Athens — Georgia coach Dennis Felton wasn't talking Monday. It wasn't because he didn't want to. He literally couldn't.

Seems all the coaxing, cajoling, persuading and pleading to lead the Bulldogs to the SEC tournament championship over four unforgettable days this past week left him not just hoarse, but practically mute.

But that's OK. His fellow coaches and players did his talking for him.

"Dennis Felton is a great guy, a terrific basketball coach. For me personally, watching and hearing all the games, boy, was I happy for him. It was fantastic," Florida coach Billy Donovan said Monday. "You're talking about one of the most incredible stories in college basketball this season, maybe the best. It's a great lesson for people in life that, if there's perseverance, if there's a passion, if there's an intensity and enthusiasm and a belief in what you're doing, things can happen like that."

Associate head coach Pete Hermann had to fulfill Felton's media obligations Monday, including a morning remote with ESPN and an SEC teleconference.

Most everybody had the same question: How were the Dogs able to do it?

Thursday

Georgia loses its regular-season finale to Ole Miss on March 8, and with it a better seed in the SEC tourney. So instead of playing the 1 p.m. game in the first round, the Bulldogs play the Rebels again. The game doesn't tip off until after 10 p.m.

Felton tells his players they know what they did wrong against Ole Miss. They simply need to correct those mistakes. Because UGA is on spring break, the team is able to practice hard in Athens on Wednesday morning and again at the Georgia Dome that afternoon.

The Bulldogs don't play great, but Dave Bliss knocks down a bank shot with a second left in overtime for the 97-95 win.

Playing with a short bench — only nine players are available — fatigue is on Felton's mind.

"I mean, I feel really, really fortunate that we were able to make that last shot and not have to play another overtime because we don't have nearly the depth to turn to that Mississippi has, and we had several of our top guys with four fouls," he says after the game.

Friday

Georgia shows up at the Georgia Dome two hours before its 9:45 p.m. tip against Kentucky. The team is in its locker room on the north side, bottom-floor concourse when a tornado hits that side of the building with 2:28 remaining in overtime of the preceding game between Alabama and Mississippi State.

Neither Felton nor the players know what's happening. Felton jokes to assistant Mike Jones about the noise. He says it sounds like sand is falling through the walls. "Must be the rats," he says, and they both laugh.

Felton, his assistants and a few players crowd around a small television in a storage room across the hall from the locker room to find out what's happening. They learn the news but don't know what it means for them.

They remain in their locker room for more than four hours. It's nearly midnight before they learn their game is off.

"We got back to the hotel, had to actually walk part of the way, right smack through the Kentucky hotel because the police wouldn't allow our bus to get close enough to the [Marriott Marquis] to drop us off on the curb," Felton says. "By the time we got to our hotel it was about, I think, 1:30, and we had a quick meal and guys went back to their rooms.

"Later, when we finally got news of what the schedule was going to be to resume playing, we got them back together and let them know what was going on and encouraged them to just stay very, very focused and not allow themselves to be distracted."

Around 12:15 a.m., the SEC announces that the tournament is moving to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Nobody is sure when the Bulldogs and Kentucky will play.

Saturday

Despite Felton's and UGA's objections, the SEC decides around 4 a.m. that Georgia and Kentucky will play at noon that day and the winner will play a rested Mississippi State team later that night.

Felton puts together a plan, much of it around eating and resting.

The Bulldogs rise for an 8 a.m. breakfast and have a brief meeting and walk-through in a hotel suite before busing to Georgia Tech. They beat Kentucky 60-56 in overtime on Zac Swansey's 3-pointer.

Felton makes the players leave immediately, ahead of him and the coaches. In fact, SEC media relations personnel have to grab Swansey as he's getting on the team bus to answer questions. Felton gives him enough time to answer four.

"So we probably got them out of there in about 30 minutes," Felton says. "I wanted them to eat as soon as they got back, and then we wanted them to get plenty of fluids in. We had five or six guys take IVs, not right at that moment, but later, leading into the second meal, because we didn't just want to go to the bathroom and urinate it out. We just wanted to do everything possible that we could think of to help them replenish."

About 8 1/2 hours after tipping off against Kentucky, the Bulldogs take on Mississippi State. Instead of telling his players to pace themselves, Felton tells them to come out aggressively and show their opponent that fatigue is not going to be a factor.

"The last thing I told the players before we left the locker room to take the court, I promised them that their bodies had more to give than they know," Felton says. "I had to remind them in the first game not to pace themselves because if they did, it wouldn't matter. We wouldn't be playing anymore, regardless. So I just tried to convince them that their bodies were capable of doing more than they've actually ever done for them in their young lives, to just lay it all out and give it all up, and we'll find a way."

Georgia wins 64-60.

Sunday

Having survived the previous three days, Felton says there isn't much left to say. His team goes through its normal pregame routine of meal, meetings, meal. He reminds them to stay aggressive.

"I told them to go make history, to go do something that's never been done and hopefully will never be done again," Felton says.

Georgia wins 66-57.

As for the magical ending, he adds: "I think it's a lot more grit and toughness and sweat than anything about magic."