Whipping Florida Cures What Ails The Georgia Bulldogs
By W. M. Lawson
The Georgia Bulldogs (13-8) were on a massive losing streak heading into the game last night in Athens. Beating Florida will always cure what ails you.
Coach Mark Fox and the Georgia Bulldogs Men’s Basketball team found themselves in a place that former football Head Coach Mark Richt would’ve recognized: You need to beat Florida to keep your season, and possibly your job, alive. As 3.5 point underdogs at home, The Dawgs did just that, beating the Gators 72-60, and quite possibly kept their NCAA Tournament dreams alive.
Having gone (1-5) in their last 6 games, blowing double-digit leads in three of those games, UGA looked like it was done for. For all of the good things folks can say about Mark Fox, and his nine-year tenure at Georgia, one negative was that his teams always started out “slow”, and usually missed the NCAA Tournament because of a lack of out of conference wins of substance early in the season.
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This season it looked like that had been remedied. Then came the slide. Except this year it was in conference play. And it wasn’t just that they lost, it was how they were doing it. When your basketball team goes 6, 7, or 8 minutes without scoring in the 2nd half, and does it in multiple games to blow leads, you have issues. Serious issues.
The cacophonous crowd pointing to firing Fox was growing ever more loud. And there wasn’t much to be said from the opposite side of the argument. There is just no way to defend it. Except to beat Florida. And they did that.
UF is a Top 25 team, and one that is almost assuredly going to be “dancing” in March. The crowd at Stegeman showed up, and was treated to a little bit of that sweet medicine known as winning. It was an important win.
The verdict is still out about Fox’s future in Athens. The Administration seems to love him, as do his players. And, frankly, dude is good basketball coach.
But consistently missing the tournament just won’t cut it in Athens anymore. As one of the lone Damon Evans hold overs, Coach Fox, and his Dawgs, need to make post-season play.
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Last night kept that hope alive.