UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 16
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Hoop Dogs vastly improved
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve been hearing a lot of SEC coaches say lately that Georgia is easily the most improved men’s basketball team in league. Well I’ve been sitting here perusing the current SEC statistics and comparing them to the final stats of last season - ah, another glamorous side of sportswriting - and it truly IS astounding the improvement the Bulldogs have made.
There are 19 main statistical categories the league office keeps up with. Georgia has made marked - and in most cases dramatic — improvement in 11 of those.
The Dogs are No. 1 in the SEC in offensive rebounding, ranked in the top 3 of 10 statistical categories and are in the top half of the league in 15 of the 19.
In and of itself that’s pretty impressive but put in the context of where they were last year, it borders on incredible.
They’re scoring 81.7 points per game compared to 70.3 a year ago.
They’ve gone from last in the league in field goal percentage (.431) to second (.496).
And their rebounding numbers are stunning: From seventh to third in overall rebounds; from 12th to fourth in rebounding defense; from 11th to third in rebounding margin (plus-8.0!).
In fact, Georgia has been out-rebounded in only three games all season. Not coincidentally, all three of those (Western Kentucky, Tech and Clemson) were losses.
Here’s the point: If Georgia continues to improve on its current learning curve, look out.
Meanwhile, the Dogs embark on yet another killer stretch of schedule. They’re at No. 38 Arkansas on Wednesday and No. 10 Alabama on Saturday followed by visits from No. 25 Kentucky and No. 16 LSU next week. Drop all four of those like they did the last tough stretch (No. 30 Tech, No. 19 Clemson, No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 1 Florida) and nobody will care how much improvement they’ve made.
How many of the next four do you think Georgia will win? What’s impressed you most - or least - about the 2007 Hoop Dogs?
And here is a final thought to contemplate: What does it say when Georgia’s last four head football coaches all still live in Athens (Dooley, Goff, Donnan and, of course, Richt)? Is there another school that can make such a claim?
