Coach Mark Fox takes timeout during Georgia’s game with the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 in Athens, Ga. (Photo by John Kelley)
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Welcome to the Bulldawg Illustrated Hoops Report. We distort, you decide. It’s time to crank up SEC play. Unfortunately if the last two games are any indication of where the Dawgs are, we may not be ready. While both games were wins, we looked out of sorts on offense. I know you shouldn’t complain about winning at Kansas State no matter how you look, but it was very ugly basketball. Kansas State scored 12 points in the first half and we still almost lost. Then this past Saturday, we played a bad team at home and again looked liked we weren’t really into it. If not for heroics from JJ Frazier, we would have lost to Norfolk State. That would’ve been a disastrous loss as they’re ranked 148 in the RPI.
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Now, we have Arkansas coming to town. They were in many Top 25 preseason polls and are currently 30th in the RPI rankings. I assure you if we play like we have in the past two games, we will receive our first home loss of the season. But before we discuss that, let’s talk about last Saturday.
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Arkansas is a really good team that recently has played bad on the road. Last year, I think they won three road games. The year before that was even less. This year they beat a really good SMU team by six 78-72 and are 1-2 on the road. So I hope that was the exception and not the new rule. They’re led by All-SEC selection Bobby Portis. He’s averaging 17 points and eight boards a game. They have a solid supporting cast and we will not be able to sleepwalk to a victory. We will need Kenny Gaines to step up like he did last year in SEC play. I think he will. He’s a baller. Charles Mann has to start hitting his free throws because of how often he ends up at the line. We must get something out of Juwan Parker or give Kenny Paul Geno a try. I wish Nemi Djurisic could be more consistent. JJ Frazier and Marcus Thornton just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing for most of the season. If we can get these guys to achieve these standards, we’re going to be a tough match-up for most SEC teams. If we continue to get single digits from Gaines and less the 5.8 a game and 22% from three point land from Parker, then we’re looking at the NIT again.
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Here we are. I’ve been telling people for weeks if we can go at least 2-2 in our first four SEC games that I think we’ll make the NCAA Tournament. This game is the most important in my opinion since it’s a home. We need a loud crowd. These guys have been really good at home the last three years despite very tepid support. I mean it’s a7 p.m. game on ESPN. What more do you need? Here’s what you need to do. Leave work on Tuesday around 3 p.m. It should be 55 degrees and sunny. Find a nice deck and knock back a few cold beers. Then roll on into the Stegasaurus and get your cheer on. We’ve been a little disjointed offensively of late. But a raucous and rowdy crowd might be just what’s needed to kickstart this offense. Don’t be one of the people who bitch about not going to games because of how bad the product is and then not show up when things start going good. Be one of the fans that are actually there. It’s cheap entertainment and really helps our guys. Go Dawgs!
