This time a year ago, the Georgia Bulldogs arrived at SEC play stumbling to the point of barely avoiding a face plant. They were 6-6, coming off a humiliating road loss to George Washington and coach Mark Fox was having to deal with the death of his father. Things were dark.
Heading into Tuesday’s SEC opener, the outlook is considerably brighter. The Bulldogs (9-3) carry a six-game winning streak and undefeated home record into the contest against No. 23 Arkansas (11-2). And they’re doing it with a couple of resume wins already in their back pocket.
Considering the launching point this year as opposed to last — No. 19 RPI, No. 14 strength of schedule — the prospects of reaching the NCAA Tournament look much more realistic this time around. Of course, that only has Georgia’s coach on edge.
“We’re not going to celebrate the start of the season,” said Fox, who enters his sixth SEC season with the Bulldogs. “We’ve got work to do. We’re not in the NCAA Tournament. We don’t have a ticket yet. We’re just still in line. We’re just in a different place in the line than we were last year. But we still don’t have a ticket yet. We still have a lot of work to do. I mean a lot.”
Lest we forget, things turned out pretty good in the SEC last season. The Bulldogs won 12 of their 18 conference games to tie regal Kentucky for second. But, alas, that fitful non-conference start caught them in the end. They were locked out of the NCAA Tournament and settled for an NIT bid.
“Last year in the selection committee’s eyes, November and December games mattered more than the league games,” Fox said. “We tried to address that. And our league is much stronger this year.”
And therein is the rub. The Bulldogs have had more success playing a much more competitive non-league schedule. But now the challenge is to sustain their success against a more competitive league.
Last season was an off year for Kentucky. This one isn’t. Not only are the Wildcats (13-0) undefeated to this point, they’re already being talked about as possibly becoming the first team since 1976 to run the table to a perfect record. Coach John Calipari’s two-platoon system of former McDonald’s All-Americans has no player averaging more than 10 points a game and only a few playing more than 20 minutes.
“They’re things we’re going to be have to be able to do if we want to be the kind of team everybody keeps talking about,” said Calipari, whose fifth Kentucky team opens at home vs. Ole Miss (9-4). “But I’m really pleased with this group.”
With the exception of Florida — which went undefeated in conference play a year ago — every SEC team seems significantly improved this season. You can start with Georgia’s opponent Tuesday night. Arkansas (11-2) just re-entered the Top 25 poll for the third time this season.
“Obviously, Kentucky has sort of separated themselves in the non-conference from the rest of the world, not only from our league but from everybody’s else’s league as well,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “But I think our league is deep and the conference season will be an absolute grind because there will be so many teams that will probably be competitive and equal enough that a lot of teams can win on any given night.”
South Carolina (9-3) is one of those teams that seem to have taken strides in non-conference play. They have won seven in a row and are coming off a 64-60 upset victory against No. 9 Iowa State as they get set to host Florida (7-6).
Conversely, the Gators have struggled to get going on the heels of their Final Four season. Already having to replace their three leading scorers, coach Billy Donovan’s team has had to deal with dismissals, suspensions and injuries while playing one of the nation’s toughest non-conference schedules.
“This is going to be a process for this group,” Donovan said. “They work hard, but they’re learning what really goes into this and it’s been very, very humbling. I think it’s been good for these kids to understand you’re just not given things. You have to go out there and earn them.”
The Bulldogs know this as well as any team. And they’re taking nothing for granted.
“(Last year) gives us confidence, but it’s a new year,” junior guard Charles Mann said. “We don’t focus on what happened last year. But we know we’re a good team and what we can accomplish and how far we can go.”
