On a day Georgia’s 1983 team was honored for its Final Four run, the 2013 team dishonored it with its performance in its SEC home opener.
Georgia’s current Bulldogs lost to the ones from Mississippi State 72-61 Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. And this one not the same pedigree of State team that won 21 or more games in nine of the previous 11 seasons. The Maroons (7-7, 2-0 SEC) came into Saturday’s game with a first-year coach, the SEC’s worst RPI ranking (No. 275, per RealTimeRPI.com) and a roster of just eight healthy players.
But, as State would prove in the second half, that was better than Georgia’s one-man show. After scoring in 14 points in the first half, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did not record a field goal after halftime. He finished with 16 points and 4 steals as the Bulldogs (6-9) fell to 0-2 in the SEC.
“That was a disappointing loss,” said a downtrodden Georgia coach Mark Fox. “… Our defense failed us and we have to get somebody else who can score the ball when they take Kentavious away.”
Caldwell-Pope, the Bulldogs’ only double-figure scorer (17 ppg), has led them in scoring in 14 of their 15 games. He started the game hot, hitting 4-of-6 threes in the first half and leading all scorers with 14 points.
But State turned up both its energy and focus with regard to Caldwell-Pope in the second half. He was 0-for-6 from the field after halftime, including three tries from 3-point range. He was 2-of-4 from the foul line.
“They really guarded me; they really got up in me,” said Caldwell-Pope, who injured his left hand but not seriously. “I tried using my teammates to get open, but it wasn’t working or whatever. They were switching off ball screens, switching when I came off anything. They just guarded me well in the second half.”
Fox said the solution is simple. Caldwell-Pope’s teammates have to pick it up.
“We need some interior scoring,” Fox said. “Donte (Williams) is not giving us scoring. Nemi (Djurisic) has not given us consistent scoring. Tim Dixon tonight gave us a couple of baskets. But John Florveus is not giving us consistent scoring. We’re just putting a lot of pressure on one guy.”
State got a career-high 20 points from Steele, a 6-3 junior guard, and 16 from freshman guard Craig Sword.
Freshman Charles Mann added 14 points and four assists for the Bulldogs. Georgia was also 19-of-32 from the foul line, so there is much to shore up before playing No. 10 Missouri on the road Wednesday.
“I don’t think the season is away from us, but we’re playing uphill out of a hole that we dug,” Fox said. “And we refuse to put the shovel away. But we can still climb forward.”
It was a one-point game until Georgia let it get away during a stretch of just over two minutes late in the game.
The Bulldogs came out of a media timeout at the 7:39 mark trailing 52-51, but apparently left their defense on the sideline. State got a way-too-easy driving layup from forward Roquez Johnson at the 7:13 mark, followed by three straight baskets from shooting specialist Jalen Steele.
Steele’s second and third baskets in that stretch were left-wing 3s over an inattentive Caldwell-Pope.
“It was my fault,” the sophomore guard said. “I didn’t fight through the screens and gave up two easy 3s.”
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