Backcourt: Xavier is at its best when 5-7 point guard Drew Lavender (10.7 ppg., 4.3 apg) creates scoring opportunities for his teammates. Lavender injured his ankle on Feb. 13. While he was hobbled, the Musketeers weren't nearly as efficient on offense. Shooting guard Stanley Burrell (10.0 ppg, 3.8 apg) was the A-10 defensive player of the year. Look for Burrell to guard Georgia point man Sundiata Gaines, who played through a hip pointer to lead the Bulldogs to the SEC championship. Shooting guard Billy Humphrey has made only five of his last 27 shots but hit some clutch baskets in the final two wins in the SEC.

Frontcourt: Xavier forward C.J. Anderson is coming off one of his better games with 15 points and seven rebounds in the A-10 quarterfinals against Dayton. He led the team in rebounding during conference play. Derrick Brown, a 6-8 sophomore, is second on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg). Sophomore center Jason Love has started 21 of Xavier's past 22 games and is just now hitting his stride. Georgia's big men are playing their best basketball of the season. Senior center Dave Bliss has made eight of his last 13 shots and had three blocks and 11 rebounds in the championship game with Arkansas. Sophomore Albert Jackson had 21 rebounds in Georgia's last three games. Swingman Terrance Woodbury was named to the SEC's all-tournament team with 63 points in Georgia's four games.

RICH ADDICKS / AJC (ENLARGE)

Georgia players gather around coach Dennis Felton (right) before practicing Wednesday in Washington for Thursday's 12:20 p.m. game with Xavier.

MORE ON UGA HOOPS Xavier eliminates UGA PHOTOS: The game • The fans BRADLEY: Dogs deserve big stage JUNKYARD BLAWG: Thanks for the memories Felton honors Gaines' career Former star Hayes pulling for Dogs Evans' patience pays off Diehard fans kept faith How UGA, XU match up Dogs seek 14th power PHOTOS: From Wednesday practice in D.C. Dogs' practice upbeat Swansey steps up D.C. alumni back Dogs UGA impresses Xavier Lavender key for Xavier MOORE: The stuff of legends PHOTOS: Dogs head to D.C. UGA fans give Dogs sendoff PHOTOS : The year 1983 '83 Dogs worked miracles too Q and A: Billy Humphrey Felton's team needs rest Profiling the Bulldogs How UGA can beat Xavier XU aide knows Gaines well UGA's tourney scramble UGA's road less traveled Lady Dogs to face Iowa QUIZ: Other worst-to-first feats More UGA coverage MORE MARCH MADNESS Bradley: Final Four Fiasco Brackets: Men's (PDF) | Women's (PDF)

Bench: All you need to know about Xavier's bench is that its leading scorer, senior Josh Duncan, is not a starter. The 6-9 Duncan averages 11.7 points per game and, not surprisingly, was voted the A-10's Sixth Man of the Year. Junior guard B.J. Raymond also averages in double figures. Georgia would not be here without the play of reserve guard Zac Swansey of Dunwoody, who hit a late 3-pointer to beat Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals. Gaines fouled out in both the Mississippi State and Kentucky games and Swansey held the team together. Jeremy Price, a 6-7 freshman, had 19 points in Georgia's last three games while 6-3 Corey Butler, who does not have a scholarship, had 20 points.

Coaching: Xavier's Sean Miller is in his fourth season but is no stranger to the NCAA tournament. He participated in three as a player at Pittsburgh, four as an assistant coach and four as a head coach. Miller was the A-10 coach of the year this season. Dennis Felton is drawing rave reviews from his peers for guiding Georgia to four victories in the SEC tournament while there was ongoing speculation about his job status.

That status, as you might imagine, was resolved after Georgia won the SEC tournament.

— Chip Towers contributed to this story.

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How they got here

Georgia, 4-12 during the SEC's regular season, earned an automatic bid by winning four games, including two in one day, to take the SEC tournament. The Bulldogs, who have not been to the NCAA tournament since 2002, won two overtime games (Ole Miss, Kentucky) and one by four points (vs. Mississippi State) before beating Arkansas 66-57 in the final.

Xavier, the Atlantic 10 regular-season is making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA and its seventh in the eight years. The Musketeers lost in A-10 tournament semifinals to St. Joseph's (61-53) but got an at-large berth and a No. 3 seed, which ties their highest ever.

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Forced to dig deeper by early start time

The NCAA tournament selection committee did Georgia no favors.

Not only did the Bulldogs have to play three games in about 30 hours during the weekend, but they must play the 12:20 p.m. game today in Washington. A lot of people are assuming that Georgia will finally hit the wall against Xavier.

Don't be so sure, said Florida coach Billy Donovan.

"If Georgia is fortunate enough to win that game, I wouldn't think of it as an upset," Donovan said. "A lot of times you're dealing with a team that's got a lot of focus, fire, and passion to take advantage of that opportunity that in front of them and they are talented enough. I think what's great about college basketball is what happened at Georgia."

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If you can only watch one matchup

Watch Xavier's Stanley Burrell on Georgia's Sundiata Gaines. Burrell is basketball's version of a lockdown corner. He draws the other team's best player and usually finds a way to shut him down.

Here's how he did against three of the nation's best guards this season:

Player FG made-attempted

Chris Lofton, Tennessee 3-12

Eric Gordon, Indiana 4-12

Sean Singletary, Virginia 5-12

But Gaines has a lot of experience being the marked man. Arkansas defensive specialist Gary Ervin took his best shot but Gaines had 11 points, four rebounds, and five assists despite playing with a hip pointer.

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How's this for balance?

Xavier is the only team in Division I basketball with six players in double figures:

Player Pos Scoring avg.

Josh Duncan F 11.7 ppg

Derrick Brown F 10.7 ppg

C.J. Anderson G/F 10.6 ppg

Drew Lavender G 10.7 ppg

B.J. Raymond G/F 10.3 ppg

Stanley Burrell G 10.0 ppg