ATHENS — Georgia has won six national championships in men’s tennis, and five of those came when it hosted the NCAA tennis tournament, as it is doing this week. So there will be high expectations for the Bulldogs (25-2) when they resume play in the Round of 16 on Friday
Seeded No. 2 in the tournament, Georgia takes on No. 15-seed North Carolina (15-7) at 7 p.m. in the featured match on the Henry Feild Stadium Courts at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
“We really can’t put any more pressure on ourselves just because it’s here,” said Georgia coach Manuel Diaz, who has overseen four of those national championships as head coach and was an assistant for the other two. “We won it in Tulsa, so we got the monkey off our back a little bit. We’ve had great teams. We compete well no matter where it is.”
Diaz’ latest team is one of his best. The Bulldogs sport a singles lineup that features five players ranked among ITA’s top 60. That power was on full display in the regional finals when they rolled FSU 4-1 after dropping the doubles point.
“We’re so deep,” said Wil Spencer, Georgia’s top-ranked player at No. 11 by ITA. “It gives you so much confidence, that boost, knowing that these guys are right there.”
Several teams will have something to say about. Longtime tennis rival USC (29-1), which handed UGA a 4-1 defeat at the National Indoor Semifinals, is the nation’s top seed. Virginia and UCLA are loaded likewise.
But only Georgia will play its matches on its home courts.
“The fact that it’s home, I think it’s exciting for these guys because of the atmosphere,” Diaz said. “Every team that’s coming in for the final 16 is excited for the atmosphere that is here because it’s special. I don’t think you get that just about anywhere else. Stanford did a great job last year, but really the atmosphere here is unique. I think the guys are just looking forward to having some fun stepping in front of a great crowd and going from there.”
Dogs in the NCAAs
The six-time national champion Bulldogs are 89-28 all-time in tournament play, winners of 25 of 28 tournament matches dating to 2007. They are coming off national semifinals trips on each of the past two seasons, while the squad has reached the finals in three of the past six years.
The Bulldogs have advanced to the finals 13 times in the past 27 years and have now moved out of the regional rounds nine years in a row and 12 of 14 times total since the tournament adopted its current format in 1999.
North Carolina here again
North Carolina, which defeated Tennessee in the regional final, is making its third appearance in the Round of 16 since 2006 and first since 2008. Seeded No. 15, the Tar Heels bring in two players ranked in the ITA singles poll: No. 26 Jose Hernandez and No. 29 Brennan Boyajian. Coach Sam Paul’s team earned its 13th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships and its 20th bid in the past 21 years.
The field
Fourteen of the 16 national seeds advanced of the regional rounds on the men’s side, with the upsets coming in Starkville, Miss. (Baylor def. nine-seed Mississippi State) and Norman, Okla., (Tulsa def. 10-seed Oklahoma). The SEC and the Pac-12 again lead all schools with four teams each in the Round of 16, while the Big Ten has three representatives. Two ACC schools will make the trip, as well as one apiece from the Big 12, Conference USA, and the West Coast Conference.
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