In one of the most eye-opening games of the year for the 11-5 Georgia Bulldogs, they faced one of their SEC foes, the 11-5 Florida Gators. Before the game began the surging Gators had won 24 straight games against SEC opponents which dated back to March 17, 2013.
The Gators might’ve had a bit of a picture of who Georgia was, but had no idea what they were in for playing against a team in Georgia that previously shot 10-for-17 from the three-point line for 58 percent in a 70-67 win against Vanderbilt inside of Memorial Gymnasium.
The game began and Georgia introduced Florida to the inside of Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia’s forward Marcus Thornton got the action started by hitting a jump shot. Then point guard J.J. Frazier hit two three-point daggers.
After Frazier went on his early shooting barrage, Georgia’s other guard Kenny Gaines also contributed by hitting a three-point field goal and Georgia started the game on an 11-0 run.
The team that the Florida Gators though that Georgia was, was not the team they played against. This Georgia team was better than anyone, including Florida, expected. Georgia never trailed in this game and went on to defeat Florida 73-61. In their victory they started to make people begin to ask the question, how good really is this Georgia team?
The Georgia Bulldogs 2015 NCAA tournament hopes might be on the bubble at the moment, but they have one of the best chances to make the 2015 NCAA tournament. The way that they have started to play offense this season is really exciting to watch, and difficult to play against.
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With that being said, why aren’t more people starting to pay attention to this Georgia Bulldogs basketball team?
They are scary good and scary talented, and if someone believes when they play against Georgia that they will roll over and lay on their back, then they are going to get a big surprise, because this basketball team is really good.
The Heart & Soul
The Georgia Bulldogs have one of the most balanced teams within the SEC. On the year they have four players averaging double figure points and a total of six players who average at least five points or more per game.
However, Georgia is led by one of their senior leaders, forward Marcus Thornton. Thornton’s per game averages are awesome as he ranks first on the team in points with 13.9, first in rebounds with 7.5, third in steals with 1.0, second in blocks 1.1, and is third in field goal percentage shooting 52 percent from the floor.
Watch a Georgia basketball game and it’s hard to miss Thornton’s presence. He’s the person on the floor who’s getting his teammates hype, and amped up to play. Thornton is the one who’s going to attempt that momentum shifting dunk, or the person who’s going to climb the ladder for a game changing block. If Thornton’s playing well then it’s difficult to defeat Georgia.
Some of the notable games he’s had on the year include:
- 17 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks vs. Florida Atlantic
- 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block vs. Chattanooga
- 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals vs. Mercer
- 16 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block vs. LSU
In these four games, Georgia had a 3-1 record.
In an interview with Seth Emerson of the Ledger-Enquirer, the Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox said this about his senior, Marcus Thornton:
“With Marcus healthy and confident, we’re different….It’s just good to see him healthy and playing so well.”
Backcourt Brawlers
In addition to Thornton’s presence on the court, what truly makes Georgia special is the way that they use their three-headed guard lineup to cause havoc on their opponents with J.J Frazier, Kenny Gaines, and Charles Mann.
Frazier is the least known of the three guards and his role is the spark plug of the team. Frazier starts games making sure that he’s not being passive offensively and to make sure that he’s ready to score when the defense gives him an opportunity.
From the three-point line Frazier is shooting 39 percent, but with the evidence of his great shooting recently (going 3-for-4 vs. Florida, 1-for-1 vs. Vanderbilt) that number is going to gradually increase during conference play.
Gaines on the other hand has the role to facilitate the offense and make sure Georgia gets good shots. Gaines on the year is shooting 47 percent from the floor and he wisely picks and chooses when he starts to get aggressive within the offensive scheme. Even though Gaines is more of a scoring guard, he still has playmaking ability and is averaging 12.4 points, and 2.1 assists per game.
As for Georgia’s best player, and face of the team, Mann, his role is to dominate the basketball and destroy any person on the opposing team who feels they can guard him. Mann is the person out of the three guards who gets the most attention and rightfully so, he’s one of the sleeper picks for the SEC Player of the Year.
Mann ranks very well within Georgia’s offense as he is third on the team in scoring, second in rebounds, and first in assists per game.
But as good as Mann is, without Gaines and Frazier he wouldn’t be having a successful season.
After Georgia’s dismantling of the Florida Gators, it’s time to keep paying attention to their team. We can overlook the tough 87-84 loss to LSU that they suffered in double overtime. We can even look over the 79-75 loss they had to Arkansas, who at the time was ranked No. 23 in college basketball.
Moving forward, teams such as Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Alabama need to get nervous because this Georgia team is really good.
Don’t believe? Then go ask the Florida Gators what they think about Georgia.