Welcome to the Bulldawg Illustrated Hoops Report for the 2017 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals game between Georgia and Kentucky. It’s like Michael Corleone when he says “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

 
 
And just when we were already to chalk the season up as a failure, we’re given a lifeline with a two-point win over Tennessee, 59-57. Then you add in the fact that Yante Maten pulled a quasi Willis Reed move and yanked off the knee brace, and all of a sudden, things get interesting. Now, it’s up to UGA and Kentucky to determine who makes the SEC Tournament Semi-Finals four straight years. No one else in the league has been to three straight. If the Dawgs win, they’ll have a 50/50 shot or better to make the tournament. If not, it’s NIT or bust!
 
 
I’m not going to talk much about this. If you’ve watched the Hoop Dawgs all season, you’ve known the heartache UK has given us not only this year and in past seasons too. If you don’t know, you’re not really a Hoop Dawgs fan and you’re probably looking for Etsy or LuluLemon and just clicked the wrong link. Recent history is good and bad here.
 
 
We’ve proved we can hang with UK. However, we’re also due to get beat down by them. So which way does it go? I don’t know, but I can give you the formula to win:
 
 
We need to hold them under 40% from the floor.
We have to commit less than 12 turnovers.
We need to hit over 80% from the FT line.
And lastly and most importantly, we’ve got to get the third scorer we’ve missed most all year.
 
 
They didn’t have an answer for Derek Ogbeide in Lexington. I think he scored a career high 24. We need someone to do that again. It doesn’t matter who, we just need someone.
 
 
I know things don’t look good. Big Blue is playing for a high seed and we’re playing to stay alive. Let’s just hope desperation is a motivator. And maybe just like Luca Brasi, UK’s hopes of a number one seed will be sleeping with the fishes tomorrow afternoon. Go Dawgs!
 
 

 
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