Welcome to the Bulldawg Illustrated Hoops Report. It’s a sunny place for disgruntled people.

Well our Dawgs now sit at 8-3 and and we’re ranked 13th and 27th in the ESPN RPI and BPI respectively. After a disappointing football season, maybe we’re a basketball school now. We just edged a lower tier team in Kansas State, but it’s still a road win against the best conference in basketball. One major positive to beating them is their opportunity for big wins. They’ll play approximately 13 more games against ranked teams. They have two really good players. I don’t think there’s anyway they’ll go through their conference schedule without at least one major upset. That helps the Dawgs.

You know what else helps? Winning. And that’s what UGA has to focus on right now.

We have Norfolk State coming up. They’ve not beaten many teams you’ve ever heard of. But just like Mercer, we’re not good enough to look past anyone. Hopefully, things go according to plan and we finish the out-of-conference schedule 9-3. I’ll explain why that’s a must in a moment but first let’s talk about Manhattan! Kansas, that is.

K State and UGA both came out flat, but it was obvious K State had the most holiday rust to shake off. They had seven turnovers in the first seven minutes if my memory serves. And while the Dawgs were pretty cold, K State was downright awful. They scored 12 points in the first half which was the lowest total ever in their home arena. We should’ve put them away but only mustered 20 first half points to take an eight point lead at the half. Our guys came out with some energy in the second half and things looked good. We built a 15 point lead at 35-20 with 12 minutes to go and I was about to start feeling good. Then, it happened. One of the announcers said now UGA is just looking for the blowout. As soon as I heard that, I knew things were about to change. They then went on a 26-8 run as almost as soon as the words left his mouth. Next thing you know, we’re down 46-43 with three minutes to play. Then after Marcus Thornton went one of two at the stripe and UGA played some solid defense, Nemi Djurisic hit a huge three with1:13 to play. After another miss by K-State, Djurisic went one of two from the line as well to give us a 48-46 lead. Charles Mann hit two FTs after another Wildcat miss to ice it and the Dawgs won another nail biter. It was ugly, but it was a road win. Plus, we don’t get rattled late at all. After blowing that huge lead, we immediately took the game right back and gave them back to back home losses for the first time in 31 years, I believe the announcers said.

Up next, Norfolk State. I assume they’re out of Virginia but really have to idea. I did see they were the Spartans. Outside of that, there’s really nothing to know other than this game is crucial for two reasons. First, UGA must avoid as many bad losses as it can. That’s a major factor in the committee room at the end of the year obviously. Second, I don’t like the way our SEC schedule opens so we need all the wins now we can get. I’d take 2-2 after the first four all day long. I know it’s early, but if we get to game five and don’t have a losing record in the SEC, this team will make the NCAA barring injuries. Mark Fox has done a good job at teaching UGA to win. I know I harp on this, but we have solid talent with a lot of experience. Call it the Mid Major Model if you like, but it’s our best recipe for success. Plus, we’re winning with Kenny Gaines doing less than his ability and Juwan Parker doing absolutely nothing. Charles Mann and Marcus Thornton are shouldering the load at this point. We need Gaines and Djurisic to join in the fun when conference play gets here. Gaines shot 47% beyond the arc last year in the SEC. We’re relying on similar numbers again.

So, one game left till the SEC fires up. It’s a must win vs. Norfolk State. While I know that sounds weird, it’s not. Let’s give these guys some love. I’ll tell you this, K State was getting plenty of loveWednesday in Manhattan from their people. Outside of that announcer jinxing us, that crowd really fueled their comeback. UGA could use that kind of support. It’s 2 pm at the Stegasuaruson Saturday. If you’re planning to be there, be loud. If you’re not, change your plans. It’s just that simple. Go Dawgs!