Georgia Enters SEC Tournament Tonight

Georgia basketball plays Missouri in the second round of the SEC Tournament Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Georgia basketball mounts its last offensive towards the NCAA Tournament tonight against Missouri.

The Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 10 seed and with a 14-11 overall record, an SEC Championship is their only way into the NCAA Tournament. Being a No. 10 seed, odds are against them, but their route could be worse.

Georgia's first opponent, No. 7 Missouri, is a team in shambles. After spending much of the year in the AP Top 25, the Tigers collapsed during the final month, losing five of their last seven games. Georgia was one of the teams that beat Missouri. The Bulldogs came from behind to win 80-70 in Athens on February 16.

After Missouri, Georgia's route gets significantly harder. If Georgia beats Missouri, it'll play No. 2 seed Arkansas on Friday. The Razorbacks destroyed Georgia 99-69 on January 9. However, that game took place before K.D. Johnson was declared eligible to play. 

Arkansas is truly one of the best teams in the SEC. After an ugly 2-4 start in conference play, the Razorbacks recovered to win 11 of their last 12 games. They also managed to avenge three of its four losses from that ugly start. Arkansas's awesome run boosted it to No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

Possible semifinal opponents

No. 3 LSU: The Tigers might be one of the best teams in the SEC, but they haven't had an easy time with the lowly Georgia Bulldogs. LSU won the first meeting 94-92 in overtime thanks in part to a controversial officiating decision. Georgia got revenge in the second game, totally outplaying the Tigers on route to a 91-78 victory.

No. 6 Ole Miss: If not for Georgia, Ole Miss might already have a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The 15-10 rebels have two ugly losses to the Bulldogs keeping it on the tournament bubble. The Rebels didn't look particularly good in either loss, a stark contrast to the rest of their schedule. Ole Miss swept Missouri and even has a win over Tennessee.

No. 11 South Carolina: For all the positives Georgia basketball had this season, the negatives still stand out most. The biggest negative is getting swept by a mediocre South Carolina team. The Gamecocks failed to win consecutive SEC games and lost eight of their last nine games. The one game they won in that span was against Georgia. Georgia would feel a lot better about the season and its tournament hopes without those two hideous losses.

Possible SEC Championship Game opponents

• No. 1 Alabama
• No. 4 Tennessee
• No. 5 Florida
• No. 7 Kentucky
• No. 9 Mississippi State
• No. 12 Vanderbilt

Alabama is the class of the SEC this year. The Crimson Tide only suffered two losses in SEC play, both against ranked opponents. Tennessee had a topsy-turvy season and three bad losses in February dropped it out of the Top 25. 

Unexplainable losses to South Carolina and Kentucky kept the Gators from a bye in the second-round. The Gators made up for those losses with wins over Tennessee, LSU and a No. 10 ranked West Virginia squad in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Kentucky and Mississippi State suffered their worst seasons in recent memory this year. Mississippi State still managed to defeat Georgia, Missouri and Florida. Kentucky is a cautionary tale against relying on one-and-done players. The COVID-19 pandemic hurt the team's preparation and it showed with a 9-15 overall record.

Vanderbilt enters the tournament as the No. 12 seed, but that's only because Auburn is ineligible and Texas A&M only played 10 SEC games. With a 3-13 conference record, the Commodores are the worst team in the SEC.