (and some HIGHLY curious no-calls) on Gaines shut our offense down. I hope those refs lose sleep over this because they killed one of the best basketball stories of the year when it should have continued.
Great summation, PWD. Obviously, no one wanted this ride to end, and there's certainly no shame in losing to a #3 seed. However, it broke my heart for these guys. This team earned the respect and the love of the Bulldog Nation for years to come, and has put Georgia Basketball back into the hearts and minds of their fans. Yata and Bliss, you guys are heroes.....
I echo my colleague Mickey in his entirety. PWD, will there be any chance for fans to greet the team when they make it back from DC? It's one thing to gather around the team bus and say "thank you" after huge wins, but it's another to gather around the team after a rough loss and say the same.
i still feel like giving these guys a parade. what an end to a regular season.
Seconded, thirded, fourthed. It was a tough loss but still a great effort from a team most people figured wouldn't come within a hundred miles of an NCAA tournament game. Thanks, fellas, for a great end to the season.
It is definitely a proud moment for Dawg fans. Maybe, this will get Bulldawg Nation to back our beloved Dawgs more. Turning from the pretty to the ugly, the ref crew ruined a good ballgame. Oh well, SEC Champs we are!
Go Dawgs!
it wasnt the refs fault XAvier had made 20 FT with 50 seconds left. So the last 7 is an inflation. But that stat is indicative to how tired the Dawgs were they stopped driving the lane where Xavier had 4 forwards and 4 guards who kept driving and getting fouled.
Many thanks to Yata and Bliss for great leadership and effort in their career and certainly in this late run. They deserved this ride in the post season. I have to disagree with some of the guys on here though talking about the refs. There were some questionable calls, the block by Bliss for one, but by in large it was a case of UGA not running ANY offense or taking the ball to the hole in order to create contact. Our guys were grabbing and holding on defense with tired legs. I just hope CDF can magically find a way to implement something that resembles an offense in the future.
as far as Felton's offense goes: that comes down to one thing, to me--has he had a true shooter or two on the team? We've had streaky shooters, but not enough of those 20 ppg folks.
If this recruiting class is as good as advertised and the kids coming back continue to improve (or just play like they did this past week for a full season)...could be good times.
I had to go back to work after the first half. I just found out. I feel like I got punched in the stomach, but it isn't that bad, because we should have a pretty good young team next year. Losing I had to go back to work after the first half. I just found out. I feel like I got punched in the stomach, but it isn't that bad, because we should have a pretty good young team next year. Losing Bliss and Gaines will be tough, but I hope the boys can keep up the momentum in the off-season, go to class, and not have knives in the dorms. Seriously, this is the first time in a long time that I really want next season to be here already. These are kind of strange (but good) times to be a dawg fan. Hopefully the diamond dawgs can make it to CWS this year.
Runs like this one over such great adversity is the stuff of cheesy Hollywood minds. Death of a beloved teammate, strict academic policies, top two scorers kicked off the team, other schollied players leaving on their own, tornado, and a lot of fan apathy...these guys have dealt with a lot in the past couple of years, and to keep fighting 'till the very end is the type of thing that will be remembered for a long time and will become a stepping stone for other great Georgia teams.
Much props for Yata, Bliss and the rest of the Dawgs. I guarantee attendance next year will be much higher because of this run, and we'll have a better team. Our guys have had a taste of the 'big time' and will want to go back for more, guys like AJax, Price, Barnes and Swansey will keep improving and our freshmen should be pretty good.
Let's get a good schedule, plenty of fan support, and a commit from Favors! Can't wait for next year, and thanks for the memories fellas! What a ride!
That was a fun ride. How long has it been since we even cared during March Madness? I hoped, I rooted, I yelled. This was the best Thursday I've had in a long, long while. Come home you Hoop-Dawgs; we'll never forget you guys.
"I'm just glad I was able to help get Georgia back to the NCAA tournament before I left," Gaines said. "I don't think anybody is going to forget this team. I know that I won't."
Did anybody else not get a damn thing done at work today?
Hell Andy, I didn't even GO to work today!
The team gave us a wonderful week. Thank you to all the fans who supported the team. It proves that we can support our basketball much like we support out football. Personally, if UGA is playing tiddly winks, I am tailgating 2 hours before and going nuts (ok, a bit of an exaggeration). I support ALL our school sports. For too long, we have been cast as a school that only supports one sport. My only hope is that this enthusiasm carries over into next year. THAT is how you, as a fan, can contribute to a program's climb.
One day< ican only dream of a year where we dominate in EVERY sport!!
Great job Felton...great job team! Next year, another SEC title and sweet 16 berth.
Having said that...let's root for the ladies now.
By the way, anybody tailgating for the G-Day game? I am making it a doubleheader (more like splitting time) with the diamond dogs taking on the shamecocks at 4:00.
Poor T.O. usage as well, but that's neither her nor there.
Great run by the Dawgs. You know we've captured everyone's attention when the UF, SCU, and Tosu co-workers start talking trash on UGA. Better to be noticed than ignored.
Let the Big Dawg eat!
"Gaines is taking 20 hours this semester and is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in Sociology. He said he hopes to play professional basketball but says he's ready for the next chapter, whatever it turns out to be.
'I'm just glad I was able to help get Georgia back to the NCAA tournament before I left,' Gaines said. 'I don't think anybody is going to forget this team. I know that I won't.'"
Damn. Good. Dawg.
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