Georgia has been looking forward to getting another crack at Kentucky ever since getting blown out at Rupp Arena six weeks ago. After Friday’s 75-73 win over Ole Miss, the Bulldogs will get that chance in the SEC Tournament at the Georgia Dome.
The Bulldogs (19-12) and Wildcats (23-9) will meet in the second of the tournament’s two semifinals at about 4 p.m. Saturday. Florida and Tennessee face off in the first game at 1 p.m.
Kentucky thumped Georgia 79-54 in their only game of the regular season back on Jan. 25. But the Bulldogs played that day without both their shooting guards. Kenny Gaines (bruised thigh) and Juwan Parker (hamstring) missed the game with injuries.
Whether having them both playing this time and competing at a supposedly neutral facility will make 26 points of difference for the Bulldogs remains to be seen.
“It was tough last time,” said sophomore guard Charles Mann, who led Georgia with 16 points and made the winning basket Friday night. “They wore me down because I was pretty much the only guard we had that night. It’s going to be a battle. They’re a terrific team and it’s going to be just like today. We’ve been looking forward to it and we’re ready for it.”
The rematch certainly didn’t come easy for the Bulldogs. It came only after Ole Miss gunner Marshall Henderson missed a 3-pointer with five seconds to go that could have won the game. His shot careened hard right off the rim, and Martavious Newby couldn’t control the rebound, despite diving out of bounds and into press row to save the loose ball.
His save went instead to Georgia’s Marcus Thornton, who was fouled and added a free throw with 3.9 seconds to go for the final margin. Mann had scored on a put-back with 17 seconds remaining for the winning points.
“It was a March Madness game,” said Mann, who also made a pair of free throws with 59 seconds to play. “I mean it was tough. The crowd was in it. It was a whole team effort.”
Kenny Gaines and Brandon Morris had 12 points apiece, and J.J. Frazier came off the bench to give Georgia 11. Led by Thornton, who had 9 points and 11 rebounds, Georgia erased a minus-7 rebounding deficit at halftime for the Bulldogs.
Officials whistled 51 fouls, and the teams combined to attempt 73 free throws. Georgia made 31 of its 42 (73.8), the biggest difference in the game.
“Both teams competed really hard and we were fortunate to make that last basket,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Fox who was assessed a technical with 6:35 to go. “We feel good about the win and are ready to go home and get some sleep and get ready for a quick turnaround.”
Jarvis Summers led Ole Miss with 26 points in the game, which concluded after midnight. Henderson had 19, but was 5-of-21 from the floor and 2-of-16 from 3-point range. The Rebels attempted 25 3-pointers and made only two, or 8 percent.
“They just kept saying ‘keep shooting, keep shooting,” Henderson said. “We’re living by it; we’re dying by it. Let it ride.”
The game was similar to their regular-season meeting Feb. 15 in Athens. Mann made one of two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining in that one for a 61-60 victory.
The Bulldogs now can only hope the one Saturday against Kentucky is markedly different.
“As basketball players and competitors, we’ve been doing this our whole lives,” said Thornton, who had a scholarship from Kentucky out of Westlake High. “You live for moments like this. We’re excited for the opportunity and we’ll be ready tomorrow.”
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