The stage is set for a showdown in the bayou on Saturday.
Georgia took care of business Wednesday night at home against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs (17-12, 11-6 SEC) manhandled their visitors for the second time this season, 66-45. Georgia beat them by 20 exactly three weeks ago in Starkville.
The victory — Georgia’s 11th in SEC play for the first time since 2003 — keeps the Bulldogs in sole possession of third place in the SEC. that’s a coveted position considering the top four spots come with a double-bye into the quarterfinal round of next week’s SEC tournament at the Georgia Dome.
The trouble is, Tennessee and Arkansas, who trail the Bulldogs by a game each, both had late games Wednesday against Auburn and Ole Miss, respectively. But both the pursuers hold tiebreakers over Georgia — they were both winning by large margins late in their games — meaning the Bulldogs could still slip to fifth they lose to LSU unless one of the other two loses.
Meanwhile, Georgia has a tough opponent Saturday in LSU. The Tigers (17-11, 8-8) play on the road at Vanderbilt Thursday night.
But all that is something to worry about later. As for Wednesday, the Bulldogs were sharp. They shot 43 percent from the floor and got 14 points from Kenny Gaines, 13 from Marcus Thorton and 10 to improve to 14-2 at home for the season. Donte Williams — Georgia’s lone senior on Senior Night — finished with two points and two rebounds.
Mississippi State finished 0-for-15 from 3-point range and didn’t have a player in double figures.
Mississippi State sliced a big Georgia lead down to nine points just five minutes into the second half. But the Bulldogs didn’t let the visitors keep hope long. By the 12:11 mark, Gaines put them back out front by 17, 52-35, with a long 3-pointer from the left wing.
The Bulldogs would go on to lead by as many as 25 points.
The first half followed the same script it did the last time these teams met three weeks ago in Starkville. The Bulldogs, who fell behind by double figures, trailed by eight before executing a 21-point turnaround to take a 37-24 halftime lead.
Mississippi State went ahead 16-8 with 10:42 remaining on a lay-up by Fred Thomas. It came off the Bulldogs’ fourth turnover of the half.
But then the Bulldogs got busy. In seven minutes, Georgia went ahead 29-20 went up nine on Cameron Forte’s putback of J.J. Frazier’s missed 3-pointer. That capped a 21-4 run.
The Bulldogs delivered the ultimate insult at the end of the half. Trailing by 11, State dribbled out all but the last 10 seconds of the clock to get the half’s last shot. But Forte stole the ball from Thomas, hit Mann with an outlet pass, who forwarded a perfect alley-oop pass to Gaines who slammed it home at the halftime buzzer for a commanding 13-point advantage.
About the Author
