TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Georgia's hopes of a first-round bye in next week's SEC men's basketball tournament ended Saturday afternoon with a 65-57 loss to Alabama.
The defeat in the regular-season finale dropped the Bulldogs (20-10, 9-7) out of a three-way tie for second place in the SEC East, ensured that they will be no higher than the division's No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament and perhaps hurt their standing on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Saturday started well for Georgia with forward Trey Thompkins' decision to play despite an injured toe, but went sharply downhill from there.
"The last game of the regular season, I wish we would have gone out with a bang," said Travis Leslie, who scored 15 points. "It just didn't go our way."
Said Gerald Robinson, who endured a 2-for-12 shooting day: "We were just a little offbeat. I don't know what to attribute that to, but we just weren't on the right page. ... It's definitely disappointing, especially with the scenarios we had at hand."
A victory would have kept alive the possibility of a No. 2 seed and, significantly, a first-round bye in the SEC tournament, which begins Thursday at the Georgia Dome. But the loss reduced Georgia's seeding scenarios: The Bulldogs will be the East's No. 4 seed if Tennessee loses at home to Kentucky on Sunday afternoon and the No. 5 seed if the Vols win.
As a No. 4 seed, Georgia would open against Auburn; as a No. 5 seed, the Dogs would open against Arkansas.
"The next game, we have just got to do better than what we did [Saturday]," Leslie said. "We had a lot of mental mistakes, a lot of turnovers. ... They just played harder than we did."
Georgia's 16 turnovers, including six by Leslie, led to 20 Alabama points. The Crimson Tide rode the outside shooting of Charvez Davis, whose 17 points included five 3-pointers, and the inside play of JaMychal Green, who had 19 points and nine rebounds.
Thompkins, who was unsure Friday whether he would play because of a problem with his left big toe, matched Leslie as Georgia's high scorer, with 15 points. Thompkins, who played 27 minutes and drew the familiar double teams, also had 10 rebounds.
He had an ingrown toenail removed Tuesday and aggravated it in Wednesday's victory over LSU. He wore a shoe Saturday with extra protection for the toe.
"I decided to play when I woke up [Saturday]," Thompkins said. "Coach asked me if I was good. I told him, ‘Yes, sir. I'm fine, and I'll play.' ... I fought through it."
Another Georgia player whose status was in doubt also played: Freshman backup forward Marcus Thornton, who missed Wednesday's game and a week of practice because of an elbow laceration, came off the bench briefly in the second half.
A victory probably would have ended any doubt about Georgia as an NCAA tournament at-large team. Whether the loss -- Georgia's first in six games this season against an SEC West opponent -- significantly damages the Bulldogs' case is debatable.
On one hand, Alabama is undefeated at home this season (16-0), and Georgia still has a strong road record (7-4) on its resume. On the other hand, Alabama has the worst RPI (87) of any team to beat Georgia this season.
Previously, the Bulldogs' "worst" loss, at least as measured by the RPI, was to No. 29 Temple on a neutral court. Georgia ranked No. 37 in the RPI entering the weekend.
Despite being the No. 1 team in the SEC West, Alabama (20-10, 12-4) is considered by most "bracketologists" as a longshot for an NCAA tournament at-large berth because of its RPI and 8-6 nonconference record. Asked after Saturday's game if he considers the Crimson Tide an NCAA tournament team, Georgia coach Mark Fox answered: "Yeah, I think they are. I think we are, too."
Fox added: "I think we have a lot of points on our side. ... We obviously can't rest on our laurels right now."
About the Author
