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Georgia Bulldogs to play Mizzou after worst loss of Fox era

By John Buhler

Jan 16, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs players react on the bench near the end of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Texas A&M defeated Georgia 79-45. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs players react on the bench near the end of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Texas A&M defeated Georgia 79-45. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Georgia Bulldogs hope to put last Saturday’s horrible loss behind them when they take on the Missouri Tigers again, this time in Columbia, Missouri.

The Georgia Bulldogs will take to the hardwood for the first time since their embarrassing debacle at home on Saturday to then No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies, 79-45, when they travel to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers for the second time this season.

UGA’s loss at home to Texas A&M was the worst loss of the Mark Fox era in Athens (2009-present) and the Dawgs hope that all of their bad play is out of their system before their next SEC game.

While the Georgia Bulldogs have already defeated the Missouri Tigers this season, 77-59 on January 6th at Stegeman Coliseum, Wednesday night would make for a great time for the Dawgs to get their first road win of the 2015-16 NCAA season. UGA is 9-6 on the year and 2-3 in SEC play, with all nine wins having come at Stegeman Coliseum.

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Missouri enters Wednesday with an 8-9 record in a season that won’t have any opportunities for postseason play, as the Missouri athletic department decided to cancel the Tigers’ potential tournament hopes due to the ongoing NCAA investigation stemming from former head coach Frank Haith’s final season in Columbia in 2013-14.

The Georgia Bulldogs need to figure out how to both win on the road and play better against strong SEC teams if the Dawgs want any hope to make the NCAA Tournament. That home loss to Texas A&M severely harms the Dawgs’ chances at this point in the season. Perhaps even three straight seasons of 20 wins is now in jeopardy for head coach Mark Fox’s team, as both issues have ultimately plagued this team in their first 15 games.

To rectify the team after its worst performance in seven seasons, the Georgia Bulldogs need to get back to the three things that they do very well as a basketball team to get their once-promising season back on track:

1.) The Dawgs need to establish a low post presence early and often on offense, using sophomore Yante Maten and freshman Derek Ogbeide‘s obvious athleticism to their advantage over a struggling Missouri team.

2.) Georgia needs to dictate the pace of the game by focusing on commanding the defensive glass and fight for second-chance opportunities while on offense.

3.) When all else fails, the Georgia Bulldogs still have a trio of lethal go-to scorers in the starting backcourt in junior J.J. Frazier, senior Kenny Gaines, and senior Charles Mann. Anyone of those three upperclassmen is more than capable of taking over the UGA offense in this SEC road game.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs outclassed by TAMU at home, 79-45

Should the Dawgs do two of these three things, then the team should have no issue getting to its 10th win on the year and getting back to .500 in conference play. Tipoff for this game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena is at 7:00 PM ET and the game will air on the SEC Network. Go Dawgs!

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