Coming into the season, most thought that Georgia had NCAA tournament potential.
After all, with star players like JJ Frazier and Yante Maten leading the way, it appeared that the Bulldogs finally had the roster to get back to the Big Dance for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
But things didn’t come together in Athens. Mark Fox’s team finished with a 19-14 record overall and went 9-9 in the SEC, but it wasn’t enough for a NCAA tournament bid due to a lack of quality wins.
The up and down nature of Georgia’s season caused many to speculate about Fox’s future as the team’s head coach, but athletic director Greg McGarity shot down those rumors and reiterated that Fox would stay with the Bulldogs.
Now it’s just a matter of Fox and company making progress in a more competitive SEC.
“What we’ve tried to do is reestablish our competitive level within the league,” he said on Monday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “If you could have a winning record in the league or be .500 in the league, it used to assure you of almost an NCAA bid.
“But the league has lost a little respect, and now you’ve gotta be a little better than that.”
Another team that’s disappointed about its postseason placement is Georgia’s opponent on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Belmont finished as the OVC regular season champion yet again, but for the second straight year, lost its first game in the OVC tournament. The Bruins were upset by eventual winner Jacksonville State in this year’s tournament, which landed Rick Byrd’s team an NIT rematch with the Bulldogs.
Georgia won last year’s high-scoring NIT meeting between the two teams, with the Bulldogs scoring a 93-84 victory in the first round.
Despite the irony of meeting yet again, Fox understands the challenges of facing a team like Belmont.
“Coach Byrd reached out to me last night and joked that they must not have checked last year’s bracket,” Fox said. “But you’re gonna play against good teams in this tournament, and Belmont is a team that’s played extremely well.”
“Had they not been upset in their conference tournament, they’d be a team that everyone would talk about being a Cinderella in the NCAA tournament.”
The Bruins are led by OVC Player of the Year Evan Bradds, who averaged 20.6 points per game and 8.6 rebounds. He also finished 15th in the nation in field goal percentage (63.4%) after finishing first a season ago.
Another key to Belmont’s success? Three-point shooting. Byrd’s squad was ninth in the nation with 10 three-pointers made per game, which will certainly be a challenge for the Bulldogs heading into the game.
“I don’t think you’re ever excited to play a Rick Byrd team because they’re so complete and they shoot the ball so well,” Fox said. “This team has experience, they understand how to win, and they’ve only lost two games since Christmas.”
If Georgia is able to cruise past the Bruins for a second year in a row, it may allow it an opportunity to continue the building process.
The Bulldogs lost the NIT Second Round game last season to St. Mary’s, but with Frazier and Maten combining to form one of the best inside-out duos in the entire country, Fox is hoping that his team is moving closer towards becoming an NCAA tournament regular.
“I think that we’re close and obviously we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t make it,” he said. “But we didn’t check enough of the boxes.”
“I don’t think that we’re that far away. We’ve gotta improve a few things to make that next step.”