TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Georgia men's basketball team won't finish first or last in the SEC East, but everything in between remains a possibility entering the final weekend of the regular season.
It would be an inopportune time for the Bulldogs to find themselves at substantially less than full strength, but they're unsure of star forward Trey Thompkins' status for Saturday's game at Alabama.
Coach Mark Fox suggested at mid-week that Thompkins, Georgia's leading scorer and rebounder, might not play because of a toe injury and said Friday the decision will be made shortly before game time.
Georgia (20-9, 9-6) enters the weekend in a three-way tie with Kentucky and Vanderbilt for second place in the SEC East, one game ahead of Tennessee. The Bulldogs' seed for next week's SEC tournament at the Georgia Dome could swing widely depending on what happens in three games this weekend -- their game at Alabama (1:30 p.m. Saturday), Vanderbilt's home game against Florida on Saturday night and Kentucky's game at Tennessee on Sunday afternoon.
Georgia could finish as high as the East's No. 2 seed, which would mean a first-round bye in the conference tournament, or as low as the No. 5 seed.
Georgia would lose tiebreakers against Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee, based on head-to-head or intra-division records. So to get a higher seed than any of those teams, the Bulldogs must finish ahead of -- not tied with -- them in the standings.
What it would take this weekend for Georgia to land various seeds:
- No. 2 seed: A win by Georgia and losses by Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
- No. 3: A win by Georgia and a split by Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
- No. 4: Wins by Georgia, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Or losses by Georgia and Tennessee.
- No. 5: A loss by Georgia and a win by Tennessee.
What's established is that Florida will be the East's No. 1 seed and South Carolina its No. 6 seed. Alabama will be the West's No. 1 seed.
To finish the regular season with a victory, Georgia will have to do something no visiting team has done this season: win at Alabama. The Crimson Tide (19-10, 11-4 and No. 87 in the RPI) is 15-0 at Coleman Coliseum, including a January victory over Kentucky. Alabama is allowing only 51.7 points per game at home, best in the nation.
Without Thompkins, winning anywhere would be a lot more difficult for Georgia.
Thompkins had an ingrown nail on his left big toe removed Tuesday, and he was lifted from Wednesday's victory over LSU after aggravating the tender toe. He played only six minutes in the second half against the Tigers.
Fox expressed doubt after the game about whether Thompkins would be able to play at Alabama, but as of Friday, the 6-foot-10 forward had not been ruled out -- or in -- for the game.
“He’s had a tough year with lower body dings, and we need to get him healthy,” Fox told reporters in Athens before the team's flight to Tuscaloosa. "So we'll ... see how he moves around [Saturday] morning. ... It's just, can he do what he needs to do and play well?"
In addition, freshman backup forward Marcus Thornton, who missed Wednesday's game because of what Fox described as a deep elbow laceration, had not been cleared to play.
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SEC East
A glance at the division entering the final weekend of the regular season:
Team Record This weekend
Florida 12-3 Saturday at Vanderbilt
Georgia 9-6 Saturday at Alabama
Kentucky 9-6 Sunday at Tennessee
Vanderbilt 9-6 Saturday vs. Florida
Tennessee 8-7 Sunday vs. Kentucky
South Carolina 5-10 Saturday at Mississippi State
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