Georgia's NCAA Tournament Hopes Revived by Alabama Rematch

Georgia basketball hosts Alabama on March 6 in a game with huge SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament implications.

Georgia Basketball's NCAA Tournament hopes were seemingly squashed after losing to Florida last Saturday.

Despite beating LSU and Missouri, and sweeping Ole Miss, the Bulldogs didn't have enough good wins to make up for their bad losses. Georgia needed to at least play in the SEC championship game in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

Then on Thursday, the SEC granted the Bulldogs a second chance. Georgia now hosts No. 6 Alabama on March 6. Before then, Georgia hosts South Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 27. 

Georgia's meeting with Alabama is one of many make-up games scheduled by the SEC. Every team in the conference had at least one game postponed due to COVID-19. Georgia was originally scheduled to play Texas A&M on Feb. 10. The Aggies have only played eight conference games this year.

Alabama is one of the best teams in college basketball and an offensive juggernaut. An upset over Alabama would do wonders for Georgia's post-season hopes. 

For starters, the win would go a long way in fixing Georgia's NCAA Tournament resume. Beating Alabama won't be enough to get Georgia off the bubble. However, a quality win in round two of the SEC tourney and another upset in round three should earn Georgia a lower seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Second, being able to play 18 SEC games and potentially finish 9-9 in conference play could make Georgia's route to the SEC championship game easier. Georgia is currently 7-9 in the SEC and No. 10 in the standings, but just 1.5 games behind Ole Miss at No. 6.

One of the teams ahead of Georgia in the standings is Missouri, which has lost four of its last five games. The Tigers' last two games are against Florida and LSU. Kentucky and Mississippi State also have tough gauntlets to end the year.

With a little help, Georgia could soar up the SEC standings. Of course, all of this is moot if the Bulldogs lose to South Carolina and/or Alabama.