Georgia Bulldogs vs Auburn: Valentine’s Day Memories
The Georgia Bulldogs will travel to Auburn for their last game of the regular season, and memories of the last Valentine’s Day will be in the air, and hopefully erased!
Back on February 14, 2014, many of you were little concerned about Georgia Bulldog basketball. That was Valentine’s Day, and if you were smart, you were tending to the passions and emotional stability of your significant other.
The Bulldogs were playing basketball that day though, and Auburn showed little love for our beloved Georgia Dawgs! In what was then and now deemed an upset, the Auburn Tigers walked away from Athens, GA with a 69-68 win.
Georgia Bulldogs
For the final regular game of the 2014 Georgia Bulldog’s basketball season, they’ll have a golden opportunity to get some revenge for that loss, end the season with a respectable SEC record of 11-7, and an overall record of 20-10.
That will go a long way toward bettering their chances for a berth in the NCAA Tournament, and possible March Madness glory!
Anything can happen this time of year of course, but I’m confident the Bulldogs will be able to avenge their earlier loss to Auburn.
That confidence comes because of two key points: how well Georgia played against Kentucky most recently, and the fact that Auburn (12-18 overall, 3-14 conference) have lost their last five in a row. Of course, that can also make Auburn hungry and scrappy against an SEC opponent.
The Georgia Bulldogs had been on a mini-roll, winning three games in a row. That mini-streak was ruined of course by powerhouse Kentucky last Tuesday with a 72-64 loss, but the Bulldogs played Kentucky extremely tough in the first half, and a few falters led to the Bulldogs undoing.
Their strength in that game bodes well facing Auburn today, bodes a bit better for the NCAA Tournament chances, and bodes really well if they can manage to get that double bye for the SEC Tournament. It’s that last one they’ll need some help with.
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I won’t bother going into which teams are where, and what has to happen step-by-step.
All you need to know as a fan is that to secure that 4th seed spot and a double bye in next week’s SEC Tournament, your Georgia Bulldogs need a win today at Auburn, and LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M need to lose.
The 3rd place Texas A&M Aggies (20-9 overall, 11-6 conference) MUST lose their home game against the visiting Alabama Crimson Tide! While many see that as a longshot, remember that the Tide beat the Aggies back on January 6th by 21 points! Granted that was played in Tuscaloosa, but this is one “upset” we might see.
Ole Miss will be playing at home against the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores. Ole Miss sits in fourth place in the SEC with an overall 20-10 record and a conference record of 11-6. Vandy on the other hands sits in seventh place just behind Georgia with an 18-12 overall, but an 8-9 in conference.
LSU will travel to face the 2nd place Arkansas Razorbacks who sit at 24-6 overall, and 13-4 in conference play.
While LSU is more likely to lose, it’s unlikely that Ole Miss will, so even if we factor another Tide upset over the Aggies in, the chances of Georgia securing that double bye 4th seed spot is a reach.
Stranger things have happened, and of course our Bulldogs will still be headed to the SEC Tournament, but it would just so nice to get that double bye!
Another problem the Georgia Bulldogs may have in all these scenarios we struggle to wrap our head around, is that Kenny Gaines reportedly suffered a foot injury during practice on Thursday.
According to a report by Seth Emerson of the Ledger-Enquirer….
"Gaines has a “slight sprain” and is day-to-day, according to head coach Mark Fox. The good news is there is “nothing broken, nothing torn,” according to Fox, who wouldn’t peg the chances that Gaines would play Saturday.“I’m not an oddsmaker,” Fox said. “We’ll see how his body feels, recovers, responds. Day-to-day, I don’t know how to place odds on that, I really don’t.”"
Game Details
- Date and Time: This afternoon, March 7, 2014 @ 4 PM EST
- Place: Auburn Arena, Auburn, AL.
- Broadcast: The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
My Prediction
Despite the earlier season loss by the Georgia Bulldogs to the Auburn Tigers, I predict the Dawgs to avenge that loss, and take this game somewhere around 75-65.
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Dawn of the Dawg
As for how the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament will shape up, I just don’t see all the pieces falling into place for Georgia this year to get that 4th seed and double bye, but I remain hopeful.
That aside, I still firmly believe that outside of Kentucky and Arkansas, the Georgia Bulldogs will be the team to beat in the SEC Tournament! They are by far the 3rd toughest team, and so they could upset in both tournaments ultimately. Let’s stay positive!
Check back often for our upcoming preview of what you can expect for the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament.