Georgia Basketball In A Crucial Road Game Tonight

The Georgia Bulldogs Men’s Basketball team (13-8) visit the maroon Bulldogs of Mississippi State. With nine games left in the regular season, it’s must win territory.

At (13-8, 4-5 SEC), the Georgia Basketball team (Men’s) has reached that all too familiar part of the season, in the Mark Fox era, where every single game matters and there are only nine games left. Every single year. It happens every single year. UGA goes down to Starkville tonight to face “the other” Bulldogs. It’s kind of one of those “must win” games.

A theme, right? These “must win” games. Well, that’s what happens when you go (1-5) in a stretch during the middle of the season. The consequence of that is that you have to win on the road. Which, is not easy. The other consequence of that is that you have to beat teams that are close to you in terms of numbers and production.

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These Bulldogs teams are pretty close to mirroring each other this year. Not in terms of personnel, but in terms of production and results. Record? UGA (13-8), MSU (16-6). Conference record? UGA (4-5), MSU (4-5).

When you drill down into the numbers, it gets even scarier how close these teams are. FG percentage? UGA (42.8), MSU (46.4). 3-PT FG percentage? UGA (31.6), MSU (29.9). PPG? UGA (69.4), MSU (74.3). PA? UGA (65.8), MSU (65.7).

So, when you look at the entire picture, MSU has been a tad bit better than has UGA. But, not decidedly so. And, certainly not demonstrably so. These teams are pretty close.

Georgia Basketball opened the season doing well, and going into SEC play, looked to be a team on the come up. Then they went (1-5). All that credit lost and maxed out. Now they’re pinching pennies to pay the bills.

By pinching pennies I mean trying to win away games in conference against teams who have been slightly better than you, thus far.

With nine games left in the regular season, and only four of them at home, and those four are not easy opponents, Georgia Basketball, in order to make the NCAA Tournament, has to win games like tonight’s match-up.

Technically, this game isn’t “must win”, necessarily. There are eight games left. But it is a penny pincher game, and chances are, you lose this one, and you’ll be out of money come time to pay the bills.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs Raise Ticket Prices And Fan Consternation

Tip is at 6 pm EDT. It’s a big one.