Georgia Bulldogs blasted by George Washington, 73-55

Dec 28, 2013; Boulder, CO, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox calls out an offensive series to his player in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into Friday night’s tilt in Washington DC against the George Washington Colonials, Georgia wasn’t “expected” to win by the experts, but the small factor of being the underdog didn’t hide them from a fairly embarrassing showing in an 18-point defeat.

On the “bright” side, the Dawgs actually outshot GW in the game (46% to just under 44% for the home team), but that’s where the advantages stopped in the 73-55 defeat. Georgia shot themselves in the foot time and time again, turning the ball over 20 times, combining with a 36-30 rebounding disadvantage to give the Colonials 7 additional shot attempts and 13 more free throws to kill the Dawgs with extra possessions.

Little-used forward Cameron Forte was the lone bright spot for UGA on this night, shooting 7-for-7 for 14 points and 8 rebounds, but unfortunately, his effort wasn’t complimented by any member of the starting five. Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann (also known as the starting backcourt) shot a combined 7-for-21 in the game, and only Marcus Thornton (4-for-8 from the field) shot at 50% or greater to support Forte.

It would be unfair to blame the performance entirely on Mark Fox’s club, simply because George Washington was the significantly better team on this night. The Colonials looked to be more prepared, more physical, and arguably more talented than the “major conference” representative in Georgia, and if that isn’t a knock on the state of the program, I’m not sure what is.

Mark Fox and company will have some soul-searching to do after this, but at 6-6, they have no time to waste, as SEC play opens at Missouri on Wednesday night.