Georgia Bulldogs drop close game to Arkansas Razorbacks, 79-75

The Georgia Bulldogs played their first SEC game of the season Tuesday night, and it just happened to be against the No. 23 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The Dawgs versus the Hogs.Normally, that’s a mismatch in favor of Arkansas, who usually fields a good basketball program every year. But this year the Dawgs kept it close before they were finally defeated at the end 79-75.

Dawgs guard Kenny Gaines has been a key part of this offense for several years now, along with forward Nemanja Djurisic and guard Charles Mann. When those three players are on their game, the Georgia offense is tough to stop. When two or more of them get really hot? Georgia can put up 40+ points in a half. Both Gaines and Djurisic combined for 19 points and 7 rebounds in the first half, while the Georgia team shot over 57% from the floor to lead Arkansas at the half 44-37.

Arkansas really started pressing the Dawgs in the second half, and forcing them to make some bad decisions in the back court. Also, the Razorbacks began to play the inside out game of penetration and kicking to the open man for the three. The Dawgs struggled defensively to keep up with Arkansas, but they held their own through an early onslaught by getting to the line and nailing a few threes of their own.

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But the game kept see-sawing back and forth on a seven point lead. Like a couple of canines fighting over a chew toy, both teams just kept yanking back and forth hoping the other one would step back and yield. After Georgia found itself in the bonus with over ten minutes left in the game, Arkansas really struck hard. The game drew even at 61 points, mostly because the Dawgs went ice cold from the floor.

It just kept getting worse and worse, like watching a stuffed animal get ripped apart in front of your eyes. The Dawgs couldn’t make anything, and the Razorbacks poured it on. With a minute to go, the Dawgs were down by 4 points and looking for a miracle. A miracle that never showed up. The Dawgs missed a wild shot on one end, the Hogs dunked in their faces on the other. That would put the game away in a very disappointing fashion.

There’s not much you can hope for as a fan when the team goes seven minutes at a stretch without a field goal. That’s how Arkansas crept back in the game. The Dawgs finish with 45% from the floor, 9-20 from 3-point land, and a paltry 16-24 from the charity stripe. The missed free throws really cost them late.

Next up, the Dawgs take on LSU on the road. Hopefully, they can rebound quickly from this tough loss. Don’t miss it!

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